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The woman being held wore a dark blue coarse cloth top with a diagonal collar and loose gray trousers. Her hair was piled high in a bun, her complexion rosy and bright, with arched eyebrows and slightly downturned lips.
Her eyes darted around restlessly, and the smile on her face seemed to be calculating something.
"Ah, Big Sister, why don’t you believe me? Everything I say is true. Your Gangzi can definitely be repaired; it’s just about the money."
The woman extended her right hand, waving three fingers in front of the other woman.
"Three Hundred Wen?" The woman's eyes widened as if she had heard something unbelievable. "That much!"
"We heard that building a house over at Ten Li Pu costs only two hundred Wen; it’s not that expensive!"
Unexpectedly, the previously smiling woman suddenly broke free from the tight grip on her arm. "Hmph! Your house is like this; it would be a miracle if I could fix it for you. If you can’t even spend Three Hundred Wen, don’t come looking for us in the future!"
She even sighed dramatically, "Building houses at Ten Li Pu is done by my family too!"
Her voice was not loud but was just enough for the couple beside her to hear.
The husband was named Liu Goudan, and his wife was from the same village but did not share his surname. She belonged to one of the two major surnames in Sanhe Village and was named Zhang Cuihua.
The couple was honest and hardworking, but they had only daughters—five in total—and no sons. They felt compelled to keep trying for a boy.
With so many mouths to feed, even though they worked hard, life remained tight!
So when Wang left, Zhang Cuihua panicked!
"Ah?" She immediately stopped worrying about the price and hurried forward to intercept. "Sister, wait a moment!"
The woman, just a step away from exiting the door, raised her lips slightly in a smug smile, feeling victorious.
Liu Qingxi, if you don’t tell me how to do it, I can manage on my own too! Hmph! Just wait until I make my fortune; you’ll be begging for mercy!
Thinking of that shameless little wretch crying and pleading for mercy brought her great joy.
Indeed, the woman who confidently promised to repair the house is none other than Wang.
Having not gained any advantage at Ten Li Pu, she suddenly turned her attention to Sanhe Village, which is not far from there.
Thinking about how the villagers of Ten Li Pu revered Liu Qingxi as a deity made her furious; why should that shameless little wretch live without worries and be accepted by everyone?
Why can't she? No, she must live better than that couple of scoundrels.
With this thought in mind, Wang felt even more determined. She slowly turned around, her waist noticeably rounder: "Big Sister, have you made up your mind? My price is really not high!"
"Hey hey hey, fine! We will listen to you!"
Zhang Cuihua, who had almost seen Wang leave just moments ago, dared not question the price now.
What would they do if this woman who could help them with repairs left? Where would they find someone else?
Moreover, Wang was from the same family as those who repaired houses in Ten Li Pu, instantly extinguishing any doubts the couple had.
Wang pointed here and there, still enjoying herself!
The Village Head of Sanhe Village and the neighbors passing by saw an unfamiliar woman directing Zhang Dogdan at the village entrance to carry something repeatedly.
Before much work had been done, Wang spoke in a tone of authority, raising her eyebrows occasionally: "Hey, you two need to prepare well; otherwise, if something goes wrong..."
Zhang Cuihua nodded eagerly, brushing off the dirt from her patched burlap clothes and respectfully replied, "Sister Wang, don’t worry. We always pick the best bamboo when we cut it on the mountain!"
As she locked eyes with Wang, the wrinkles on her forehead became more pronounced, and her cracked lips peeled back. The weight of the burden made her back hunch.
Yet in front of Zhang Cuihua, Wang seemed to see her former self. For some reason, she felt a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
At that moment, it was as if she was a benefactor saving Liu Goudan's family from peril; they should be grateful to her.
A simple and dismissive remark like "You all take your time preparing; I'll come back when you're ready!" felt like a great favor.
"I want to see half of the silver, otherwise we won't fix it!"
"Yes, yes!" Zhang Cuihua and Liu Goudan had completely been tamed.
Wang nodded in satisfaction, swaying her hips as she walked back, her eyes and brows filled with pride.
However, fate had other plans; as soon as she entered Ten Li Pu, Liu Qingxi was walking towards her.
Seeing Wang, Liu Qingxi initially intended to leave without a word.
But Wang blocked her path: "What's wrong? It's been a few days since you left the Liu Family, and you can't even greet your Aunt? Who taught you such manners?"
The girl frowned slightly and remained silent, taking a step to the right to try to bypass her.
Yet Wang, feeling triumphant, took a few steps to the left, perfectly blocking her again.
"What do you want? We're no longer related!"
"Oh dear, trying to turn your back on me already?"
Liu Qingxi: ""
Who gave her such thick skin? She had just been kicked out of her home and could still act nonchalant while blocking her path.
Wang was thinking about visiting Liu Qingxi to flaunt her recent achievements when fate brought them together; how could she let go of such a good opportunity?
From Sanhe Village back to Ten Li Pu, the smug smile on her face never faded. Her narrowed eyes were calculating continuously!
"If you don't listen to me and hand over the method obediently, you'll regret it!"
"What does that have to do with me?" Liu Qingxi calmly sidestepped and walked away briskly.
Wang had a belly full of words stuck in her throat and coughed twice forcefully!
Sometimes, this kind of indifferent disregard is even more painful than insults, and at this moment, Wang felt just that.
"Don't get too proud!" She silently cursed Liu Qingxi under her breath!
However, thinking about how she had helped Liu Goudan's family repair their house, gaining a great reputation, people from the nearby Ten Li Eight Villages came flocking in, and soon she was counting silver coins until her hands ached. Wang's discomfort from being choked by Liu Qingxi eased considerably!
At this moment, Liu Qingxi had no idea that Wang was starting to use her name to attract business outside.
She was fully focused on preparing for the construction of houses, discussing plans with skilled bricklayers, aiming for a big project when spring arrived next year. All these plans needed to be mostly ready before winter.
Now it was deep autumn, and the winters here were much colder than in modern times. The entire winter would be spent in ice and snow, with two consecutive months where the snow wouldn't melt until spring arrived and the earth thawed.
This information came from the villagers Liu Qingxi spoke to.
Most families had already begun stockpiling grain in town to prepare for winter!
She couldn't be an exception; today she would finalize her plans and finish repairing the two houses at hand. This year, she wouldn't take on any more work!
It was time to prepare winter clothing and food!
Little did she know, a potential big trouble was getting closer as the weather grew colder!
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