Knowing she was in the wrong, Ms. Zhang twisted her sleeves and said guiltily, "Watch your mouth!"

After saying that, she quickly grabbed her son and ran away.

When Sun Miao'er returned to the tree, Xiaoman had already taken a nap, since she had woken up so early that morning.

Xiaoman whispered mysteriously in Sun Miao'er's ear, "Sister, do you know who that was just now? It was Li Zuo Kui!"

"Shh!" Sun Miao'er covered his mouth. Before Wu Dali confirmed his whereabouts, this matter could not be made public, after all, Xiao Zhangshi no longer posed a threat to her.

If word gets out, it will probably cause a huge uproar in the village. Given Old Man Li's stubborn pride, who knows how many more troubles he'll cause.

You see, the more chaotic the village is, the harder it will be for her to do business.

The most important thing right now is to ensure that everyone in the village can live a peaceful life; only when people are well-fed and clothed can they think about other things.

On the surface, Fushui Village seems to be a place where everyone lives in peace and contentment, but in reality, it cannot withstand the slightest storm or setback. Take Granny Li for example; a fire caused her entire house to collapse like a building suddenly falling apart, as if it had lost its main pillar.

"Oh, my niece is back!"

Before she even got home, Sun Miao'er could hear Liang Lao Er's cheerful voice.

Today, Liang Lao Er's wife was wearing the very outfit she had made. Under the sun, her skin was as white as snow, her face as bright as a mirror, her phoenix eyes wide open, and her temperament was strikingly outstanding.

Sun Miao'er glanced sideways and saw a young man standing next to Liang Lao Er's family. He looked about sixteen or seventeen years old, not much older than her. He was dressed in fine clothes, and it was clear at a glance that he did not come from a humble family.

"Wei Shuhua, come on, take a few ears of corn back and try them." Sun Miao'er picked out a few ears of corn from Xiaoman's basket and handed them to Liang Lao Er's family.

Liang Lao Er's wife smiled, revealing two rows of pearly white teeth. "My dear niece, I haven't even thanked you yet, and you're already being so polite with me?"

"Thank me for what?" Sun Miao'er asked, puzzled.

Liang Lao Er's wife grasped Sun Miao'er's hand and bowed to the young man beside her, "Thank you for your craftsmanship. When I go back wearing this outfit, my aunts are green with envy."

"You don't know, some of my concubines come from the Duhuanlou brothel. They're all worldly people, but when they saw the clothes I was wearing, they all admitted they couldn't compare and asked me where I found a tailor so they could have a few sets made for them too!"

Sun Miao'er blushed slightly, feeling a little embarrassed by the compliments.

"Auntie, please stop! They don't deserve such clothes. They're all former prostitutes. Don't waste such good things!" The boy next to her said angrily, his dissatisfaction evident in his words.

Liang Lao Er's wife then turned around, pointed at the boy, and said, "I forgot to introduce you, this is my elder brother's eldest son."

"Greetings, Miss Sun. My name is Wei Jingnian." The young man's appearance clearly showed that he was related to Liang Lao Er's family.

The women in that family were as radiant as Aunt Liang, and the men were as bright and cheerful as a young boy.

He has thick eyebrows and broad eyes, and his smile still carries a hint of childishness that hasn't completely faded.

The second son's wife gave the boy a look, not stern, but merely a reminder, "Am I, Wei Shuhua, such a stingy person? I'm willing to give them a few pieces of clothing!"

Sun Miao'er understood. So Wei Shuhua's name was Shuhua. You see, in a poor village like Fushui, most women didn't have names. After they got married, they would take their husband's surname. Only women from better families would have their families go to the trouble of thinking of a name for them.

Her name was given to her by Old Man Sun when he was still alive; it was chosen casually and simply.

"Greetings, Young Master Wei." Sun Miao'er greeted the young man, still unsure of his purpose.

Although Wei Jingnian was not old, he was quite tall, a full half a head taller than Sun Miao'er. "Auntie, this dress was actually made by you, Miss. You are so skillful."

"Young Master Wei, you flatter me. It's just my humble skill, enough for this rural area, but to show it off in a wider setting would be like trying to teach an expert before an expert," Sun Miao'er replied with a few modest words, very politely.

Wei Jingnian gave her an approving look. His personality was just like Wei Shuhua's, straightforward and honest. "To be honest, Miss Sun, the reason I came here this time is because my father is interested in getting into the silk business, and I came here specifically to ask for your advice."

She's clearly here to learn a trade, but she hasn't even properly figured out the skill herself, so how can she teach it to others?

Besides, this is her way of making money. What will she do if she gives it to someone else?

Sun Miao'er replied dismissively, "Young Master Wei, it's hardly a skill. It was just something I did out of boredom. How could it be considered teaching? It would only make me look foolish."

Wei Shuhua understood the implication in Sun Miao'er's words and guessed that she was not very willing to teach this skill to others. She then spoke up to smooth things over, "Jingnian, your aunt brought you here. Why are you just standing there talking like an idiot? Hurry up and bring the gift for our visit."

As if waking from a dream, Wei Jingnian patted his head, picked up the wooden box from the ground, and said, "Miss Sun, this is just a small token of my appreciation."

He pushed open the food box, and inside were six large crabs, arranged in two layers, twelve in total.

Sun Miao'er stared at the crabs for a long time without looking away—it was the beginning of autumn, time to eat crabs.

Crabs are a rare commodity, even here. It's not that they're uncommon, but rather that large ones are few and far between. With her experience as a seasoned foodie, Sun Miao'er could tell that each of the crabs in the food box weighed about three ounces.

“There are six male crabs and six female crabs here, to bring good luck to Miss Sun.” Wei Jingnian spoke loudly and clearly, his voice full of youthful vigor.

Male crabs weighing three ounces are easy to find, but female crabs weighing three ounces are not so easy to find this season.

Since it's only early autumn, the crab roe isn't fully cooked yet and usually has a bitter taste.

For both reason and sentiment, Sun Miao'er did not want to accept the gift. "Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Wei, but these crabs are too precious for me to accept."

Wei Shuhua chimed in, quickly pulling Sun Miao'er's hand to take the food box. "My niece doesn't want to accept it? Well then, I've heard that my niece is a very good cook. How about she shows off her skills today and cooks these crabs? So we can enjoy a taste!"

Since things had come to this point, Sun Miao'er, remembering how much Wei Shuhua had helped her in the past, had no choice but to agree, "Come in and sit down."

When Wei Shuhua entered the Sun family's house, Sun Miao'er had previously led her into the woodshed or the kitchen. Today, for the first time, she entered the inner room. She remembered that these rooms were usually locked.

The house was tidy and organized, and didn't look like it had been uninhabited for a long time.

As soon as Xiaoman saw people come in, she quickly brought out two chairs, saying, "Auntie, please sit down. Brother, please sit down too."

"Oh, Xiaoman is so well-behaved. My Erya is still a girl, and she's not even half as quick as Xiaoman!" Wei Shuhua carefully looked around the room. The two siblings finally had a place to live that made her feel at ease.

Sun Miao'er smiled and poured two cups of tea. "Don't praise him anymore, Wei Shuhua. He didn't even want to get up early to harvest corn this morning. Only you praising him like this would do that. He's so lazy!"