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墨書 Inktalez
Shen Muqing ignored Sister-in-law's gloating expression and directly carried Yan Zhouwan into her room, roughly tossing her onto the bed before issuing a muffled command.
Yan Zhouwan was already in a haze of pain, and being thrown onto the bed so roughly only added to her discomfort. She couldn't believe Shen Muqing was giving her orders. Ignoring the pain, she sprang up and shouted at the dark-faced Shen Muqing, "Who do you think you are? Why should I listen to you?"
With that, she jumped off the bed and headed for the door. However, after just a couple of steps, she was yanked back by Shen Muqing and slammed down onto the bed again. Shen Muqing's cold eyes locked onto Yan Zhouwan, the fury bubbling beneath the surface was enough to ignite a fire that could burn Yan Zhouwan alive.
Gulp...
Yan Zhouwan swallowed nervously, pushing herself toward the inner side of the bed. She looked at Shen Muqing with an unprecedented fear, and soon tears began to flow uncontrollably.
Shen Muqing was taken aback, irritably tugging at her own hair and muttering a curse under her breath before walking out of Yan Zhouwan's room.
At that moment, Yan Zhouwan stopped crying. She curled up on her knees, feeling like a mess in her head, completely unsure of what to do. However, Shen Muqing's unusual behavior today left her feeling alarmed.
Yet, she dared not think too deeply about it, fearing that any flicker of hope would be extinguished once more.
Regardless of their thoughts or the tumultuous events they had experienced, life had to go on, and tasks needed to be completed. After resting for half a day due to her poor mood, Yan Zhouwan dove into the bakery as soon as dawn broke.
Shen Muqing stayed indoors to rest due to her injured hand, and it wasn't appropriate for them to meet at that moment. With Shen Muqing out of the way, Yan Zhouwan found herself working much more efficiently. However, it wasn't long before Shen Muqing returned with her usual icy demeanor, looking at Yan Zhouwan with an oddly colored gaze.
After a brief moment of surprise, Yan Zhouwan said nothing and went inside to bake the bread she had prepared.
Seeing Yan Zhouwan act as if she were oblivious made Shen Muqing's temper flare up; she felt like steam was rising from her head but didn't know how to vent it.
Meanwhile, Xia Muxin had gone early in the morning with Shen Muhan to Dayao Village. Ming Yi and others tidied up around the Small family’s area. She had intended to separate and plant these books and seedlings right away but worried about their survival rate. With limited seeds on hand and knowing some of these items were rare treasures, she decided to postpone planting until March next year.
Xia Muxin was quite pleased with Ming Yi's actions this time. Dayao Village had a small population, mostly consisting of the elderly, weak, pregnant women, and the disabled. However, the land was surprisingly vast, overgrown with weeds everywhere. Behind Small's house lay a large expanse of open land, covering at least four or five acres. The soil had been hard for years; Xia Muxin had observed it before and found it so tough that even a hoe couldn't break through. Yet, Ming Yi and the others not only cleared the weeds but also turned the soil over.
Since they weren't planting trees, and the land had been tilled, it couldn't just be left barren. Xia Muxin walked around the empty plot several times, her finger rubbing thoughtfully against her chin as she considered what to plant in this season.
After careful deliberation, she decided to plant sweet potatoes and sesame seeds—both of which could be used in her supermarket. With this decision made, she went to find the village chief and asked him to arrange for someone to plant the crops.
Next, she checked on the cotton and the already planted sweet potatoes. There were people coming every day to take care of them. In simple terms, Xia Muxin had contracted these lands but employed everyone in the village to help with the care, planting, and harvesting.
All she needed to do was pay them.
This was all quite normal; even if sold, these crops wouldn't fetch much money. Cotton and sesame were good products, but since they were from the village, no one dared to plant them without big customers backing them up.
Now, however, as long as they could grow something at their doorstep and water and fertilize it, they would earn money. Naturally, everyone was happy about it.
Before long, several days passed, and Xia Muxin began preparing for her second supermarket. This one wasn't in Zhushan County but in Tea County—the nearest county to Zhushan County.
As its name suggests, Tea County was known for producing various types of tea leaves. The county thrived on tea cultivation and was relatively prosperous. Xia Muxin chose to open her chain supermarket there because it was hard to find better local specialties than tea.
She wasted no time and went all out with her plans.
