I want to become an octopus so I can slap eight people at once.

According to the plan, planting one grain of millet in spring would yield a harvest of tens of thousands in autumn. She and the farmers all became wealthy. Now, however, the plan has encountered a small problem.

The wheat has been planted. The seedlings are sick.

Ye Qingzhou, supporting her aching back, walked through field after field, unable to help but let out a long sigh.

Lu Xiaocao touched the rusty leaves of the wheat seedlings and frowned with heartache: "It's ruined! All ruined! Boss, how much will you have to pay in compensation this time?"

"Shall we go ask Dr. Wang? The tavern next to her house has pretty good food. Let's try it together. I haven't been feeling well these days, and I'm so grateful for your help here. Let's go!"

Ye Qingzhou and Lü Xiaocao went to the doctor. A doctor who treats people can't treat the land. Fortunately, the two experienced farmers, Granny Yang and Granny Lin, were also in town. Ye Qingzhou inquired about their addresses and prepared to visit them.

The town isn't big. Rumors spread incredibly fast.

As soon as Ye Qingzhou and Lü Xiaocao were ushered into the tavern by the waiter, they heard people inside shouting, "Have you heard? The new owner, Mr. Ye, has lost everything this time!"

"I took a walk around this morning. It's such a huge area! You can't see the end of it! The seedlings are all... I bet old man surnamed Ye is at home crying with his wife, he's even considering selling her because of the losses!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The waiter, with a forced smile, led Ye Qingzhou and her companion to a private room. He then quickly came out and said to the group of people who had been talking, "Stop making things up! Boss Ye is a woman! The one who just went in is her!"

"A woman?" The group craned their necks to look.

A kitchen worker came to deliver the food, and the door to the private room opened. Inside, the woman at the head of the table was chatting and laughing with the woman next to her.

"So beautiful!" The man looked at it with a tingling sensation in his heart and a thirst in his mouth, so he licked his lips.

The door was about to close. The beauty was about to disappear from sight. The man stretched his neck and body until she was completely out of sight, still savoring that one glance.

"Brother Sima, let's drink! After we finish, let's go gamble," someone nearby said.

The man surnamed Sima was pulled back by his companion, spilling his wine. He came to his senses and was about to yell at the man when he remembered something else: "Old Jiu, that woman you mentioned borrowing money last time, didn't she say her relative is Ye Dongjia?"

His companion took a bite of meat: "Yes! That girl came to borrow money, and she was so arrogant. I kicked her out. Before she left, she even shouted that her brother's name was something like Fish. Fish? I like to eat shrimp."

Thinking of the beauty from earlier, Brother Sima finished his last sip of wine: "Next time I see her, I'll tell her I'll lend her money. But there's one condition."

His companion put down his chopsticks: "Conditions?"

The man surnamed Sima looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to them, whispered to his companion for a while.

After having a meal, Ye Qingzhou and Lü Xiaocao prepared small gifts and went to the homes of Granny Yang and Granny Lin.

In the afternoon, the two women took the methods given to them by their mothers-in-law and prepared some herbs. They sprinkled them on a patch of land to try it out first.

"Boss, what if this medicine doesn't work?" Lu Xiaocao was still anxious, fidgeting with her fingers. "If you lose money, will you just abandon us like Boss Wu in the city and walk away?"

“I’m not leaving, don’t be afraid. I want to make money, and so do you. If this doesn’t work, we’ll try something else. If the wheat seedlings don’t work, we’ll plant something else. I’ve seen how selfish people can be. But the land is the most selfless; you reap what you sow.”

As long as she doesn't leave, that's fine. If she leaves, who will support her? Lü Xiaocao plucked a handful of foxtail grass, braided it into various patterns, and showed them to Ye Qingzhou.

"Sister-in-law!" someone called out.

"Boss, is he calling you?" Lu Xiaocao glanced at the girl opposite her.

"How could that be? They must be calling you, right? You're the only connection I have here." Her back and legs ached, so Ye Qingzhou slowed her pace. After a moment's thought, she added, "And Doctor Wang. Brother Li Qi. Hmm, why hasn't Sister Bai Ri Hong written to me lately?"

Stop being so frivolous! You should be blushing. Just a few steps from the door, Lü Xiaocao watched as the girl rushed over and knelt before Ye Qingzhou.

Lü Xiaocao went to pull the girl away. The girl was crying and sobbing, clinging to Ye Qingzhou's skirt and refusing to let go.

Didn't you see her big belly? Lu Xiaocao panicked, stepping in front of Ye Qingzhou and shouting, "Seventh Brother! Seventh Brother! Help!"

"Sister-in-law, please, save my father! I have no money to pay the fine! I'm starving to death on the streets!"

"You are... Xiao Hong from Uncle Yu's family?" Ye Qingzhou looked at her face, struggling to recall the past.

