Because there were many people on the street at the time, the news spread far and wide, and even the county magistrate's men knew about it.

“My lord, this is clearly detrimental to your reputation. If all the people think that you are someone who allows the family of your wives and concubines to bully outsiders, then next year’s evaluation will likely be affected. The Chen family is really too stupid to do this.” The clerk stepped forward to report.

"Such a thing has happened? The Chen family is far too presumptuous. The local gentry are already dissatisfied with me, and it's tax season. We can't afford to cause any more trouble. Go and tell them to behave themselves and not ruin my business." The county magistrate, with his beard, looked impatient.

Even though he himself was a womanizer, he still knew what was more important than his future.

"Yes, I will take care of it right away."

The magistrate turned and went back to the backyard. He then had someone call Chen Xique over. Chen Xique thought the magistrate had remembered her, so she happily dressed up before going over.

"This humble servant greets Your Excellency." Chen Xique looked at the county magistrate with seductive eyes, using a poorly learned, half-baked way of bowing.

"You shameless woman, you do have good news, but I almost lost the people's hearts because of your family. Why are you dressed so seductively? Do you really think you are my wife?" The county magistrate had no mood to play with her. Thinking of what his clerk had reported, he slapped her across the face, leaving Chen Xique at a loss.

"My lord, my family did not do anything."

"You haven't done anything yet. Go tell them yourself that people like them are not worthy of being my brother-in-law or wife's family. If they dare to use this name to do evil again, I will be the first to not let them off the hook."

"Yes, yes, I will definitely tell them, Master, please calm down." Chen Xique had guessed what her brother had done.

"Get out of here, don't make me angry. Go and call Aunt Li." After saying this, he didn't even look at Chen Xique, but instead told the maid beside him to go and call someone.

As Chen Xique left the master's courtyard, she saw Aunt Li approaching triumphantly, her eyes full of mockery.

"Go, find me my mother. I want to see what happened." Chen Xique had become the county magistrate's concubine and could not go out freely, so she had to give this order to the little maid who was taking care of her.

Soon, Madam Du arrived. She was in a good mood when she came, but she saw Chen Xique's cold face.

"What's wrong, Magpie? Who slapped you? If those two concubines dare to bully you, I'll teach them a lesson." Madam Du had been pampered all this time and had long forgotten her status.

"Mother, who else do you want to teach a lesson to? You've caused such a big mess, don't you have any self-awareness? Is it because my brother has been bullying someone outside again, and it's been reported to the county magistrate?" Chen Xique asked with red eyes.

“She didn’t do anything wrong. Everyone respects us. It’s just that your brother smashed Chen Xichun’s stall a couple of days ago, but she didn’t suffer much loss. People on the street were pointing and gossiping, but they stopped after that. What’s wrong? Does Chen Xichun dare to take this to the county government? Magpie, you have to teach her a lesson.”

"So that's how it is. I knew it. Mom, go back and tell my brother and the others not to cause me any more trouble and to keep a low profile, or we'll all be finished."

"It's that serious? I'll go back and tell them." Mrs. Du was also stunned, not expecting such an outcome.

Xi Chun has already prepared everything and reopened her stall. Because of her background, she has attracted a wave of sympathy, and her business is even better.

Xi Chun didn't know if the county magistrate would secretly deal with her, but she still wanted to make as much money as possible while she could, otherwise her business might not be so easy to run once those people realized what was going on.

When Fu Changfeng heard about Xichun's stall being vandalized, he made a special trip to her house to find her, and only felt relieved after seeing that she was alright.

"Don't worry, this matter can't be left like this. Only by spreading this news can we prevent anyone from bullying you again. Leave these things to me, and you can focus on your business."

"Thank you, but you're at a crucial stage of your studies right now, so don't let these things bother you. Focus on your studies, and I'll handle it myself." Xichun didn't refuse his concern.

"It's no small matter at all. If you hadn't said that, I really wouldn't have known you had such a tragic story behind you. You usually seem so generous, I never imagined you had so many painful memories. If you are ever bullied in the future, you can always ask me for help."

Although Fu Changfeng liked Xichun, he liked her as a person and did not delve into her background. He only knew that her father had passed away and her mother had remarried. Thinking of this, he felt even more sorry for her.

"Don't worry, I've been in business for so long and I have my own plans. I've never been one to trouble others; I'm used to being independent," Xichun said with a smile.

"Then you can make the decision yourself. If there's anything I can do to help, I'll do my best. I'll take my leave now." Fu Changfeng was worried that talking any longer at the door would damage her reputation, so he said he had to leave.

"Hey, wait a minute, I have some canned food here. You can eat some to nourish yourself while you're studying." Xichun handed him a jar of peach preserves and a jar of orange preserves.

"Thank you. I thought they were delicious last time I ate them. They were so sweet. You can't buy peaches like these at this time of year. They're out of season." Fu Changfeng didn't refuse any further and accepted the peaches before going home.

Brother Fu and Master Fu also heard about this matter and were disgusted by the Chen family's way of doing things. Fu Changfeng took the opportunity to persuade his father that he must stop the county magistrate from doing this, otherwise it would only bring more trouble.

"You little brat, study your books properly. You don't need to worry about adult matters." Master Fu said only this before sending him away.

After that, the Chen brothers no longer dared to act arrogantly in the city. Even the eldest son and Mrs. Du became much more low-key. Even when they returned to the village, they no longer acted like wives in front of others.

The Chen family finally had a period of peace and quiet, but Xichun and her family were very busy. This autumn, in addition to taking care of the two stalls, Xichun was also responsible for leading people to make hawthorn preserves, purchasing chili peppers, and other matters.

The villagers were also busy harvesting crops and picking fruit. Apart from paying the taxes, they were finally feeling a bit more relaxed.

Under the care of Qiangzi and his wife, the chili pepper business also saw increased business. Because they needed to hire more people, Xichun made them managers, which significantly increased their wages and made life much easier.

"Next, there's another big thing: selling our canned goods. Almost everything I own this year is tied up in this. It all depends on how well this winter goes. Everyone who sells them will get a share of the profits, so everyone needs to work hard and try to sell more canned goods!"