After that, no matter how much the Zhao family argued with the Shen family, the Miao family was no longer interested. She walked home in a daze and didn't notice a clod of dirt at the door, and almost tripped and fell.

Shen Qing quickly grabbed her and said, "Mom, what's wrong with you?"

Only then did Miao come to her senses. But she couldn't decide whether to tell Shen Qing about this. If she didn't tell him, she would feel suffocated and anxious. But to be honest, she really didn't have any evidence at all, and now with the Zhao family making such a fuss, she didn't even have anyone to suspect.

Or maybe there was no man-made disaster and she was just overthinking it. It was because the ancestors of the Shen family were not kind-hearted. There must be a will of heaven. Shen Zhigao was destined not to have any descendants... Ever since Shen Qing discovered the cave, the Miao family believed even more in the will of heaven, gods and ghosts.

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. After hesitating for a long time, she finally swallowed the matter back into her stomach and decided to observe for a while before deciding whether to tell Shen Qing or not. She shook her head and said, "It's okay... Qing'er, you just said you had something to tell me, what is it?"

She ran out in a hurry and didn't even bother Shen Qing to talk to her.

Shen Qing pursed her lips, and after they entered the yard and closed the door, she said, "Mom, I... I like someone and want to marry him."

Miao was stunned for a moment, and then she was filled with joy. Maybe it's because getting married and having children is the top priority ingrained in people of her age and generation. People in the village who are the same age as Shen Qing already have children. She was so envious when she saw Second Aunt Lian holding Lian Qiao! When Shen Qing said this, most of the haze in Miao's heart was dispelled: "This is a good thing! Who do you like? Is he from our village or Shiqu Village? Have you talked to him about it? Has his family agreed?"

Before, Shen Qing told her that he would not consider getting married this year. Miao was a little worried, fearing that it would be harder for Shen Qing to find a partner as he got older. Now the child has come to his senses on his own, which is a great joy. It is important to understand what happened in the past, but no matter how hard you try, Shen Zhang and the unborn child will not survive. However, Shen Qing's marriage can bring her new life and new hope.

"We talked about it. He likes me, too. He likes me very much...his family should have no objection." Shen Qing whispered. The brother who had always been open and honest was a little shy when he talked about his sweetheart with his mother: "It's just that he is not from our village, nor from Shiqu Village. He is from that world, Song Kaiji. I mentioned to you before that he was the first person I met in that world."

"His father is gone, leaving him with only a mother. I want to bring them here so that our family of four can live together. In the future, he and I can travel between these two worlds together and make more money. Or when we earn enough and save enough things, we can never go there again. Our family can move to the county town, or wait until the farm on the mountain is repaired and live there." Shen Qing has begun to imagine a future with Song Kaiji.

Miao was stunned, and it was not until the afternoon that she found her voice: "This... is this okay? The person over there..." She couldn't say why she was panicking, but this person came from another world, a world she had never come into contact with, and who had only stayed in Shen Qing's description before, was suddenly going to come to her and become a family with her. Miao's heart was pounding.

Shen Qing helped Miao sit down: "Mom, he is very good and kind. He helped me the first time we met, and he protected me and stood in front of me when I encountered danger several times afterwards. I am discussing this with you now. I will bring him over to you first, and you can check him for me. If you think he is suitable, then we can talk about bringing his mother over, okay?"

Shen Qing understood Miao’s panic and worry. Even he himself hesitated for a long time before making the decision, didn’t he?

"If it doesn't work, we'll talk about it later." Shen Qing sat on the footrest and leaned on Miao's legs: "But I think you will like him when you meet him. He is different from the boys in our village."

Shen Qing rarely talked to Miao about his experiences over there. It was also because there were too many things hidden from Miao, and many things were inconvenient to say, and I was afraid that Miao would worry. Only now did he recount in detail every detail of his time with Song Kaiji.

Song Kaiji is good-looking and a sincere person. There are no brothers in that world, but he never looks down on women and is very respectful to Qu Weiwei and Mother Tang. He will not take his anger out on people who are weaker than himself when he is upset outside. In his eyes, everyone is the same.

