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墨書 Inktalez
However, these lands would only need her care after the autumn harvest when new crops were to be planted, and thus the construction of the tavern in town was temporarily put on hold.
Every household, young and old, was mobilized, each rushing with Ox Carts or carrying baskets on their backs, bringing out the golden corn from the fields. The happiness and joy radiated from their faces, filled with genuine smiles.
Liu Qingxi squinted as she watched the joy of the harvest; that happiness was infectious and could easily uplift her own spirits.
The people of Ten Li Pu were taking steady steps toward a better future, working diligently with each footprint they left behind, knowing that they would eventually reap the rewards they anticipated.
Meanwhile, in a courtyard somewhere in Ten Li Pu,
Compared to the newly built houses around, this courtyard appeared weathered by time. In the yard, a woman paced back and forth anxiously, dressed in ill-fitting clothes.
That shameless little wretch actually received an imperial decree. The hatred in her heart was overwhelming; why could Liu Qingxi, that shameless little wretch, have everything go so smoothly? Why?
This woman was none other than Wang Shi. Such a significant event could not possibly escape her notice. She had inquired from various sources; if it weren't for the emperor's favor, she would have wanted to stuff those rewards into her own pockets.
A hundred taels of gold converted to a thousand taels of silver—if she had that much silver, would she still need to work? Would she still have to exhaust herself selling mooncakes?
Thinking about mooncakes made Wang Shi furious. Business had been good at first, with several taels of silver coming in gradually. But then Tian, that shameless little wretch, came to stir up trouble. The two of them fought and hurled insults at each other, and soon people began to avoid their mooncakes.
In the end, despite making hundreds of mooncakes, not a single one sold. They even lost much of the money they had earned earlier; both families ended up losing more than they gained.
This delighted Boss Lin immensely. He didn't have to lift a finger; all it took was spreading a few rumors casually to completely ruin the two faltering stalls.
At this moment, Wang Shi's hatred extended beyond Liu Qingxi; Tian also became an enemy deep within her heart. Little did she know that her entanglement with Tian was far from over—it would continue for a lifetime.
The connection between the two families was far from finished.
Two days later, in the early morning, the door of the Liu Family's new house was knocked loudly from the outside.
The curses that burst out made people frown. Wang, with her fiery temper, placed her hands on her hips and stepped forward to open the door: "Who is it, making a scene at the Liu Family's doorstep? Do you want to live?"
With a loud bang, the door was forcefully pushed open, causing Wang to stumble and nearly fall. A loud voice shouted, "Who are you? Can't you see there's someone behind you?"
To her surprise, several men rushed in, along with a woman who wore a cold expression.
The leading woman was dressed in a dark blue coarse cloth outfit, hands on her hips, glaring fiercely at Wang.
Standing beside her was a man with a hunched back, looking like a scrawny monkey with shifty eyes that gave off an untrustworthy impression.
These two were none other than the good-for-nothing Zhang Erdan and his wife Tian.
Oh dear, Wang had just been cursing Tian in her heart, and now she had come knocking. The anger inside her flared up: "You Tian, how dare you come here? Don't you have any shame? The Liu Family does not welcome you."
"You shameless little wretch! If it weren't for you, my mooncakes wouldn't have gone unsold." In such hot weather, they couldn't make many, and the whole family relied on mooncakes as their main food; they were almost sick of them by now.
There was nothing to be done; when Wang was making them, she had cut corners and didn't use enough oil and flour, adding some water instead. Now it was ruined; what little was left had gone bad.
At that moment, Tian suddenly grabbed Wang's hair: "I don't have time to waste on your nonsense. Listen up, quickly hand over Liu Qingshu that brat. You Liu Family are all shameless scum.
Especially Liu Qingshu, that coward. Don't let me find him; if I do, I'll break his legs along with your husband."
Oh dear, although Wang was selfish and only nurtured Liu Qingzhi for future profit, she still had some genuine love for her son Liu Qingshu.
Hearing what Tian said made her furious instantly: "On what basis? Why are you cursing my son? Your family is the one without shame; all of you should get out of here!"
Wang pointed at the door, filled with anger. She had never dared to scold her son like this, so how could that enemy Tian do it?
