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墨書 Inktalez
"Aunt, don't worry. When have I ever done something without confidence? You can rest assured!"
A young Fellow laughed and teased, "That's right! Our village's Village Beauty is the best!"
Liu Qingxi was becoming more beautiful, and the young Fellow secretly had countless crushes on her. After teasing her openly, he blushed and shrank back.
Knowing that the boy meant no harm, Liu Qingxi didn't mind the jokes.
At Liu Qingxi's home, people gathered on both sides, and villagers helped find the needed straw. Liu Qingxi took scissors and cut it into lengths of about two to three centimeters.
Estimating the weight, she decided that 0.5 percent would be sufficient. At the same time, she used a sieve borrowed from a neighbor to sift the soil.
To ensure consistency in the Mud Bricks, five of each type were made, all mixed by the same person, pressed by the same person, and demolded by the same person.
Finally, these two different sets of Mud Bricks were carefully placed aside, with plans to let them air dry for three days before starting to add weights.
During the waiting period, the audience was more anxious than Liu Qingxi herself. They came over to ask repeatedly, with some returning to inquire again after a while.
Such explosive news couldn't be missed by the Wen Family.
Sure enough, the next day, the Wen Family arrived with two maidservants, rarely leaving their estate to come to the village.
Compared to the dark-skinned Villager Woman with cracked lips and gray linen clothes, the Wen Family stood out with their external attire and inner grace—a beautiful sight that these women could hardly aspire to in their lifetime.
Even with similar silk fabrics, without a unique aura, they still couldn't hold up.
"Look at them; that's what a proper lady looks like! She doesn't look at all like Yang the Scholar's mother!"
"Indeed! I wonder how they maintain themselves. Sigh!" One woman touched her face, feeling ashamed.
With every smile and frown, the flowing skirt swayed gracefully as she walked, her chest held high and her back straight, accompanied by two maids carrying gifts behind her.
As they passed by, the gentle greetings from the Wen Family went unanswered, leaving the women in a daze, nearly drooling.
If the women were mesmerized, how much more so were the men? The women finally understood why men became speechless at the mention of the Wen Family; if they were in their shoes, it would be no different.
Thus, the women of the Village began to emulate the Wen Family, starting with their demeanor and behavior, even if their attire couldn’t match.
Although their attempts were somewhat clumsy, during this time, the relationship between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law in Ten Li Pu was unusually harmonious.
Why? The loud women sought to learn the gentle tones of the Wen Family, while those with bad tempers aimed to adopt their grace. No matter how angry they felt, just thinking of the Wen Family helped them endure.
Indeed, beauty holds an endless charm for women, regardless of the era or age group.
Meanwhile, at Liu Qingxi's place, when the Wen Family entered with their two maids, a few people in the courtyard were discussing several pieces of Mud Brick: “I think this one is good for Qingxi.”
“How do you know if you haven’t tried it? This is what we learned from our ancestors; my grandfather and great-grandfather did it this way.”
“Anyway, I believe in Qingxi; she’s amazing!”
There were Liu Qingxi's die-hard fans and some stubborn individuals who refused to listen to training.
Those who were arguing heatedly turned silent upon seeing the graceful and gentle woman at the entrance, quickly closing their mouths and scurrying away.
Oh no, they embarrassed themselves in front of a goddess. How could they be so careless? They wished they could slap themselves for ruining any good impression.
In an instant, only four women remained in the courtyard.
“Qingxi, it’s been a while; your name has spread far and wide.”
"Aunt, why are you teasing me too? I just happened to overhear someone, and you're joking about it."
"Hahaha, Aunt is not joking. Don't worry, we believe you. This is specially prepared for you. Make sure to enjoy it; when you're busy, you won't have time for good food."
Wen Family gestured for the maid to bring over the gifts. "Not bad, your courtyard is really well-kept, and these flowers! Once it gets a bit warmer, they should bloom!"
"Aunt, these are just wildflowers I picked from the mountains; they look nice for the occasion."
"Expensive flowers aren't necessarily beautiful; sometimes wildflowers are more valuable. They're just pretty but not useful," Wen Family sighed about the flowers, as if reflecting on her own life.
Since it was a rare visit, Liu Qingxi naturally didn't want anyone to leave so early.
This courtyard was complete with everything, filled with the aroma of life, exceptionally warm. The plants were arranged neatly and regularly; although there were no buds or blooms yet, one could imagine how it would look in the future.
"You truly are a crafty girl. By the way, I heard that this courtyard was lent to you by the Village Chief. What are your plans?"
"Aunt, I've thought it through. In a couple of days, I'll go talk to the Village Chief and prepare to buy it." It felt more secure to have it in her own hands.
Thinking back, although this courtyard was given to her by Zhang Wuliang, there had been times when people opposed her living here or blocked her at the door to scold her.
To be honest, this courtyard was unowned. If it had remained abandoned without anyone caring for it, that would have been one thing. But after Liu Qingxi moved in and tidied it up...
Now it looked no worse than any of the villagers' homes; how could that be?
Seeing its value, some people began to intentionally cause trouble. At first, Liu Qingxi thought someone was just playing pranks behind the house; it turned out some people had their eyes on this property.
To prevent similar incidents from happening again, Liu Qingxi specifically sought out Zhang Wuliang.
At that time, she had already earned some income from repairing houses and paid several Ten Wen as rent each month, finally silencing the gossiping mouths.
Because the village chief has made a decision, anyone who wants to live in this courtyard can do so, as long as they can afford the rent.
This immediately deterred many who had ulterior motives.
They wanted the house, but they had no money!
To prevent future issues, Liu Qingxi discussed with the village chief after receiving six hundred taels of silver, and the final result was that payment could be made annually.
In fact, this arrangement was not very advantageous; as an outsider, she lacked a solid foundation and was in a passive position.
"You just need to know. I came specifically to see the bet you made with the people of Sanhe Village. I vaguely heard a bit about what happened," Wen Family's face was filled with curiosity; she wanted to gossip.
Thus, Liu Qingxi recounted the events in detail: "I also wanted the house to be sturdier. Fortunately, I discovered it yesterday; otherwise, it would have been a big loss when building."
"You really thought of a clever way to handle it. I was worried you wouldn't be able to manage alone," Wen Family said with a mix of amusement and exasperation. This girl was truly resourceful.
She even specifically went to observe those mud bricks that had similar maintenance conditions.
Gossip in this village was no less than that of any town; today, her main purpose was to see what this much-talked-about experiment was all about.
At night, as winter had just departed, bringing a hint of chill, a dark figure moved swiftly through the pitch-black night where one could not see their own hand.
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