Next came the recruitment of new employees. She started by selecting capable women from various villages—sisters-in-law with good reputations. Even some unmarried girls wanted to earn money due to her vigorous promotion efforts; however, they hesitated because of their reputations. But Xia Muxin was meticulous; with just a few words, she managed to persuade their parents. As a result, she ended up hiring young women and girls aged twelve or thirteen.
This was far better than working as helpers outside.
Moreover, this opportunity would broaden their horizons; when they knew more people later on, finding suitable husbands would be easier.
They wouldn’t have to spend their entire lives stuck in those mountains without any way out.
"Now that everything has been assigned, let's take a few days off. The day after tomorrow we need to remove Child Gu; keeping that inside for too long isn't good for the body."
In the evening, the couple sat in the carriage on their way home. Xia Muxin, weary, rested her head on Shen Muhan's lap, prompting him to sigh deeply. He gently traced her delicate features with his fingers until she impatiently bit his finger, at which point he affectionately spoke up.
Xia Muxin looked up at him, her mouth slightly opening, but Shen Muhan did not hastily withdraw his finger from her mouth. Instead, he rubbed his fingertip against her lips and leaned down to steal a kiss from her. Only after that did he lift her up and hold her tightly in his embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head. The scent of her hair filled his senses, and he closed his eyes in bliss before hearing Xia Muxin say:
"Can’t this thing just stay put?"
Her words carried a hint of pleading and fear as she locked eyes with Shen Muhan's deep gaze, her expression one of great grievance.
"Don't worry, I have a way. It won't be too painful," Shen Muhan reassured her confidently.
Xia Muxin finally relaxed; she was afraid of pain and couldn't help but recall the scene of Qingyue eating a heart, which made her want to retch. She was also worried that this thing might unwillingly bite off a piece of her heart, sending a shiver down her spine just at the thought.
Shen Muhan's words acted like a calming pill for her.
Meanwhile, Xia Jihua was busy at the supermarket, leaving all household matters to their parents. The two children had already turned a month old, but due to their hectic schedules, they hadn’t held a full-month celebration. Following the family's wishes, they decided to hold a hundred-day celebration instead.
Ermiao's milk had come in abundantly now; every day the two little ones were either eating or sleeping. Over the past month, they had gained several pounds and were chubby and fair. Whenever family members returned home, no matter how tired they were, they would rush into the house to play with the little ones.
Xue Er had already learned to walk and began babbling away. However, most of what she said was incomprehensible to others; only Small could understand her.
This made everyone regard Small with newfound respect.
Songzi continued attending school, gradually extending his visits home from once every half month to once a month. Each time he returned, he would stay for two days while their mother prepared various dishes for him.
Master often praised him for being promising, prompting Xia Muxin to tease that he needed to nourish his brain. This remark stuck with their mother, who would go out of her way to ensure he had plenty to eat whenever he came home.
In ancient sayings, it is said that you become what you eat, from pig brains and duck brains to chicken brains, and now to fish roe.
Xia Muxin looked at the somewhat mushy fish roe, surprised to the point of nearly bursting into laughter.
These were all brought over by Er Dan Ge a while ago. Because it had rained for several days, the river swelled, and he took Xia Muxin's Bamboo Net to catch fish. He actually managed to net quite a few, all small fish about the size of his pinky finger, perfect for making Wine-Pickled Fish.
However, most of it was given to the Xia Family since he was alone and couldn't eat much. Aunt Xia decided to separate the fish roe from the fish body for cooking. Songzi had grown up and developed a bit of a temper; he had even learned to tease Xia Muxin. After one time, two times, three times, Xia Muxin finally decided to retaliate.
"Mother, these fish are so small; it must be difficult to separate the roe. Come on, Songzi, eat more! This is specially prepared for you by Mother. It's not easy work; you have to finish it all."
Just like now, as everyone sat down at the table, Xia Muxin pushed the dish toward Songzi. He was currently stuffing his mouth with meatballs and found her action both amusing and exasperating.
Wasn't it just because he had learned some knowledge and had challenged her a couple of times? And he had lost both times!
But his sister held grudges—even against her beloved younger brother. Wasn't that a bit too much?
Yet this was Mother's hard work, specially prepared for him; he couldn't refuse. Thinking this, he swallowed the meatball and scooped a large spoonful of fish roe into his bowl. Frowning slightly, he took a few bites of rice. The bitter taste made him grimace; the fish bile must not have been cleaned properly. Seeing Shen Muhan seriously picking out vegetables for Xia Muxin, he sourly remarked:
"They say only petty people and women are hard to raise. Brother-in-law, you need to be cautious."
- End of Chapter -
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