Little did she know that it was because her son had gotten into serious trouble, a trouble he couldn't shake off.
As for Zhang Erdan and Tian, they deliberately brought along a few relatives to bolster their courage, determined to make the Liu Family give them an explanation.
This matter began with Liu Qingshu and Zhang Hua'er. At first, no one noticed what was happening between them, but over time, they would always come out from the same place one after the other, and anyone with keen eyes could see the pattern.
Especially with Zhang Hua'er’s appearance each time resembling peach blossoms, it only fueled more speculation.
Tian was not foolish; she had been observing her daughter's changes closely and did not intervene. As for the man involved with her daughter, anyone paying attention would naturally discover who he was.
Normally, parents in this situation would completely oppose their daughter’s lack of self-respect.
However, Tian hesitated for a long time. She was weighing Liu Qingshu's potential—whether this future son-in-law had money, whether his family had savings, and if he would be generous.
Conflicted emotions battled within her mind.
Why? If it were the original Liu Family, with Liu Qingzhi being the favored Auntie from Wan Mansion occasionally providing some financial support and benefits, life would still be relatively comfortable.
But after the earthquake? The Liu Family had little to no contact with Wan Mansion in town, as if Liu Qingzhi had never existed.
This left Tian with no choice but to think deeply; clearly, Liu Qingzhi had fallen out of favor or something else had happened—perhaps even death was a possibility—meaning there would be little benefit for Liu Qingshu.
Then came the incident of selling mooncakes. Initially prepared to oppose their relationship, Tian suddenly gave up and even prepared a cover for them.
She realized that the Liu Family might still have some potential. Regardless of where this method came from, as long as it made money, it was good.
In the future, if they become in-laws, it would be a good thing to come together. Although the two had fought before, there must be some benefits to gain.
Tian happily thought about how to divide the Liu Family's fortune in half for herself. Even better news arrived when Liu Qingxi received praise from the Emperor, which was an unparalleled honor.
Although this girl had been driven out of her home by the Wang family, and in the minds of the people of Shili Pu Village, they were already seen as two separate families, one cannot write two characters for Liu with just one stroke; they are ultimately still one family.
With this in mind, Tian naturally felt even more connected to the Liu Family.
At that moment, while Zhang Hua'er was eating porridge, her stomach suddenly churned. She tried to suppress the nausea, but another wave of sickness hit her.
Finally unable to hold it in, she retched loudly, waking Tian. Having given birth to several children, Tian instinctively thought that her daughter was pregnant.
Sure enough, after calling a doctor to check her pulse, it turned out that Zhang Hua'er was already one month pregnant: "The first three months are crucial for the fetus; you must be careful not to do heavy work or bend over too much."
Tian was momentarily stunned; her daughter had really done something so foolish. What should she do now?
Feeling quite embarrassed, although with a purpose in mind, suddenly a light bulb went off in her head: "That's right, I should go find the Liu Family!" Thus, the lively scene unfolded.
She had no intention of hiding it and wanted to connect with Liu Qingxi anyway, hoping to share in the glory of imperial favor.
So Tian deliberately made a fuss about it so that everyone would know, making it impossible for the Liu Family to deny it.
At that moment, Wang was completely bewildered. What was happening? That shameless little wretch's daughter was pregnant, and the child was supposedly Liu Qingshu's?
Wang scoffed; how could that be possible? How could her son be involved with Zhang Erdan's daughter? It was impossible! She shook her head violently and staggered backward.
Tian stepped forward swiftly: "Wang, don't think you can run away. This is your son's wrongdoing. Do you acknowledge it? If you don't want to admit it, that's fine; gentlemen here can serve as witnesses."
With Tian's shouting, people gradually gathered around, and the big Kid was discussing the matter in hushed tones.
Some latecomers, not understanding what had happened, actively asked, "Hey, hey, hey, what just happened? I didn't hear anything."
Those who had witnessed everything from the beginning pushed to the front and said, "I saw it clearly; it was Liu Qingshu and Zhang Hua'er being intimate. According to rumors, Zhang Hua'er is already showing."
