She paused, her brows furrowing even more deeply. "Why can't we report it to the village? Why do we have to pay for everything ourselves? If we lose money, we'll have to bear the whole burden ourselves."
Su Qingzhi listened without immediately refuting, but smiled gently, her eyes warm.
She reached out and gently patted Shen Jinhe's hand, her gesture tender yet firm: "I know what you're worried about. You're not just afraid of spending money, but also afraid of taking responsibility, afraid that everyone will work hard only to end up with nothing, right?"
She paused, her gaze clear and firm: "But think about it, if our Jade Face Cream really comes to fruition and people actually buy it, what then? We'll still have to distribute grain as usual, but besides that, our village might have an extra source of income. With more money distributed each year, we can buy more grain and let the elderly and children suffer less. Next spring, we won't have to wait for relief grain on empty stomachs anymore."
Her voice gradually rose, yet remained gentle: "But if you don't even dare to try, you'll be stuck with that small plot of land for the rest of your life, at the mercy of the weather and the whims of others. Tell me, how long will this go on?"
“Besides,” she pointed to the porcelain bottles on the table, her tone becoming more relaxed, “the only things we really need to spend money on right now are these bottles. At most a few coins, maybe a few dozen at most. As for the medicinal herbs? We gathered them all ourselves from the mountains: wild chrysanthemum, poria cocos, angelica dahurica, pearl powder…aren’t they all readily available? They don’t cost any money, just a little time. But is that time well spent?”
After hearing these words, Shen Jinhe pursed her lips and pondered them seriously for a while.
Her eyes gradually cleared from their initial hesitation.
After a moment, she nodded slightly, her voice soft but with a hint of relief: "Sister-in-law, you are so thoughtful. I didn't even think of that much. I was so worried about losing money that I forgot to look ahead."
Su Qingzhi smiled, her smile as gentle and bright as a spring breeze across a lake.
She gently patted Shen Jinhe's shoulder and said softly, "Big brother, go eat dinner quickly, don't let the food get cold. It's still warm in the pot, it'll taste better when it's hot. After you finish eating, get some rest and get your energy ready. I'll come and teach you how to make Jade Face Cream first thing tomorrow morning. We'll take it one step at a time, no rush."
Just then, Su Qianfan, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly spoke up, her tone thoughtful: "Ningning, what about the porcelain vases? If we expand our business in the future, these few vases won't be enough. Where will we get them? Are they expensive? Should we order them in advance?"
"Dad, have you forgotten? The batch of medicinal herbs you had my brother buy a couple of days ago, weren't they already moved into the cellar and stored properly? I remember it clearly, I even counted them myself, there are still at least a dozen or twenty porcelain jars left! Each jar is sealed well, and there are labels on them with the year and the name of the herb. At the time, you specifically instructed that these herbs were all top-quality goods, and that they should be kept for future use in making medicine, and not just left lying around, and certainly not piled up on the ground—if they get damp, their medicinal properties will be ruined. I can still hear you saying those words!"
Su Qingzhi replied, her tone tinged with helplessness yet also with patience.
Su Yicen immediately chimed in, walking over to her father with a grin: "That's right, Dad, your memory is getting worse and worse. You even forget what you said yourself. Could it be that you're getting old and your brain is shrinking?"
She deliberately patted her head exaggeratedly, causing those around her to chuckle.
"Yes, yes, I'm getting old, my brain isn't working properly anymore."
Su Qianfan suddenly slapped his thigh, a look of sudden realization appearing on his face. "Oh dear! Isn't that what I asked them to buy? I even talked to Lao Li for ages about choosing aged Sichuan fritillary bulbs and authentic angelica root... How could I have completely forgotten about it in the blink of an eye!"
As he spoke, he waved his hands repeatedly, shaking his head with a self-deprecating laugh.
Shen Zhiyu stood to the side, somewhat bewildered, his brows furrowed slightly, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes—a cellar, medicinal herbs, medicine preparation…
He was not familiar with these details and couldn't immediately grasp the whole story.
But he never pried into other people's private affairs. He just smiled lightly and then changed the subject, his tone gentle but with a hint of urging: "Stop standing here dawdling. It's getting late. Get some rest. We have to get up early tomorrow to work. We agreed to work together, so no one can stay in bed."
"good!"
It should be done cleanly and efficiently.
Su Qingzhi nodded, a faint smile appearing on her face.
Without further ado, he turned around and naturally took Su Qingzhi's elbow, his movements gentle yet leaving no room for refusal. Then he called out to the two children, "Let's go, go back to your room and sleep."
Zhenzhen immediately responded, replying crisply, "Okay!"
After saying that, she obediently took her younger brother Zhouzhou's little hand, took small steps, and walked out with a swaying gait.
"Mommy, hold hands~~" Zhouzhou looked up at Su Qingzhi with her round little face, her big, dark eyes sparkling. Her little mouth was slightly pouting, and she stretched out her chubby little hand, palm up, like a little kitten begging for food, full of longing and expectation.
Su Qingzhi looked down at him, her heart softening, her eyes gentle as water.
She gently rubbed his head, smoothing a stray strand of soft hair, then slowly squatted down, carefully taking his chubby little hands in her hands, her voice as soft as if she were soothing him to sleep: "Okay, Mommy will hold your little hand and won't let go of a single finger, okay?"
"Hehe~~~" Zhouzhou laughed so hard that her eyes curved into crescent moons, her little mouth stretched to her ears, revealing a few baby teeth that hadn't fully grown in yet. She looked like a little puppy whose itch had been tickled, and she twisted her body with joy.
Seeing this, Shen Zhiyu smiled and deliberately leaned forward to gently flick his little nose, pretending to be aggrieved as he asked, "Hey? What about Daddy? Don't you want Daddy to hold your hand? Isn't Daddy nice?"
“Mommy smells nice~~” Zhouzhou immediately turned her head and answered seriously, sniffing with her little nose, and added earnestly, “Mommy applied osmanthus oil, she smells nice, Daddy smells bad.”
"Oh, you think Dad smells bad?"
Shen Zhiyu feigned shock, exaggeratedly clutching his chest, "You've pierced my heart! Fine, since you don't care about holding hands, then Daddy will have to resort to the ultimate method—a hug!"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly bent down, grabbed Zhouzhou by the armpits, lifted him high above his head, spun him around halfway in the air, and then rubbed his rough chin against Zhouzhou's soft belly.
"Giggle giggle~~~~" Zhouzhou burst into laughter, her little hands flailing in the air and her feet kicking wildly. She tried to dodge but couldn't reach anyone, so she could only laugh and shout, "Daddy~~~~Giggle giggle~~~ Stop rubbing against me! It tickles! Daddy's naughty!"
Su Qingzhi stood aside, watching the father and daughter make a scene.
The End.
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