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墨書 Inktalez
“Qingxi, you’re here!” The warm smile made one’s heart feel a little lighter.
“We're good friends, you graduated as a Scholar in high school, how could I not come to congratulate you?” Liu Qingxi said playfully, winking with lively eyes.
The woman in purple shifted her gaze from the vibrant flowers, standing side by side with Youth. Both had tall figures, one in pink and the other in blue, one moving and the other still, creating an exceptionally harmonious scene.
“There’s no need to be so polite! Come, come, let me introduce you!”
At this moment, Wen Family had approached the two.
“Mom, this is my good friend Liu Qingxi. Qingxi, this is my mom. She’ll be staying with me for a few days!”
Liu Qingxi looked up and saw a woman with cherry lips, a high nose bridge, and slightly upturned eyes. Her fair skin seemed untouched by time; no one could tell she already had a child as big as Yang Yichen.
“Hello, Aunt! This is a little food I made myself; you can try it!”
Wen Family observed the newcomer as well. The girl appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen years old. Her skin was smooth and slightly tanned, with big watery eyes, sweet dimples, and plump lips. Given some time, she would undoubtedly become a stunning beauty!
“So you are Qingxi! I’ve heard about you from Yichan a few times; I really appreciate your help!” Wen Family said with a loving gaze directed at Liu Qingxi.
Gently holding Liu Qingxi’s hands, the slightly rough texture surprised her for a moment before she understood the reason.
Having gone through so much, she was no longer just a lady unaware of farmers' hardships. On the contrary, she had once done rough chores like cleaning, washing clothes, and cooking; her once smooth skin had become quite rough over time.
“Come on in and sit down! Aunt must have a good taste of your cooking!”
Perhaps due to her simple and carefree rural life, she had become a talkative elder, pulling Liu Qingxi into endless conversation.
Upon seeing the pastries brought by Liu Qingxi, she beamed even more: “Qingxi, your skills are truly impressive; they look wonderful!”
Two plates of golden pastries caught the eye, beautifully shaped like plum blossoms, with distinct petals and a few playful sesame seeds jumping on top.
“Qingxi, how did you make these?”
Liu Qingxi blushed at the compliment from the Wen Family, thinking she wasn't that great.
“Aunt, I asked my uncle to help me carve a few molds to make it easier. Please try them; if you like them, I'll make more for you!”
The Wen Family's talkative nature was similar to that of the Song women, and Liu Qingxi felt no pretentiousness from this family woman; in her eyes, she was a kind elder.
The Yang Family's front yard was bustling with activity. Anan managed everything effortlessly, while the men awkwardly brought up their desire to put the land under Yang Yichen's name, which he subtly postponed.
In fact, putting it under Yang Yichen's name wasn't a big deal; the Yang Family didn't lack for tax money. The problem was that there were too many people from Ten Li Pu.
Even if they didn't have much land, every little bit added up! Who should get it? It was hard to handle!
Not achieving their intended goal, the men thought among themselves: “What's the big deal? If we don't give it to him, we don't give it to him. Why make such a fuss?”
With a disagreement, one stood up and left, leaving the other honest men awkwardly smiling and unsure where to put their hands and feet!
“Haha, Village Chief, young master, we live in the village and have caused quite a bit of trouble for everyone. Helping out is only right.
But as you know, a Scholar can only have a maximum of two hundred acres under his name. How should this be divided? What do you think?” Anan said cheerfully, easing the awkward atmosphere.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief, internally cursing the few men who had just spoken.
Zhang Wuliang suddenly being called out left him a bit dazed; his head was spinning and he couldn't tell east from west. Fortunately, he quickly regained his composure.
“Alright! I'll take responsibility; I'll sort out the numbers and bring them to you later!” Zhang Wuliang said with a beaming smile!
This is the best thing that has happened since he became the village chief. The Scholar can reduce taxes, and now the court's collection standard is forty percent, which means for every acre of land yielding two hundred pounds of harvest per season, eighty pounds must be paid.
What does this mean? After a year of hard work, almost half has to be handed over!
The common people suffer greatly; winter is always the hardest Season. Not only is there a shortage of grain, but there is also a lack of warm clothing, leading to countless deaths and injuries every winter.
At that time, in a land covered with ice and snow, a village like Ten Li Pu becomes completely isolated from the world. It’s not just difficult to go to town; even visiting neighboring villages is not easy.
During this time, people hide in their homes, afraid to go out, trying to gather together for warmth and avoiding movement as much as possible to eat less.
Now, Yang Yichen has agreed to let everyone put their land under his name. How much grain can be saved?
Isn’t this a great thing? If it weren’t for so many people in front of him, Zhang Wuliang would have jumped three feet high!
Suppressing the tumultuous waves surging in his heart, Zhang Wuliang turned to Anan and said, “Thank you, Young Master Yang, thank you, Nan Butler! We will go back and discuss this and get back to you as soon as possible!”
“Village Chief, there’s no need to be polite. Please take your time!”
As for the women who followed? Once the men left, they naturally hurried away too. As for the ethereal beauties, well, they didn’t get what they wished for, but there will be plenty of opportunities in the future!
Meanwhile, the curious beauties are now chatting happily with Liu Qingxi!
She feels immense sympathy for Liu Qingxi’s plight and admires her strength greatly!
Unknowingly, an hour has passed!
Looking at the sun nearly overhead and recalling how Yang Yichen mentioned the Scholar earlier, she spent an hour preparing food and chatting with the Wen Family; nearly the entire morning has gone by!
She still plans to finish repairing the house behind Zhang Deli's place; time is a bit tight!
Thinking of this, Liu Qingxi couldn't sit still: "Aunt, I have something to do today. Can I come back to chat with you later?"
"Is there something urgent?" Wen Family's eyes flickered with a hint of sadness, reluctant to part.
"Aunt, I promised to help an uncle look at a house today. I guarantee it will be fixed by tonight. If I don't leave now, I won't finish in time. I'll come back when I have more time!"
"Alright then, take your time on the road. Should I have Yichan see you off?"
Yang Yichen was more than happy about this and silently gave Wen Family a thumbs up: "Mom, you're amazing!"
As they walked from the inner courtyard to the front yard, the precious and vibrant flowers made way for the two of them, fading into the background behind them.
Even without doing anything, even in silence, Yang Yichen's spirits were still soaring!
Not far from Ten Li Pu was Sanhe Village.
At the entrance of the village stood a dilapidated house with a severely leaning wall. The couple inside wore worried expressions, their faces lined with deep creases as they eagerly asked the newcomer.
"Big sister, is it true? Can you really help us fix our house?"
The woman’s hands were tense with bulging veins as she grasped the newcomer tightly, like a drowning person clutching onto their last lifeline.
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