He has been educated and received a good education. His knowledge is probably more profound than that of a scholar. However, he would not despise Shen Qing just because he has never been to school and cannot read. He would only feel sorry for Shen Qing and think that if Shen Qing had the opportunity to study, he would surely be a thousand times more successful than he is now.

Although he is not very strong, he is very responsible, capable of taking on responsibilities, and very filial to his parents. Every time he encounters danger, even though he knows he may not be able to defeat it, he is still willing to stand in the front and will not push others to die or take the blame for him. If anything happens after we get married, he will definitely not run away by himself, he will be the pillar of the family...

Shen Qing counted them one by one and found that Song Kaiji had so many advantages.

Miao gently stroked Shen Qing's hair. As Shen Qing described, her fear of the unknown was dispelled little by little, and it became clear little by little how much Shen Qing liked Song Kaiji. When had she ever seen Qing Ge'er like this? "Then bring him to me. I believe my Qing'er has good taste."

Shen Qing suddenly stood up and said, "Let me show you what he looks like!"

He took out his cell phone and showed Miao the video he had recorded of Song Kaiji reciting the Three Character Classic. Miao was first startled by the small flat piece that could talk, emit light, and show pictures, and then she was attracted by Song Kaiji in the picture. He really looked like a handsome young man, with proper eyes and nose. Apart from his shorter hair, he was no different from the people here.

She felt more and more relieved. People say that the more a mother-in-law sees her son-in-law, the more satisfied she is. Miao was similar. After seeing him for a long time, she was actually looking forward to meeting Song Kaiji: "So when are you going to bring him here?"

Shen Qing gently stroked Song Kaiji's face on the video screen, and missed him a little: "I will go back after I finalize the location of the workshop with the village chief and hire people to build the house."

Before choosing a site, Shen Qing first went to Xiahe Village. Although Mr. and Mrs. Liu were surprised that Shen Qing had earned enough money to buy a house in just half a year, they decided to sell the courtyard to Shen Qing after a brief discussion. Hunter Liu now lives with her husband in Xiahe Village and has bought new property. Since he wasn't going to live in that yard, he might as well sell it to Shen Qing and use the money to buy two more acres of land in Xiahe Village.

Shen Qing and Liu the Hunter agreed on a price of twenty taels, and agreed to go to the government office to exchange the seal for the red deed after the New Year. This is a very fair price, and the Liu family gave him a very good deal. The small courtyard at the foot of the mountain covers a large area and is made of blue bricks, which are all real and good materials. It is only because there are few houses that it can be priced at this price. Even if Shen Qinghua had twenty taels of silver now, he would not be able to build such a good house.

As for the Liu family, the yard had been vacant for a long time and they had to consider some depreciation, so they were very satisfied with the price.

Shen Qing returned the favor by not asking the Liu family to refund the rent for the second half of the year - it was paid by the Shen family anyway, so Shen Qing didn't feel bad about it.

Since the yard was successfully purchased, Shen Qing planned to choose the vacant land next to his house as the location for the workshop. Shen Qing turned around and went to the village chief's house to discuss building a house and selecting people with him.

There is no man in the village who doesn't know how to build a house. Every house was built with the help of everyone in the village. It may not look as beautiful as the houses in the county town, but it is just as sturdy and durable!

Since Shen Qing planned to let Aunt Guixiang and Zhao Shi take charge, he had no intention of interfering since the construction of the house. He took out two ingots of ten taels of silver and placed them on the table, and said one thing after another in detail: "The yard should be bigger, twice as big as the current vermicelli workshop. When the time comes, put two mills in the yard, buy animals to pull the mills, and the empty land can be used to dry vermicelli. Build three spacious main rooms in the front, and two side rooms on the left and right. Chop stuffing, mix formula, and make sausage in these rooms. Build a row of back rooms as warehouses. Use good bricks and tiles for the houses, and make mud and earth walls for the courtyard walls."

The most consumed ingredient in making starch sausage is actually sweet potato flour, so the main considerations are processes such as storing sweet potatoes and grinding the flour.

The village chief was amazed when he heard this. Shen Qing wanted a spacious house and yard, and the materials alone would cost twenty or thirty taels of silver, not to mention the manpower. But this is work for a noble, so it's normal for rich people to want the best, so they are really benefiting from it.