"What?" Some expressed disbelief; how could that be possible? No one had noticed Zhang Hua'er gaining weight, so naturally, they wouldn't think of her being pregnant.
As a result, these two peculiar families gradually reshaped people's perceptions and changed everyone's views little by little.
If they could engage in such shameless behavior to survive, what else were they incapable of doing?
The key was that Zhang Erdan and Wang's actions were evident; the big Kid understood perfectly well that it was no surprise they raised such children.
"Oh man, if I had such a shameless daughter, I would have slapped her dead long ago to save ourselves from embarrassment."
"Exactly! And she's pregnant too; it's utterly disgraceful."
People scoffed at this situation. Although there was much discussion about Zhang Hua'er and Liu Qingshu's upbringing, there was also plenty of talk about their parents: "Zhang Erdan has been up to no good for so long; it's no wonder his daughter turned out this way."
"And that Wang woman is simply the epitome of unreasonable behavior; who can compare?"
However, in this backward era, being unmarried and pregnant was considered the height of shame.
In a more serious context, they could even be punished severely according to traditional beliefs that had lasted for centuries.
Yet deep down, their hearts were still innocent; they didn't think in such extreme terms.
The Wang family and Tian were in an uproar: "My family’s Qing Shu is interested in that ugly girl? How disgusting."
Anyway, she would never admit to it, not giving Zhang Erdan's family any chance to take advantage.
Tian rolled up his sleeves and pushed the newcomer aside, saying he would check for himself to see if that scoundrel was home.
However, after searching for a long time, they still couldn't find Liu Qingshu. Wang was held up by the helpers brought by Zhang Erdan and wanted to break free but found herself powerless.
Yan and the Qin Family were thoroughly alarmed. After understanding the truth of the matter, the old man gasped, nearly choking on his breath.
"You all," he trembled, shocked that such a horrifying event could happen in such a short time. Yan's white beard quivered with anger.
The Liu family's reputation was being tarnished, and with so many onlookers around, he waved his hand and forced down his discomfort: "Everyone, please disperse. This is a private matter for our Liu Family; you shouldn't be watching."
Since the host had spoken, most people shook their heads and left. It was truly a pity that such a good show had to end like this.
Some thick-skinned individuals remained standing, knowing that as long as they didn't enter Liu Family's door, Yan couldn't do anything about them.
"Quickly close the door!" Yan commanded, signaling Liu Er with his eyes.
The large door slowly closed with a slightly muffled creak, blocking the view of the onlookers.
But some children were not satisfied; they quickly climbed up a tree, sitting on the branches while munching on seeds, watching the gossip unfold in the courtyard with great delight.
Inside Liu Family's new courtyard, only Liu Family members and those brought by Zhang Erdan remained.
At this moment, Liu Qingshu was finally found from some corner of the village. Yan was furious; he struck down with his cane, leaving a mark: "You unfilial child! What have you done?"
Liu Qingshu held his neck stubbornly and refused to answer Yan's question. Wang was anxious beside him, while the Qin Family felt very sorry: "Old man, be gentle, don't ruin the child."
Tian and the others were taken aback, and suddenly one clever person suggested, "Old Liu, you can't do this. What if you ruin the father of our flower's baby?"
This was a bargaining chip against Wang. Yan started to lash out angrily: "Liu Qingshu, are you really the father? Is Zhang Hua'er's child yours?"
Liu Qingshu raised his head and grinned, "Of course it's mine; I'm going to be a dad!"
He really had a problem with his thought process. Making such a fuss, how embarrassing; who didn't know that your child was the result of an affair?
Yan was furious; the Liu Family's morals were getting worse and worse, increasingly corrupted by women like Wang.
"I don't care; let the two children get married as soon as possible. By the way, our daughter's reputation cannot be ruined, so you all better be prepared." This was the true intention of Tian and the others.
Oh right, there was also the betrothal gift. Tian slapped his forehead: "I won't ask for much for the betrothal gift; just give us a hundred or eighty taels of silver, we’re not asking for too much."
What?! That's not asking for too much? A hundred taels of silver is an amount that an ordinary family wouldn't save in a lifetime, yet Tian dared to ask for it outright.
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