Jia Zhichao was so angry that he was trembling all over, but he calmed down a bit and stopped.
“You’re being completely unreasonable. You’re not allowed to slander Liqin anymore. This rice was something we traded with her by digging up herbs on the mountain overnight.”
Tang Fenglin scoffed, not believing it at all.
"Tch, do you think I don't know what herbs are? There's no need to make up such a lie to cover up for your sister."
"If you don't believe me, then you shouldn't drink this porridge at all," Jia Zhichao said angrily.
"Okay, okay, I believe you, alright!"
Tang Fenglin immediately changed his mind; it was just a casual remark, and there was no need to lose face over it.
Jia Zhichao knew she was being hypocritical, so he snorted angrily and left the thatched hut.
They were quite loud; the neighbors must have heard them.
It doesn't matter if that damned woman Tang Fenglin misunderstands my sister, but we can't let outsiders misunderstand in the same way.
He stood guard at the door.
Soon, someone came out of the thatched hut next door; it was Wei Wenbo.
"Comrade Wei, my sister met Comrade Lu and his group yesterday who were collecting herbs in the mountains. They said the herbs could be exchanged for money. Last night, my sister and I dug some up and actually got a few cents. We're going to collect herbs again today. Do you want to come along?"
Wei Wenbo was surprised. He hadn't expected that what this person had just said was true, and he certainly hadn't expected that he would tell them about it and invite them to come together.
But if this is true, it would be a fantastic thing.
"Can we go up the mountain to dig for medicinal herbs?"
"Yes, it's the herbs that Comrade Lu's wife collected for the sanatorium. She said yesterday that we should deliver them as soon as they're fresh, anytime."
Wei Wenbo was overjoyed. "Thank you, Comrade Jia. I'll get ready and go up the mountain with you."
Tang Fenglin, who was inside the house, overheard their conversation and finally believed that the rice was indeed something they had earned through their own hard work.
But the thought of revealing such a lucrative way of making money to the neighbors made him furious.
He rushed out of the thatched shed and grabbed Jia Zhichao by the ear.
"Are you stupid? Why would you tell people about something so good? What if they have something delicious to eat? Won't they share it with you?"
Jia Zhichao winced in pain and grabbed her wrist, saying, "Let go, let go now."
Tang Fenglin snorted coldly and released him.
Turning to Wei Wenhao, he said, "My man told you such wonderful news, we can't just leave it at that. What will you give us in return?"
Jia Zhichao blushed, embarrassed.
"Don't listen to her nonsense. We're neighbors, and I'm just telling you this on a whim. You don't need to repay me."
At this moment, the rest of the Wei family came out, with Old Master Wei at the front. He said, "From now on, when you go up the mountain to collect herbs, this old man will be in charge of herding the cattle. You don't need to worry about the cattle anymore."
Tang Fenglin thought that since his family wouldn't have to herd cattle, they could have one more person to go up the mountain to collect herbs and earn more money to buy grain, which wasn't bad.
"Okay, it's settled then."
Jia Zhichao wanted to say something, but Old Master Wei raised his hand to stop him.
"If I don't herd cattle, I can't do anything else. Don't worry, this old man may not be good at anything else, but taking good care of the cattle is no problem."
"Thank you, Comrade Wei."
Seeing that Old Master Wei was so sincere, Jia Zhichao quickly thanked him.
"We are the ones who should be saying thank you."
The old man waved with a smile, "You should all head up the mountain soon too."
Apart from the brothers Wei Fangxing and Wei Fanghui and Jia Mingquan who went to work in the fields, the rest of the two families went up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs.
Of course, Tang Fenglin, being a pregnant woman, did nothing.
Jia Liqin took her mother and Chen Xinying and Wei Wenshu, mother and daughter, together to teach them to identify medicinal herbs.
Jia Zhichao traveled with the three Wei brothers, without accompanying the women.
From that day on, the two families went from strangers to acquaintances, helping and supporting each other.
Gradually, they went from being good neighbors to becoming family!
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