Shen Qing said, and took out a five-liang ingot from his bosom, and handed it to Zhao Shi: "Brother Shitou, let me take care of the bricks and tiles. I have a private matter to entrust to you. I asked Liu the hunter to buy the yard where my family lives now, and I plan to renovate it. Everything else about the yard is good, it is a good house with solid materials, but the roof is made of straw, and it leaks a little when it rains and snows. When Brother Shitou orders the tiles, please also buy some for my family."

Zhao Shitou held the silver in his hand and scratched the back of his head naively: "Qing'er, why spend this money? Buy those old bricks and tiles to build a workshop. A little bit of savings can be enough to replace the ones in your house..." However, before he could finish his words, Aunt Guixiang and his wife Qin Yingzi had already seen Shen Qing's cold expression and bumped him twice from the left and right.

Shen Qing smiled. This was exactly what he meant. The villagers do not follow any rules when doing things. Stealing small bits and pieces from the host's house is like picking a few cucumbers from the neighbor's vegetable garden. For many people, it is not considered stealing at all! The same is true for those from Shiqu Village who often go to the county town to work. They cannot change their unruly ways, and it is very common for waiters to steal some scraps and leftover snacks from the store and take them home.

But Shen Qing didn't want this to happen. This was his own business, and there wasn't really another boss behind it. He would be so angry if he saw the villagers taking things to his house every day!

"The noble man behind us is the most generous. Aunt Guixiang, Brother Shitou, and Sister Ying are managers in the workshop. Starting today, each of them will receive 500 coins per month. In the future, when fellow villagers come to work, the wages can be negotiated." The village chief Shen Qing refused to hire anyone. It was not easy to hire him. If the village chief worked for the villagers, it would lose his prestige and he would not be able to hold his head high in the future.

After Shen Qing said this, Aunt Guixiang's hands began to shake with excitement. There are three people in their family and each person gets 500 wen, which is one and a half guan, or one tael of silver, per month. My God, their whole family works hard in the fields for a year and only gets three or five taels of rice! "How can this be so much? Five hundred coins are enough for the three of us. This is too much." Aunt Guixiang waved her hands and said, "Besides, the workshop hasn't even started yet. It's just a little errand. How can you calculate the money from today?"

Zhao Shitou also said, "What's the big deal about pulling a few carts of bricks and tiles? We have these animals at home, so it's just a side job."

Shen Qing insisted on giving it to you: "Just take it. Brother Shitou has to buy bricks and tiles, and the candidates for building the house and the future workers in the workshop, Aunt Guixiang and Sister Ying have to choose now. The workshop must be built before the spring plowing. I haven't finished speaking yet. Although the nobleman behind us is generous, the people in the city are the most disciplined. We have to choose the most diligent, capable and honest person."

Shen Qing looked at Zhao Shitou: "I know that we are all relatives in our village, and it is inevitable that we have to consider some personal relationships, but I dare not disobey the rules set by the noble. If the accounts don't match, or if the noble comes to inspect and finds out one day, we will be in trouble. So if you save a little money and give it to your family, Brother Shitou must not say anything again, and you can't do it in the future. You must watch the villagers and not let them do it."

Only then did Zhao Shitou understand what Shen Qing meant. Although he still felt that the little thing was nothing, the noble man was a little too fussy. But Shen Qing said so, and offered such a high salary, so he had no choice but to do it: "I understand, I will definitely do what I want, and I won't let you find any fault with me."

Zhao Shitou didn't think that stealing was wrong, but he agreed because he was afraid that he couldn't bear the consequences and would implicate Shen Qing. However, the effect satisfied him, so Shen Qing didn't care whether Zhao Shitou understood it or not.

After saying this, Shen Qing said to Aunt Guixiang, "Aunt, please ask for me if there is a man in the village who is good at building houses and works efficiently. Ten cents a day will cover two meals a day. Sister Ying will have to worry about the meals. There will be two dishes a day, one of which must be meat. The purchase of ingredients will be entrusted to sister-in-law, and as for the choice of cook, you can either hire someone to do it or do it yourself, and you will still be paid ten cents a day."

Qin Yingzi was stunned: "This, this can still get me two kinds of money?"

