Lu Qiqi handed the blueprints to Li Qingshan and then walked back. The pen and ink in the tent were borrowed from the village chief, and she had to return them.
As Lu Qiqi approached the tent entrance, she saw a woman peeking furtively into the tent.
Lu Qiqi remembered that at this time, Li Shi and Lu Shi had gone to the stream to wash clothes, leaving only Lu Yao and Xi Bao at home. Fearing that they might be harassed by beggars, she quickly headed towards the tent.
"Aunt Qian?" Lu Qiqi walked to the door of the tent, recognized the person, and called out.
Aunt Qian was startled by Lu Qiqi's sudden shout, cried out in pain, and fell to the ground.
When Lu Qiqi saw her fall, she reached out to help her up.
Before she could even touch Aunt Qian's clothes, Aunt Qian scrambled to her feet, saying she was fine, and ran away as if someone was chasing her.
Lu Qiqi lowered the curtain and entered the tent, where she saw Lu Yao with Xibao, who was putting flowers in Xibao's hair.
As Lu Qiqi tidied up her brushes and ink, she asked Lu Yao, "Is Aunt Qian here?"
When Lu Yao saw Lu Qiqi return, she smiled sweetly and said, "Yes, sister."
Lu Qiqi asked casually, "What's she doing here?"
Lu Yao honestly shook her head. "She said she came to see my aunt and third aunt. I told her they weren't there, but she kept asking questions and wanted to look around. I told her to go and deliver something to my uncle and that I would be right back. I told her to sit and wait, but she refused and left."
Lu Qiqi nodded, recalling Aunt Qian's furtive manner and how she would run away as if she were a thief if she saw her, and thought it couldn't be anything good.
I'm afraid that it was because of that basket of radishes that she started thinking about her own home.
However, there wasn't much in the house for her to steal; all the valuables were stored in her spatial storage, so she couldn't touch them even if she wanted to.
Lu Qiqi packed up her writing materials and instructed Lu Yao, "Keep an eye on Xibao at home. Don't let anyone into the tent without permission. If she tries to force her way in, take Xibao and run to us, understand?"
Lu Yao didn't know why someone would force their way in, but she still nodded obediently and replied, "I understand."
Lu Qiqi took the pen and ink, casually counted out some loose silver and coins, put them in her purse, put them in her pocket, and went to find the village chief.
Lu Qiqi arrived at the village chief's tent, where Li Shoucai and Li Shoutian were also present. The group gathered together to discuss the land distribution.
Lu Qiqi went into the tent and called for someone before putting the brush and ink on the table and smiling, "Village Chief, I've come to return the brush and ink."
The village chief nodded. "Put it anywhere."
Lu Qiqi added, "The village chief said a few days ago that he would buy purslane from the village, and I'm here today to settle the payment."
The village chief frowned, somewhat displeased. "Didn't the villagers agree not to charge you?! Why are you doing this? Has someone been gossiping about you?"
Lu Qiqi smiled and said, "No, but since I made the promise that day, I have to keep my word, so that no one will take advantage of my kindness in the future and ruin our harmony."
The village chief blew on his beard, glared, and said, "With me here, let's see who dares!"
Li Shoucai tugged at the village chief's arm and said, "Why don't we just accept them and distribute them to the villagers? Yesterday I heard Sister Qian and Sister Fang arguing. Sister Qian scolded Aunt Fang for being pretentious and using the villagers' things to do favors for herself. Aunt Fang was so angry that she scolded her for being ungrateful. The two almost got into a fight."
The village chief sighed after hearing this and said, "You're such a short-sighted woman. Luckily, you're sensible. Shoutian, go and find that accounting sheet."
Li Shoutian brought over the list, and Lu Qiqi took it and glanced at the total. It was thirty catties of purslane, which cost three coins per catty, or nine large coins.
Lu Qiqi took out her small pink purse, counted out nine large coins and one tael of silver, and said, "Village Chief, these nine large coins are for the villagers' purslane, and the one tael of silver is for the Zhou brothers' homestead. I don't want them to feel inferior in the village. I would also appreciate it if the village chief could write two written agreements to clarify these two matters, so that anyone who comes to me in the future will have proof."
Seeing that Lu Qiqi was shrewd and meticulous in her work, the village chief didn't say anything more. He walked to the desk, picked up his pen, and began to write.
Lu Qiqi took the contract and walked back. She was still thinking about what Li Qingshan said: one ox couldn't pull the timber, but there were five oxen in the space, so they could be released to work.
As they approached the tent, Lu Qiqi noticed that no one was around and everyone had gone up the mountain to cut down trees. She quietly released the five oxen and drove them to the edge of the tent.
Li and Lu had just finished washing clothes and were returning from the stream when they saw Lu Qiqi driving five oxen back alone.
The two put down the wooden basin and walked towards Lu Qiqi.
Madam Lu asked, "Seventh girl, where did all these cows come from?"
Lu Qiqi handed two cow ropes to Madam Lu and said, "I bought them; they cost two taels of silver."
Mr. Lu was astonished. Two taels of silver could buy five cows?
Back in Lijia Village, a cow cost almost an ounce of silver, and not every farmer could afford one. She said, "Could there be something wrong with this cow? Otherwise, how can it be so cheap?"
Li knew the price of a cow, but looking at these five cows, all of them were strong and didn't seem sick.
Lu Qiqi couldn't help but laugh at their expressions. She explained, "Maybe the seller encountered some difficulties and was in a hurry to sell, so I got a bargain."
Madam Lu laughed heartily, "This is a great bargain! Seventh girl, you are so lucky. You always seem to encounter good things. I am also lucky to be able to benefit from your good fortune."
Li was not as carefree as Lu. She wanted to ask more questions, but seeing Lu Qiqi's expression that she would answer whatever she asked, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Lu Dahai and the others, on the other hand, didn't ask any questions about the five cows that Lu Qiqi brought back. They finished their lunch early and led the cows to transport timber.
Lu Qiqi went along too, thinking that if she secretly put the wood into her space and then slowly release it, it would help them build the wooden house faster.
Lu Dahai and his group led six oxen to transport timber, which made everyone in the village envious.
Several villagers directly asked if they could borrow it.
Before Lu Dahai could speak, Lu Qiqi said, "We can lend one. We can rent a cow for one large sum of money per day."
When Lu Qiqi mentioned that she needed money for rent, and a large sum of money at that, he just smiled sheepishly and gave up.
The villagers had just settled down and didn't have much money. They thought it would be a simple matter of talking, but they didn't expect it would cost money.
Lu Dahai's furrowed brows relaxed.
Lu Dahai was somewhat surprised by Lu Qiqi's actions. He had thought that Lu Qiqi was usually so generous that she would lend money so readily.
Unexpectedly, she immediately said she wanted to rent it out; if you have the money, rent it; if you don't, don't even think about getting a bargain.
You should know that he was a son-in-law who had married into the family, and he was afraid that others would ostracize them. He had suffered a lot of injustices in Lijia Village in the past, and he had to swallow his grievances.
Lu Qiqi solved the problem that had plagued him for years with just one sentence, and Lu Dahai couldn't help but grin.
Taking this opportunity, Lu Qiqi explained to Lu Dahai, "Third Uncle, this cow is a living creature, not an inanimate one. It's not something that costs money. People won't cherish something that doesn't belong to them. Tell everyone this in the future!"
Lu Dahai was only thinking about his unfinished work and didn't want to lend money, but he didn't think so far ahead. He couldn't help but feel that his niece was a bit too clever for the Lu family, not like someone born into the Lu family.
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