Looking at his two children's sensible appearance, Shen Zishan felt both heartbroken and gratified. He blamed himself, thinking, "It's all my fault for being so useless, letting my children be so sensible at such a young age."
Ma Aning heated up the food. "Alright, stop chatting, the food's ready, let's eat."
Shen Xiaoxiao regained her lively side and skipped over, "Mom, what delicious food did you make for me? My rice is all flat, and I feel like I've lost several pounds."
Ma Aning chuckled, "You lost several pounds just because you ate later? What about after you ate your fill?"
Shen Xiaoxiao replied very naturally, "I've gained a few pounds again, hehe!!"
"Alright, stop joking around, the food will get cold again." Ma Aning picked up Shen Xiaoxiao and took her into the kitchen to wash her hands and eat, sounding annoyed.
From that day on, rain or shine, Shen Xiaoxiao trained with Shen Xiaochuan every day, and they would go up the mountain to pick medicinal herbs on other days.
After secretly going to town for the first time and selling the medicine he had collected and processed over three days to a pharmacy for 12.6 yuan, Shen Zishan became incredibly enthusiastic, taking his daughter up the mountain to collect medicine whenever he had free time.
Shen Zishan's family's life got better and better, but it wasn't shown in the open, and the villagers didn't know that Shen Zishan had made money selling medicinal herbs.
After that day, the Shen family stopped causing trouble. Although they might make sarcastic remarks when they did come, they would just ignore them and move on.
Time flies, and twelve years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Shen Xiaoxiao looked around and, finding no one, took out a rope from her spatial storage, tied it to a thick tree, and tied the other end to her waist. She tugged at the rope and found it to be secure.
Shen Xiaoxiao walked down the cliff face step by step, with a dagger at her waist.
Seeing the thriving Dendrobium officinale on the cliffside mountain, Shen Xiaoxiao smiled happily.
Shen Xiaoxiao skillfully picked the Dendrobium officinale and put it into her basket. Just then, a gust of wind blew by, and she looked up to see a few strands of hair fluttering in the wind.
Sunlight shone on her face, revealing her delicate features. Beneath her arched eyebrows were a pair of bright and lively eyes, as if they held a thousand stars.
Beneath her high, straight nose, her lips were as red as cherries. Her cheeks had a healthy rosy glow from years of hard work.
Her skin wasn't fair, but it had a unique luster, exuding resilience and vitality.
Her hair was simply tied up, with a few wisps of hair playfully falling around her ears.
Although she wasn't particularly tall or slender, she was agile and strong, a result of years of training in herb gathering.
She was dressed simply, with her sleeves and trouser legs slightly rolled up for ease of movement.
Shen Xiaoxiao looked at her harvest in the basket with satisfaction and slowly climbed back up the cliff top along the rope.
After standing still, Shen Xiaoxiao gently patted the dust off her body, her heart filled with joy and pride.
"Haha, what a great haul today! Look at these Dendrobium officinale, they're top quality! They should sell for at least two or three hundred yuan! I'll take them home and show them to my dad, he'll be so happy!"
She murmured to herself with satisfaction, then carefully picked out a few inconspicuous Dendrobium officinale plants and placed them in her basket, while the rest were quietly stored in her personal storage space.
Shen Xiaoxiao was walking home in a cheerful mood when she suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the roadside bushes. She stopped abruptly and looked closely. It turned out to be a plump pheasant foraging for food there!
In the blink of an eye, Shen Xiaoxiao nimbly rushed forward and swiftly grabbed the pheasant.
"I can ask Mom to make soup again when I get home." After saying that, she walked home leisurely and contentedly.
Before long, Shen Xiaoxiao's figure appeared at the gate of her own courtyard.
As soon as she stepped into the house, she saw her father sitting alone in the yard with a worried look on his face, as if he were carrying a heavy burden.
Upon seeing his daughter return, Mr. Shen slowly raised his head, trying to force a smile, but the smile appeared extremely forced and guilty.
He hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "Daughter, there's something I want to discuss with you."
Shen Xiaoxiao didn't take it seriously and casually asked, "Dad, what's wrong?"
Shen Zishan stammered.
Ma Aning stormed out of the kitchen, saying, "Your dad is too embarrassed to say it, so I'll speak for him."
Seeing her gentle mother so angry, Shen Xiaoxiao knew that something serious must have happened, so she quickly put down the herbs in her hand and listened attentively.
"Your dad has really grown up! He actually dared to arrange your marriage to Xu Wenhua from the next village without our knowledge!"
Ma Aning said angrily, and as she spoke, she reached out and pinched Shen Zishan's arm hard.
Despite the excruciating pain from being pinched, Shen Zishan could only silently endure it all, not daring to utter a sound, let alone raise his voice to stop Ma Aning.
Upon hearing this, Shen Xiaoxiao, who was standing to the side, frowned and asked with a face full of doubt, "What exactly happened? Dad, you didn't come home all night, and you just casually arranged for your own daughter to be engaged like this?"
Faced with his daughter's questioning, Shen Zishan appeared extremely embarrassed and guilty, and he once again showed that awkward smile.
He stammered as he explained, "My dear daughter, it's all my fault. I was drinking with friends last night and accidentally drank too much. In the end, I agreed to marry you off to Xu Wenhua without thinking..."
"But don't worry, I've looked into his character, and he's really a good person. He's been in the army for five years and just got promoted to company commander this year. You can get your marriage certificate after you turn 18."
The more Shen Zishan talked about how he felt he had found a good marriage for his daughter, the higher he held his head.
Shen Xiaoxiao's eyes widened. "Dad, what era are we living in? Arranged marriages? I don't agree!"
Shen Zishan looked anxious, his brows furrowed, and said to his daughter, "Daughter, our family and the Xu family have a long-standing and well-known relationship! Besides, their family is quite well-off. Why don't you go and meet them first?"
Shen Xiaoxiao crossed her arms over her chest and replied resolutely, "Hmph, Dad, I don't care about any of that! I'd rather marry someone I've never even met than have a chance!"
At this moment, Ma Aning, who had been silent all along, finally stopped suppressing her anger. She quickly walked to her daughter's side and firmly supported her daughter's position.
"Brother Shan, I've told you before that this was indeed ill-considered. We have to respect the child's own ideas!"
After listening, Shen Zishan scratched his head helplessly and muttered, "But I already agreed. How am I supposed to salvage this situation now?"
Shen Xiaoxiao's eyes darted around: "Dad, why don't you just go and explain the situation to the Xu family? Just say that I'm still young and don't want to get married right now, and let them find other suitable girls!"
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