"Why not? As long as you are willing to work hard and handle it. But I still say that we have to be very careful when buying ingredients. You can't even take home the meat you buy."

With such a generous salary, who would dare to have any evil thoughts, for fear of losing a good job? Qin Yingzi nodded repeatedly: "Qing Ge'er, don't worry!"

Zhao Youdang kept talking a few times, but Qing'er and his wife and daughter-in-law were talking animatedly, and he, as the village chief, had no chance to get a word in. His son was like a fool, and when he did say something, he flattered the horse without doing anything. Not only did he not please Qing'er, but he also got a lecture.

This was the first time that he was the one who couldn't get a word in. Zhao Youdang, who was used to being the head of the family and the village, was not used to it and looked embarrassed.

It was Shen Qing who noticed his discomfort and asked at the end: "Uncle Village Chief, do you have anything else to say? I am just delivering a message to you. I have limited knowledge and I am not thoughtful enough. Uncle Village Chief, please help me make up for it."

Zhao Youdang smacked his lips for a long time but could not say anything: "You are very kind. Now you are working for the noble, I guess you have gained some experience in the city? You are more methodical than me in doing things."

He actually wanted to ask whether the house building and workshop recruitment would recruit people from the Shen family, but seeing Shen Qing, whose manner of speaking and demeanor had changed, he kept the words in his mouth for a long time and did not dare to say them out loud.

That’s right, I don’t dare. He was actually scared in front of the boy from his own village, and Zhao Youdang felt very uncomfortable.

But when I returned to my room at night, I secretly said something to Aunt Guixiang.

Aunt Guixiang was feeling very proud because Shen Qing had taught Aunt Lian's family how to make starch sausage two days ago. Although she had promised to let her be in charge, she was still a little jealous in her heart. Now that the good thing has been settled, I feel really happy: "Qingge'er is such a kind and thoughtful kid. I loved him so much!"

When she turned around and heard what Zhao Youdang said, her good mood immediately disappeared: "Are you okay? I think Qing'er is too easy to talk to, and you are getting ahead of yourself. They pay our family one or two taels of silver a month, and we are asking them to cause trouble?" Originally, Miao was in a bad mood because of Li Jiaofeng's behavior in the past two days, and she even mentioned the old Shen family!

"I'm just asking. This workshop belongs to the noble, not Qing'er. Now the job of finding people falls into your hands, and Qing'er is not in charge of it personally. Who do you find? Can Qing'er keep an eye on them one by one? Doesn't he go to work for the noble?" Zhao Youdang thought that Shen Qing just didn't have time to take care of things himself, so he found these people to help.

"Then I want to ask you, how deep is the friendship between you and Shen Zhigao that makes you help him time and time again!"

"It's not for the sake of friendship with him." Zhao Youdang lowered his head and thought for a while. In fact, it was more for himself: "Everyone in the village can go, except the old Shen family. First, it's a bit special. Second, if anyone offends Qing Ge'er in the future, will they not be able to go to the workshop to work? Now it's the old Shen family. What if Zhao Aiye's parents' family, Li Jiaofeng's ex-in-law's family, and Wang Liuzi's family are not allowed to go in the future?"

Aunt Guixiang was stunned, pursed her lips and said: "No, Qing Ge'er is not that kind of person. Only the old Shen family is finished... I won't stop Wang Liuzi's family, but Wang Liuzi himself should not come. It's not Qing Ge'er who said it, it's my own decision. Besides, if the old Shen family and Wang Liuzi have any backbone, they shouldn't come!"

"It's wrong for you to think like that! Especially since you are my wife, how can you do such an unfair thing?" The more Zhao Youdang thought about it, the more annoyed he became. As the village chief, he had to try his best to ensure fairness in the village. But after such a commotion, first of all, Shen Qing's status in the village will be greatly improved. Everyone will flatter Shen Qing. Those who are on good terms with Shen Qing will have a high status, will be able to get good jobs, and will be able to live a good life. Those who are at odds with Shen Qing will inevitably be excluded.

Furthermore, his prestige as the village chief would be reduced: if the old Shen family or Wang Liuzi's family really asked him to make peace, and he said he couldn't make peace, does it mean that his status is lower than Shen Qing? But when it comes to the workshop, in front of the noble man, it is true! Now, he hasn't even seen that noble man.

