"Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhang, are you home?"

It was mealtime, and usually very few people would come to the door, so when Aunt Zhang heard Xichun's voice, she thought she was having some kind of trouble, so she put down her bowl and went to open the door.

"Xichun, are you looking for us? Come on, we're just about to have dinner." Aunt Zhang opened the door and called her out with a smile.

"Aunt Zhang, I've already eaten. I've been making and selling some food in town these past few days, so I brought a bowl for you to try. Please help me see if there's anything I can improve."

"You really went to town to sell food? This is what you're selling, how can we eat it? It's all the same price per bowl." Aunt Zhang and the others had heard the villagers discussing this today. There wasn't much gossip in the village, so Xichun's matter had been discussed privately for a long time.

“It’s nothing tonight. Please find me a bowl. I need to take it to Aunt Liu’s house later. I’m very grateful to you for speaking up for me and comforting me yesterday.”

Seeing that she was unwilling to accept it, Xichun naturally explained the reason.

"Alright, then this time it is. Your money is money too, so you should spend it sparingly. These are all for sale, it would be a waste for us to eat them." Hearing her say this, Aunt Zhang didn't refuse any further, thinking that she would give her a few eggs when the chickens at home started laying eggs.

Because she still had to give the gifts to other families, Aunt Zhang couldn't persuade her to stay. Xichun then went to Aunt Liu's house, where she did the same thing. Aunt Liu was very touched by Xichun's grateful behavior, but considering that these gifts had been bought with money, they felt embarrassed to accept them.

After much persuasion, they finally accepted it. When Xichun took it to the village chief's house, all the children in the family stared at the vegetables Xichun brought.

There was still a lot of oil on it, and it smelled better than my own.

"Mom, what kind of hot pot is Sister Xichun making? It smells so good!" Zhang Rentao, the youngest son of Aunt Zhang, drooled as he smelled the food on the table.

"All you do is eat. Xichun is only two years older than you, and look at her, she's already running a business and making money. You're still at home playing with chickens and dogs." Actually, Zhang Rentao wasn't that lazy, but as the saying goes, there's no harm without comparison.

"Alright, not every family can have a child like Xichun. Eat up, this is Xichun's thoughtfulness," Uncle Zhang said, urging them to eat.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Rentao was far from being polite. He immediately picked up the food on the plate and discovered the exposed lean meat.

"Village chief, are you home?" Xi Chun asked as she approached the village chief's house, where the family was having dinner.

"Xichun, what brings you here? Come in quickly." A moment later, the village chief's wife came out. When she saw it was Xichun, although her words were a bit harsh, she still invited her in.

"Xichun, what happened to you? I heard yesterday that Ma Daming and his mother came to cause you trouble?" The village chief put down his bowl, assuming that Xichun had come for this matter.

To be honest, the village has been arguing for quite some time now. He wants to help, but not everyone will appreciate it. Sometimes, even when he's mediating, the two families on the other side make up, which makes him look like he's caught in the middle.

Therefore, unless the nature of the matter is particularly egregious, he rarely takes the initiative to intervene.

“Village Chief, they went too far yesterday, but I’ve already taught them a lesson. So I’m not here today for that. I recently started a business in town, but I’m young and there are many things I don’t know. So I’d like to ask you, Village Chief and Auntie, to help me taste what I make. Is there a market for it? Are there any areas that need improvement?”

After explaining his purpose, Xichun took out the bowl of spicy hot pot from the basket and placed it on the village chief's table.

“Xichun, what are you doing? We’ve heard about your business. You’re from our village too. If anyone dares to cause trouble for you, as long as you’re not at fault, we can’t be afraid of trouble, right? As for these vegetables, you sold them in town yourself. What would it look like if we ate them? You should take them back and eat them yourself.”

The village chief's impression of her improved somewhat when he saw that she had thought of bringing food to his family. However, his family was currently the poorest in the village, and he was not the kind of person who was greedy.

"Village Chief, no way. I just went to sell things. I'm young now and I don't know what everyone's tastes like. You were a traveler when you were young, so I wanted to ask you to try some."

Xi Chun had also heard that the village chief had fought alongside others in the past, which earned him the appreciation of a centurion. It was only after returning home that he had the opportunity to become the village chief.

"Hehe, your uncle is indeed a bit picky about food. It's kind of you, Xichun, to think of that. You're a good kid." The village chief's wife smiled upon hearing this, and winked at the village chief, signaling him to accept the gift.

The two children next to them were also from the village chief's family. They stared longingly at the dishes on the table, and seeing this, the village chief couldn't refuse them anymore.

"Then go and get a bowl, and take it back to Xichun," the village chief said with a sigh.

"Village Chief, I heard something in town today, but I don't understand it, so I'd like to ask you for your advice." Xi Chun continued after seeing that he had agreed.

"Oh, what is it?"

"When I set up my stall today, two constables came to collect the stall fee. I heard that the stall fee has increased in just a few months since the new magistrate arrived, and people selling things at the market are now also charged a stall fee. So I'm a little uneasy. I don't know if the stall fee will increase again next year. I'm a little scared because I'm running a small business."

"Oh, I just heard about this recently. The county magistrate originally wanted to raise the price again, but the local gentry made a suggestion, so the price was not raised further. I think it shouldn't be raised again anytime soon."

When the village chief heard what she was talking about, he immediately sat up straight. He had also heard about it and felt a little uneasy. However, the fact that Xichun, a girl, could think of such things made his impression of her even better.

"That's good. I noticed that the people setting up stalls around me all seem a bit worried."

"Don't worry about these things. You're just running a small business. Those local gentry are also locals, so naturally they don't want any changes in our area. They'll definitely try to stop you. You're a smart and hardworking girl. As long as you work hard, I think you'll definitely have a good life in the village in the future."

"Hehe, thank you for your kind words, village chief. I was thinking that if my business goes well, I plan to buy some vegetables, chickens and ducks in the village. But what Aunt Sun said yesterday made me a little uneasy. I work hard to earn money, but people insist on making fun of me. I think I should just buy directly from the town in the future."

Xi Chun spoke with feigned complaint and grievance, and the village chief immediately understood what she meant.

"Don't worry, if anyone dares to say that, just have them come to me and say it to me in front of me. Let's see who dares to continue making fun of people."