Chapter 20: Fooling the Master and the Second Master

Not long after Mrs. Qin left, Old Man Qin came back with her.

"Zhizhi, I heard from your grandma that you have something to ask grandpa." Old man Qin was a little out of breath as he walked in a hurry.

"Grandpa, sit down and rest for a while. It's not urgent. Let's talk slowly."

Qin Zhizhi hurried forward to help Old Man Qin sit down, and then poured him a bowl of water.

Hearing that it was not an urgent matter, Old Man Qin felt relieved. He took the water brought by his granddaughter and drank it slowly.

"Grandpa, I have a use for the peppercorns that my mother, aunt, and Third Aunt brought back today. Zhizhi wants Grandpa to help collect some."

When they heard that Qin Zhizhi wanted to spend money to collect it, they immediately became unhappy.

"Zhizhi, tell me how much you want and I'll pick it for you."

"Yes, Zhizhi, Third Aunt is also free."

"They're all over the back mountain. You don't need to spend money to pick them. We can go pick them for you."

The three sisters-in-law decided to pick the fruits for Qin Zhizhi when they were empty, so she wouldn't have to spend money to collect them.

"The quantity I need is a bit large, and I need to find someone quicker."

Qin Zhizhi wanted these peppercorns, some of which she would exchange with the system, and some of which she would use as seasoning.

After hearing his granddaughter's words, Old Man Qin asked tentatively, "Zhizhi, how do you want to receive it?"

"Grandpa, freshly picked ones are three cents a pound, and dried and processed ones are fifteen cents a pound."

"So expensive!" Several people exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

"The picking process is also troublesome, and the dried fruits are not weighed. Everyone just earns hard-earned money."

Qin Zhizhi is not a black-hearted profiteer. The wild peppercorns she collected can be exchanged for a good price with the system. She has just secretly asked Wanwan about it.

"Zhizhi, do you want to buy in large quantities? Or?" Although Old Man Qin was very excited, he still had to ask clearly, so as to avoid sending too much and making his granddaughter pay for it.

"Grandpa, let the people from the first and second uncle's families pick them first. If the villagers ask, just say I'm collecting them and send them to the Qin family. They'll pay on the spot."

Old Man Qin thought about it and thought it was a good idea. He smiled and said, "I'll go to your uncle's and second uncle's house to inform them in a while."

"Thank you for your hard work, Grandpa. I'll need your help in purchasing the peppercorns later."

Qin Zhizhi had other plans, so she didn't have time to purchase the peppercorns, so she handed the matter over to her grandfather.

"Zhizhi, don't worry, I will definitely help you. I don't have any major problems every day." Old man Qin agreed readily.

"Grandpa, why don't you ask Second Master to come with you to help with the purchase? Ten cents a day, and he'll be responsible for the purchase and accounting."

"Your Second Master won't agree. Besides, if your First Master finds out, he'll beat me and your Second Master up."

Old Man Qin quickly rejected his granddaughter's suggestion. He and his second brother were already that old, and they didn't want to be beaten by their eldest brother.

"Then let me come and help." Qin Zhizhi thought that it would be enough to let them come together.

"This..." Old man Qin was a little hesitant.

Qin Zhizhi continued to deceive him, "Grandpa, tell the eldest and second uncles about what the great master said in his dream, and then the matter will be settled."

Qin Zhizhi winked playfully at her grandfather, and the old man immediately understood what his granddaughter meant.

"Zhizhi is right, it's settled. I'll go inform your uncle and the second uncle right now."

Old man Qin walked out of the house in a proud manner, leaving his three daughters-in-law confused. Qin Zhizhi and Mrs. Qin smiled at each other.

Qin Zhizhi thought for a moment and asked, "Aunt, Mother, Third Aunt, do my uncles have these?"

Several people were very excited when they heard this. No one was rich these days, and if there was any income, it would be a great thing for the bride's family.

"Yes, yes, yes. I know what you mean. Do you accept the gifts your uncles and others gave you?"

Li's family has many brothers and sisters, and life is difficult at home. After hearing Qin Zhizhi's words, she was most excited.

"Of course I accept it. I accept other people's things, so there's no reason not to accept our own people's things."

"Zhizhi, thank you. Let's go back to my parents' house and tell them so we can pick them tomorrow."

The three sisters-in-law immediately put down their work and prepared to go to her mother's house to tell her family the good news.

"Bring some peppercorns and show them to your uncles. Pick them according to this and don't pick the wrong ones." Qin Zhizhi was afraid that the three of them might not describe it clearly, so she gave each of them some peppercorns as samples.

"Zhizhi is really thoughtful. Mom, we'll go first. Dinner will be waiting for us to come back and make it. We'll come back as soon as possible."

The three of them were afraid that they would not be able to make dinner in time, so they said it a little embarrassedly.

"You guys go your way. If it's too late, you can come back tomorrow morning. Mother will make dinner. Each of you can take a few fish from home. Don't go empty-handed."

Although Mrs. Qin doesn't cook much, her cooking skills are still pretty good.

Not long after they left, Old Man Qin came to the Qin family with his eldest brother and second brother.

As soon as they saw Qin Zhizhi, they excitedly asked, "My dear granddaughter, is what your grandfather said true? Did your great-grandfather really appear in your dream?"

"Master, Second Master, how dare Zhizhi lie to you? Great Grandpa really did appear in Zhizhi's dream."

When the two heard that it was true, they were about to kneel down and kowtow on the spot, but were stopped by Qin Zhizhi. In the end, she emphasized that it must be kept secret and only then did she fool the old men.

"Did your great-grandfather ask you to pick this peppercorn?" the great-grandfather asked cautiously.

Qin Zhizhi could only nod and whispered, "I'll make some of it as seasoning, and some of it is for my great grandfather's needs."

When they heard that it was their father who needed it, they became more cautious.

"Then how did your great-grandfather take these things away?" asked the second grandfather curiously.

"Grandpa has his own way. That's why Zhizhi asked you for help. If these things I collected suddenly disappeared, would others think I was a monster?"

"So, Zhizhi only told you guys, and I'll have to trouble you to keep it a secret for Zhizhi from now on."

When they thought about it, it was exactly the same. It would be so scary if his father suddenly took away the pepper.

"Fortunately, Zhizhi thought of it carefully, otherwise it would be a real hassle. Zhizhi, don't worry, the eldest and second uncles, as well as your grandfather, will come personally to collect it and watch over it. We'll keep it a secret for you and ensure nothing goes wrong."

The three old men made a promise and spent the whole afternoon discussing it in the house.

Qin Zhizhi didn't disturb them and gave them some time to accept it, which would make things much more convenient for her in the future.

When Qin Zhizhi left the Qin family, the three of them were still talking and laughing in the house, which made Qin Zhizhi feel a little guilty.

Mrs. Qin looked at the people in the room and decided to keep them for dinner.

Qin Zhizhi gave two of the bones she bought today to the Qin family, and Mrs. Qin decided to make bone and radish soup.

Ever since her granddaughter told her that she should drink this to supplement calcium when she is older, Mrs. Qin now likes this big bone the most.

Qin Zhizhi also gave a piece of meat. There were fish and shrimps at home, and she went to the vegetable garden to pick some vegetables, easily making up four dishes and a soup.