Upon seeing this, Huang Zhong tensed up and stammered.
"You...you don't need to be afraid, I...I'm not a bad person...I...I'm called Huang Zhong, I'm twenty-six years old, I...I'm not married! May I...may I ask your name, Miss?"
These words stunned the soldiers. They looked at Peony and then at their own deputy general, speechless. So their deputy general liked such a feisty woman. No wonder he was still unmarried at such an old age!
Peony was also stunned, completely failing to grasp Huang Zhong's meaning! However, her face flushed red, and she looked at Qin Qing helplessly, her eyes filled with a hint of pleading.
"Pfft! Haha!!"
Seeing this, Qin Qing finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter. The three little ones in the carriage stared intently at Shaoyao's rosy cheeks...
After Qin Qing finally managed to suppress his smile, Xiao Muyue suddenly uttered a childish and puzzled voice.
"Auntie, your face is so red! Were you frightened?"
"Pfft! Hahaha!!"
He was terrified! To be confessed to on their very first meeting—and this was ancient times!! Qin Qing seemed completely oblivious to his surroundings, inwardly admiring Huang Zhong's heroic actions!
Seeing this, Peony felt even more embarrassed and annoyed, and blushed as she glanced at Qin Qing!
"Mother! What's so funny! Stop laughing!"
This familiar yet unfamiliar voice finally caught Huang Zhong's attention. His gaze slowly turned to Qin Qing, and he instantly recognized this wicked woman who had made his cousin lose his appetite!
He stared wide-eyed in surprise, unable to believe it.
"You...it's you! You're still alive?"
It wasn't that he was making a mountain out of a molehill. He had also heard from Wang Yan that Qin Qing had gone to the capital of Qi to search for someone. At the time, he was gloating and thought that the woman was doomed. Qi was suffering from such a severe drought that even the rumored richest man with millions of dollars would have a hard time, let alone an ordinary woman!
There was a high chance that woman was dead! But now she's standing right in front of me, completely unharmed, and looks like she's living a very comfortable life…
That's impossible!
Before he could even finish his surprise, Peony was quite displeased with what he heard!
"What do you mean by that? Why can't my mother live? You're a strange person; why do you always curse others?"
Huang Zhong froze, his face showing a moment of bewilderment, and quickly offered an explanation.
"No...that's not what I meant, I..."
That was indeed what he meant. After all, he really disliked Qin Qing, especially since she had caused his cousin to charge into the enemy camp alone and get injured all over. Although this made the war easier to win, he just hated this woman!
Suddenly, he realized something, staring in shock at Qin Qing and then at the peony…
"You...your mother?! She...your...mother?!"
Upon hearing this, it sounded like he was cursing her. The shyness in Peony's heart vanished instantly, and she looked at the man in front of her with displeasure!
"You brute, you're despicable! You resort to insults and bullying women when you can't win an argument. Have you no shame?! Mother! Let's go!"
After saying that, she got back into the driver's seat, gently soothed the horse, and then drove away...
Huang Zhong was left standing alone in the wind, bewildered and on the verge of tears. Could he say that wasn't what he meant? He was just nervous and stammered...
Inside the carriage, Xiao Muxing poked her head out and curiously looked at Shaoyao's face, which had returned to normal, before asking.
"Auntie, do you like that older man?"
These words immediately caused Peony to cough repeatedly, and her face turned red again.
"What nonsense are you talking about, child! Go, go, go! Come inside and sit down!"
Seeing this, Xiao Muxing playfully stuck out her tongue and quickly scurried back into the carriage. Peony, however, seemed increasingly distracted, her gaze drifting away every now and then…
When they got home, Peony was still a little dazed, and Qin Qing finally couldn't help but smile.
"Speaking of Huang Zhong, he was a dignified deputy general in the army, highly skilled in martial arts and incredibly strong—he must have attracted countless young ladies in the capital! What a pity..."
Upon hearing this, Peony felt a pang of anxiety and quickly looked at Qin Qing, asking him a question that seemed to come from a subconscious mind.
"What's there to regret?!"
But Qin Qing looked at her with a teasing expression, and she immediately realized what he meant, her face turning red with embarrassment again.
Qin Qing smiled and said that Shaoyao was almost seventeen years old, which would be considered an old woman in ancient times. She should start worrying about Shaoyao's marriage.
"It's a pity that he's almost thirty and still unmarried. He must be someone who'd rather be single than settle for less!"
Upon hearing this, Peony was taken aback, her thoughts swirling in her mind.
That afternoon, Qin Qing asked someone to send a letter to the military camp, believing that her two sons would see it soon and then come looking for her.
As the sun gradually set, the air was still a bit hot. The family sat under the tree to cool off and enjoy the tranquility of the moment!
"Mom, what are we going to do next? Didn't we say we were going to open a shop? Are we still going to open it?"
Qin Qing sat in the chair, leisurely closing her eyes as she responded.
"We should open a shop, but we need to figure out what to do to make money first. Otherwise, if our family can live a carefree life without any source of income, it will definitely attract the attention of those with ulterior motives."
A few days later, Qin Qing walked alone on the street, watching the crowds of people coming and going, pondering what she should do...
Open a restaurant? She has no connections, and she's not a local. The shops here are all owned by high-ranking officials or royalty. She doesn't want to get herself into trouble again.
Selling jewelry? Even if she's skilled with her hands and makes exquisite items, ordinary people wouldn't waste money on them, and wealthy daughters of officials are even more concerned with appearances. It will take her time to build up her brand!
After much thought, she still couldn't come up with any particularly good money-making ideas...
As they were walking, a quarrel suddenly broke out ahead.
"Why buy rice if you don't have money? And you think it's too expensive? If you can't afford it, don't come! Ugh! What bad luck so early in the morning."
Hearing this, the woman who had just been kicked out turned angry and cursed.
"You heartless rice shop! Other shops sell rice for fifty coins a pound... and you're selling it for one tael of silver a pound, and you even say I'm unlucky? You're shameless!"
Upon hearing her words, the rice shop owner's face darkened instantly, and the argument between the two parties escalated even further!
Qin Qing, hearing the two arguing from afar, realized what was happening. Looking at the scorching sky, he understood; the weather was bad, the harvest was meager, and the people had just survived winter, so their food reserves were probably running low…
Suddenly, an idea struck her and her eyes lit up!
Instead of agonizing over what to buy for her shop, she might as well open a general store, selling both grains and supplies. In particular, the food in her space, such as rice, is refreshed daily, and she can't finish it all anyway, so she might as well sell it. In half a month, she can accumulate thirty bags of rice. At the same time, she can also sell other food items, thus maximizing the range of customers she can reach!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com