"Miss Jiang, you're not joking, are you?" Village Chief Lu asked tentatively.
"Village chief, do I look like I'm joking?" Jiang Hua said leisurely.
“In that case, I’ll go back and discuss it with everyone, since you’re not from this village,” said Village Chief Lu, wiping non-existent sweat from his forehead.
"Okay, then I'll have to trouble you, Village Chief." Jiang Hua nodded and called Honghua to leave together.
"Stepmother, you wouldn't have gone to rob a money exchange, would you?"
On the way back, Jiang Jing also asked impatiently.
"What are you thinking about, you brat?" Jiang Hua gave him a flick on the forehead.
"If I don't have enough money, I'll sell you. I'll redeem you when Jiang Xingzhou comes back."
“Stepmother, even if you sold me, you still wouldn’t have enough money to build such a big courtyard,” Jiang Jingyi said, covering his head.
"Do you think you're so worthless?" Jiang Hua glanced at him.
"Honghua, you don't need to come tomorrow," Jiang Hua said to Honghua.
"Sister Jiang, is it me..." Honghua's face turned pale upon hearing this.
Is it because she did something wrong that Sister Jiang doesn't want her anymore?
"Tomorrow, go to the river and collect two buckets of snails for me. I need to take them to town." Jiang Hua could tell from her pale face that she had misunderstood her.
"Stone snails? Are they the snails in the river?" Honghua secretly breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, they didn't abandon her.
"Yes, make sure they're all the same size, don't give me any that are too small," Jiang Hua instructed again.
The three arrived at the entrance of Xujia Village and boarded an oxcart bound for the town.
As luck would have it, Xu Shi, along with Xu Yaozu and Lin Shuyan, also boarded the oxcart.
When Xu Shi and Xu Yaozu saw Jiang Hua, they naturally didn't give her a friendly look, only Lin Shuyan gave her a sweet smile.
"Cousin, where are you going?" Lin Shuyan asked with a smile.
As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face, so Jiang Hua replied indifferently that she was going to town.
"Cousin, it's been a long time since I've seen your husband," Lin Shuyan asked again.
“She ran away, leaving behind a child,” Xu Shi answered preemptively.
"Cousin, is what Auntie said true?" Lin Shuyan asked in surprise, unable to believe it.
"Why are you so concerned about my husband?" Jiang Hua asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Tsk, a lousy hunter with a child, my Yan Yan wouldn't want him. I think Ah Xuan and Yan Yan are a perfect match." Madam Xu quickly spoke up to defend Lin Shu Yan.
"Aunt, I only consider Brother Xuan my brother!"
Hearing what Xu said, Lin Shuyan lowered her head shyly and said embarrassedly.
"Cousin, I'm just worried about you. You two just got married and don't even have children yet, and your husband has already gone on a long trip." Lin Shuyan said, feigning concern for her.
"Sister, my father just went on a long trip, he's not dead!" Jiang Jingyi blurted out, catching Lin Shuyan off guard.
"Thank you for your concern, this is my family matter," Jiang Hua said calmly.
The implication is clear: what business is it of yours, an outsider?
"No mother to teach you is no mother to teach you. You have no manners at all." Madam Xu glanced at Jiang Jingyi with disdain and shouted.
"My Yaozu is truly remarkable; his words and actions are all so elegant and refined," Xu said, flattering and belittling.
Hearing Xu Yaozu praising himself in front of outsiders, Xu silently straightened his spine, as if afraid that others would not notice him.
He then tried to cover it up well, secretly glancing at Jiang Jingyi sitting next to Jiang Hua.
Looking around, among all the children in the village, only Jiang Jingyi could compare to him.
Xu Yaozu's jealousy of Jiang Jingyi stemmed entirely from a villager praising Jiang Jingyi's good looks in front of him.
His mannerisms and speech are exactly like Jiang Xingzhou's. When he grows up, he will definitely be as handsome as Jiang Xingzhou. If he goes to school, he will definitely be able to pass the imperial examinations.
Xu Yaozu used to scoff at these words, but as Jiang Jingyi grew up, the aura he exuded was nothing like the poverty and shabby air that the village children couldn't hide.
They almost outshone him. How could Jiang Jingyi, an orphan who had never attended school, compare to him? Moreover, he was the only one in the village who had studied and passed the imperial examination.
Jiang Jingyi was just a bit better looking than him, but good looks can't put food on the table. Xu Yaozu was the most important person in Xu Family Village.
Jiang Hua took in all the little thoughts in Xu Yaozu's eyes. He put on an arrogant attitude, but compared to Jiang Jingyi sitting next to her, Xu Yaozu seemed a bit pretentious, like a clown.
Xu Yaozu's eyes were full of disdain for Jiang Jingyi. To outsiders, it seemed that Jiang Xingzhou hadn't sent Jiang Jingyi to school.
However, what they didn't know was that Jiang Xingzhou didn't think much of the teachers in those schools who taught Jiang Jingyi, and given Jiang Jingyi's unusual background, Jiang Xingzhou taught him at home himself.
Speaking of this, Jiang Hua was conflicted again. If Jiang Jingyi went to Shifang Academy, would it have any impact?
As she thought about it, Jiang Hua had already started communicating with the little white snake in her mind, telling it what she wanted and asking it to write a letter.
Jiang Hua had already seen the little white snake using its tail to control the pen and write a letter. Hmm, very good. Next time I make something delicious, I'll share more with you.
At the intersection of East Street, Jiang Hua led Jiang Jingyi and Honghua off the oxcart. The three of them arrived at Mingyue Tower. This time, without her having to say anything, Manager Bai had already come up to her and told her that Shen Qingchuan was waiting for her in a private room on the second floor.
"Your boss hasn't returned to the capital yet?" Jiang Hua was a little surprised. She hadn't heard any news of Shen Qingchuan during her two previous visits, and she thought that Shen Qingchuan had left Qingshi Town.
"Then you two wait for me downstairs, I'll go up in a bit," Jiang Hua said, turning to the two of them.
Jiang Jingyi wanted to go up with his stepmother, but if he went up with her, he would leave Honghua alone here, which didn't feel right, so he had to give up.
As soon as Jiang Hua sat down in the private room, Manager Bai served her tea.
"Master Shen, there's something I'd like to ask you," Jiang Hua said, taking the initiative to speak.
"Please speak, Miss Jiang." Shen Qingchuan waited for Jiang Hua to continue.
"I wrote a letter, could you please give it to Jiang Xingzhou for me?" Jiang Hua said, reaching into her sleeve to take out the letter written by the little white snake and placing it in front of Shen Qingchuan.
“Okay.” Shen Qingchuan readily agreed, since Jiang Jingyi’s appearance last time had already exposed his acquaintance with Jiang Xingzhou.
It was just a letter, something done on the spur of the moment. Judging from Jiang Hua's situation, she probably didn't know Jiang Xingzhou's whereabouts either, so this letter must be related to Jiang Jingyi.
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