"It's me! Sister-in-law! Save me! Please save me!" Yu Xiaohong, carrying a bundle, cried and sobbed on the street, attracting a crowd of onlookers.

"Where are the Yu family members? How come you're the only one left?" Ye Qingzhou asked.

“Dad, they’ve taken me away. My eldest uncle and third uncle are arguing. They’re ignoring me. Sister Yu Yue said she’ll sell me if I stay with her.” Yu Xiaohong said, glancing furtively at Ye Qingzhou, then burst into tears again: “Sister-in-law, please give me some food. I’ll never cause trouble with them again.”

The crowd of onlookers, mostly older women and aunties, grew larger and larger. Ye Qingzhou was already feeling nauseous, and the more people gathered, the more uncomfortable she felt. Forcing down her nausea, she said, "Come on over! Good children get to eat."

Li Qi weaved through the crowd, protecting Ye Qingzhou and Lü Xiaocao, and led them home.

There was a side room next to the main gate. Ye Qingzhou arranged for Yu Xiaohong to rest there temporarily: "The courtyard is under renovation. Make do for a while. I'll ask someone to find a way to take you back along the way."

Yu Xiaohong ate the pastries that Chonghua had brought, her mouth full, and nodded repeatedly.

Ye Qingzhou turned around, preparing to go back to rest.

Yu Xiaohong pulled her aside, opened the package, and inside was a piece of clothing, made of satin, and in a nice color: "Sister-in-law, this was bought by Sister Yu Yue. She said she wanted to apologize to you because she was ashamed to face you and knew she was wrong."

Ye Qingzhou glanced at the pattern on the clothes and smiled.

Yu Xiaohong thought she liked it, and insisted on stuffing the clothes into Ye Qingzhou's hands.

Time flies like sand, and the next day, the weather was fine again.

The Ye family invited Doctor Wang again and kept him there for half a day.

As soon as Doctor Wang stepped out of the Ye family's house, some busybodies came up to ask if Master Ye was unwell. No matter what others asked, Doctor Wang remained silent.

Lü Xiaocao also went to the Ye family's house, but for some reason, as soon as she came out, she ran into the temple.

Hiding in the shadows, Yu Yue quietly followed Lü Xiaocao to the temple. She huddled behind the offering table and vaguely heard Lü Xiaocao say a lot of things, praying for Ye Qingzhou's safety and the well-being of the children.

Upon hearing this, Yu Yue quickly covered her mouth. Only after Lü Xiaocao left did she burst into laughter: "Ye Qingzhou, you didn't expect this, did you? I didn't expect it either! You've fallen so quickly!" The blood-activating and abortifacient drugs on her clothes were added by her own hands.

She added ingredients three times because she was worried there wouldn't be enough!

Yu Yue returned to the inn happily and wrote a letter to her mother, telling her the good news. Ye Qingzhou had no children, so they could come and claim a share of the Ye family's assets.

As dusk settled, Yu Yue wrote another letter. This time, when she returned to her room, she was clutching her stomach, and her complexion was not good.

As the moon began to rise, Ye Qingzhou, who had been lying in bed for half a day, finally got up.

Yu Xiaohong, who was waiting to say goodbye, was waiting for her in the front hall.

Chonghua helped Ye Qingzhou sit down. Ye Qingzhou smiled meaningfully at Yu Xiaohong: "That night, the one who set the fire, was it Yu Yue?"

Yu Xiaohong was startled, looked up at Ye Qingzhou, and opened her mouth and then closed it again.

"The night watchman said there was a girl shouting like she was singing. You've been here for over ten hours, and you've been very quiet. You don't seem like that domineering person at all," Ye Qingzhou said casually, picking up the lid of his teacup and skimming the floating tea leaves.

Yu Xiaohong swallowed hard and said, "My eldest and third uncles said that my second uncle's death was pitiful and they wanted to take care of his child. So they drew lots..."

"Was your father the first one to draw lots?"

Seeing the expression on her face, Ye Qingzhou knew he had guessed correctly: "Do you believe it or not, all the characters inside are 'go'?"

Yu Xiaohong was stunned for a moment, then instinctively shook her head. But that night, her father had indeed only caught her once, and then the notes were burned.

Yes! When Third Uncle burned the paper slips, there were indeed black ink stains on the back of those slips. She was puzzled at the time, but Yu Yue pulled her away.

How could they scheme against Father like this? Father is Third Uncle's own brother! Yu Xiaohong's face showed a mixture of confusion, heartache, and finally, undisguised resentment: Now, immediately, right now! If I had more hands, I'd slap them a few times!

Ye Qingzhou put down her teacup and chuckled, "You two, father and daughter, are both taking the blame for Yu Yue!"

What? Yu Xiaohong's small eyes widened instantly.