If this continues, the entire village’s atmosphere and social customs will change!

Aunt Guixiang listened to him for a long time, and her face was gloomy: "According to what you said, our family took the wrong job, and Qingge'er shouldn't give us one tael of silver a month."

Zhao Youdang sighed. This was the problem. He was reluctant to give up the tael of silver. He felt deeply powerless, as if he knew that this would go wrong, but even he himself could not resist the temptation of money, let alone other people in the village?

"Forget it, never mind." The only thing to be thankful for is that Qing Ge'er is not an unreasonable or domineering person. Zhao Youdang couldn't come to a conclusion with his wife, and was given a cold stare by his wife. He fell dejectedly on the kang. The weather was still cold, but the kang was still burning hot. This time, not only his back, but his whole body felt like it was being roasted on fire.

Aunt Guixiang sighed, leaned over to help him take off his shoes and socks, and said, "I understand what you mean, but you should know that the soil and water in the neighboring Ankang County are better than here, and many high-ranking officials and nobles in the countryside below have built their farms there. Aren't the villages near the nobles' farms like you said? Those who have a good relationship with the village head will benefit, and those who offend the village head will not be able to survive."

Aunt Guixiang has distant relatives living there, and she is really miserable after meeting a black-hearted village head. In order to get in touch with the village head, some villagers sent their girls to be concubines. Once they gained power, they turned around and bullied their fellow villagers. It was also not uncommon.

That would ruin the whole village’s atmosphere!

"First of all, our Qingge'er is not such a black-hearted person. Secondly, can you stop this? Even if this workshop is not built in our village, but in the neighboring Shiqu Village or Xiahe Village, the people in our village will still have to please the manager. If they please Qingge'er, they will lose the initiative. Even if this noble man does not come, the one who bought the mountain will build a farm in a few days, and we don't know how to deal with it. This is not something you, a small village chief, can resist. It is better for your family to be the manager and hold the initiative in your own hands. At least I can do it without being black-hearted and bullying others, and snatching other people's girls to be my son's concubine." Aunt Guixiang pushed Zhao Youdang: "Why, other people can live in confusion with their eyes closed, but you can't?"

Zhao Youdang just stared at the roof, not knowing what he was thinking.

The next morning, before Zhao Shitou drove out to buy bricks and tiles, someone from the Shen family came to the door again.

Li Jiaofeng struggled for two days and one night and finally gave birth to the child. Both mother and child were safe. I don’t know whether she won the bet or the pulse doctor in the county was really that smart, but she actually gave birth to a boy. However, after this incident, the child was a little weak and his cry was not very loud.

Old Lady Shen was waiting in the county town, so Shen Zhigao hurried back to the village to borrow a car.

"The county hospital is too expensive. It's like robbing money. In just two days and one night, we have spent all our savings. They prescribed a lot of medicine, but we don't have the money to buy it. We have to borrow from relatives everywhere... We borrowed a car to bring Jiaofeng back as soon as possible to save some money..."

Zhao Shitou held the reins and looked back at his parents' expressions.

"Give it to him." Aunt Guixiang finally sighed and felt relieved. She hated seeing Shen Zhigao looking at her man like that. But it wasn't for him or Li Jiaofeng, only for the newborn child, so she considered it a good deed: "Go pick out some good ones first and decide on a sufficient number, let the store count them, and then go back in two days to get them. The ground here hasn't thawed yet, so it's not easy to start digging. You can come back two days later to get the bricks and tiles."

Besides, the construction cannot be started at will. Qingger didn't care about it and didn't mention it, but she was worried about it. She wanted to find someone who understands Feng Shui to calculate a good day for breaking ground so that the construction can start smoothly and the business will prosper.

Shen Qing met a noble man in the county town, and everyone in the village knew about the plan to build a workshop for the village. Naturally, the news also spread to the Shen family. Shen Zhigao lowered his head and walked away with the mule before he finished listening. After walking two steps, he turned back to look at Zhao Youdang and said, "Brother, I am short of money. I will give you the money for the mule later..."

Aunt Guixiang turned around and went into the house, slamming the door loudly.