Nanling Village became famous overnight for its ability to grow winter greens.
Carts were continuously loaded with greens, which envied many villagers. Some, intimidated by Fan Zehao, the formidable figure, dared not approach him for advice.
Their attention then turned to Wang Zhaodi's home, where the doorstep was almost worn out by villagers.
Every time visitors arrived, she felt a pang of annoyance. Yet, she couldn't show her displeasure, as they were all from the same village and she had to greet them with a smile.
"Oh, it's Mrs. Pang, what brings you here to rest today? Come in, it's warm inside!"
Gu Qing, Mrs. Pang's wife, usually had a good relationship with her. However, ever since Wang Zhaodi started her stall in town, Gu Qing had been whispering sour remarks behind her back. Sometimes, when they met on the road, Gu Qing would pretend not to see her.
From then on, Wang Zhaodi distanced herself from Gu Qing to avoid unnecessary trouble!
Today, Gu Qing coming over voluntarily suggested she had a request, otherwise she wouldn't have crossed her doorstep.
Inside the house, Gu Qing looked around, not noticing any new additions. Instead, the room was remarkably warm.
Curiously, she asked, "Sister-in-law, why is it so warm in here? I'm breaking a sweat just sitting here for a while!"
Wang Zhaodi glanced at her, her expression indifferent. "The section next to you is a heated wall. The warmth emanates from the wall, which is why it's warm in here and you can't see any smoke."
As if hearing something extraordinary, Gu Qing immediately got up and walked around the wall, touching it and exclaiming in amazement.
"Oh my, sister-in-law, your mind is truly brilliant! You came up with this idea. Ask Brother Guangping to help me build one at my place too. This thing is amazing!"
Wang Zhaodi wiped her face, thinking how thick-skinned Gu Qing was.
Why would she, with a single sentence, ask her husband to help her? They weren't relatives, nor were they inseparable friends. If it were a matter of discussion, it would be one thing, but she spoke as if her family was owed something, and with such righteous conviction.
With a sweep of her hand, she dismissed the request. "Sister, what are you saying? Guangping isn't the one who does this kind of work. I hired Cheng Yongchao from our village to add it. You should go ask him!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Qing lost interest and meekly sat back down, eating sunflower seeds from the table and making small talk, mostly about sauerkraut.
Wang Zhaodi understood her intentions clearly and merely gave perfunctory replies.
At the village chief's house.
Li Chuang and Wang Qian were filled with regret. If they had known that winter greens could be grown on such a large scale, they would have...
"Husband, do you think Fan's youngest daughter-in-law will have a problem with us for not participating? Will we still be able to work with them next year?" Wang Qian worriedly asked.
Li Chuang also frowned. They said a woman's knowledge is limited by her hair, but this was a case of a shallow mind. He regretted his arrogance, which stemmed from his literacy.
He was the one who dared not venture, dared not try, and had limited vision!
"Father, Mother, I'm going to find Brother Zehao. I'll apologize and make amends. I believe Brother and Sister-in-law won't hold a grudge over such a matter. It was indeed my fault first!"
After speaking, Li Chuang rushed out of the room, feeling apprehensive all the way, afraid that his brother and sister-in-law would have an opinion of him.
Upon entering Fan Zehao's house, the courtyard was quiet. Only a creature resembling a wolf or a dog lay in the yard. Its muzzle was somewhat long, and its eyes were slightly upturned. It looked very different from an ordinary dog and seemed fierce.
Li Chuang dared not move forward. He stood in the courtyard and called out, "Brother, Sister-in-law, it's Li Chuang, is anyone home?"
In the study, the couple was discussing Sun Tzu's Art of War when they heard someone calling.
Pushing aside the cotton curtain, Zehao went out to greet him, "Brother Chuang, you're here. Come in and talk!"
Zhao Jiaqi boiled a kettle of water and brewed tea, placing it before the two men. As she was about to return to the room, Li Chuang stopped her.
"Sister-in-law, Brother, I'm sorry. A while ago, when you suggested I consider building a greenhouse, I refused. It was my short-sightedness. Please don't be angry with me because of this."
He solemnly apologized to Fan Zehao and even bent down. This made Zehao flustered, and he quickly helped him up. "If you don't want to build it, then don't. You can build it next year. We're not angry at all. Don't overthink it, Brother Chuang!"
"Your brother is right. We built the greenhouse this year as an experiment. If it succeeds, we'll have experience, and you can join us next year. If we fail, at most we'll bear some losses ourselves. We can handle that. We're truly not angry!" Zhao Jiaqi also quickly explained.
This made it seem as if they were petty-minded.
Hearing them say this, Li Chuang's anxious heart finally relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face.
The two brothers were only two years apart, so they got along quite well.
Moreover, Li Chuang had helped Zehao before, and recently, Brother Zehao had saved his sister on the mountain. Their debts of gratitude were already intertwined.
As the atmosphere here began to ease, Li Chuang's sister, Li Sisi, arrived with a bamboo basket. She stood at the courtyard gate, hesitant to enter.
When Zhao Jiaqi went out to greet her, her anxious heart finally settled. She held Zhao Jiaqi's hand and said, "Sister-in-law, why does your dog look so fierce!"
Fierce?
Zhao Jiaqi looked at the wolf lying in the courtyard. It was quiet and obedient, quite docile.
Perhaps it was because she had raised it since it was young, and it seemed more pleasing to her eyes, not appearing particularly ferocious.
She smiled and explained, "As long as you don't hit me, my little one won't attack you. Let's go inside and chat!"
No one in the village had ever seen what a wolf looked like, and her house was far from the village. Everyone knew they raised dogs.
Those who had seen it were all suspicious, thinking it was a wolfhound. Almost no one considered it a wolf.
Only Xie Kun and Murong Sheng knew!
Inside the house, the two men chatted. In the kitchen, Zhao Jiaqi used the goat's milk brought by Li Sisi to make milk tea. Without cow's milk, she used goat's milk as a substitute.
Although the taste was somewhat different, it was far more delicious than ordinary tea, especially since the people here had never tasted it before!
"Does it taste good!"
Li Sisi nodded vigorously and, in one gulp, drank a large bowl. She shyly stuck out her tongue, "It's too delicious, I couldn't help myself!"
"I made a lot, you can take it all with you later and let your mother try it. With the momentum of the New Year, you can still sell it in town for a while. It will be enough to earn some money for the New Year."
Zhao Jiaqi's words awakened Li Sisi. How could she have forgotten to think in this direction!
But then she thought that this would be stealing her sister-in-law's craft, and she felt it was inappropriate. "Sister-in-law, why don't you make it with my mother? We can split the profits, just like you and Sister Wang!"
"Silly girl, my ten acres of land still need tending, and your brother and I are also busy. The village chief has also been kind to us. You've seen this craft, it's that simple. Consider it a pre-wedding gift from me."
Zhao Jiaqi's idea was simple: she wanted to prosper, but she didn't want to forget her roots.
Crucially, the village chief had been very good to them, and if they ever needed the village chief for anything, it would be easier to ask in the future.
She wasn't stingy with such small favors, which could win people's hearts.
Whether selfish or saintly, she was doing it to live a better life.