"What place was the mountain where I was attacked last time?" Mu Houchu suddenly asked.
Ling Feng hesitated slightly, seemingly unable to understand why his master suddenly asked about this, but this time he wisely refrained from questioning further, saying, "It doesn’t really have a name, after all, it’s not a famous spot, just a place where the locals make their living from the mountain.
"Which locals? Which village?"
"That’s hard to say, a mountain sustains its people, and quite a few of the villages in Yuan’an Town depend on this mountain for their livelihood."
Mu Houchu’s face tense, as if he was about to explode at any moment, causing Ling Feng to tremble slightly. But after a moment, his eyes turned, and a cold smile appeared on his face. It was a chilling sight, "Ah~ the villagers who make their living from the mountain, I want you to find a woman for me, about fourteen or fifteen years old. Even if you have to turn the mountain upside down, I want you to dig her out!"
Startled, Ling Feng looked at Mu Houchu, whose face was darker than usual, and suddenly remembered the day when he had found Mu Houchu being pursued, a rare spring light...
Ling Feng sneaked a glance at Mu Houchu, then quickly lowered his head, "But, there are so many fourteen or fifteen-year-old girls, are there any specific characteristics?"
Mu Houchu pursed his lips and remained silent for a long time, finally saying quietly, "She is extremely ugly, and very cunning."
Ling Feng: "...."
How could master be involved with such a woman...how would the famous young ladies of the capital feel devastated?
----
"Atishoo!" Ji Xinhe suddenly sneezed.
Xiao Bei hurriedly said, "Sister, did you catch a cold?"
Scratching her nose, Ji Xinhe shook her head, "No, how strange."
Just as they were speaking, they heard Ji Xiulan’s sharp voice from outside the door, "Your father and mother have called you to the main room for a talk! Hurry up!"
Who were they ordering about?
Ji Xinhe murmured softly, not answering.
On the other hand, Xiao Bei’s face changed, worriedly saying, "It seems they’re preparing to discuss that matter?"
"If not that, then what? Are they summoning us to enjoy a feast?" Ji Xinhe patted Xiao Bei’s head, "Let’s go, let’s call big brother, we’ll go together. We have a sense of proportion in this matter, we’re not afraid of them."
At this point, Xiao Bei nodded heavily, "Okay!"
When Ji Xinhe, Ji Dong, and Xiao Bei arrived at the main room, they felt as if Lady Ding’s ice-cold gaze was slicing them the moment they stepped through the door.
How could Lady Ding not harbor resentment?!
It was these brats who had brought her dear Xiulan to this point, she almost wished to strangle all of them!
But it wasn’t the right time, Lady Ding took a deep breath, forced herself to suppress her deep hatred, and scolded sharply, "Such a shameless bunch, taking your own sweet time when ordered to come! Your audacity is really growing! Since you are so capable, why don’t you just go out there and live on your own!"
Blinking, Ji Xinhe said, "Mother, are you implying that we should all separate our households?"
Lady Ding was taken aback. Her earlier words were merely a pretense to scold them, when would she want to separate the households?
These brats were still useful, especially Ji Dong.
Where would she willingly divide the household?
Forcefully holding her breath, Lady Ding scolded, "What a nerve talking about separation! Heartless creatures, even if you were eaten by dogs, it wouldn’t be enough for all the years the Ji family has nurtured you..."
Ji Xinhe bluntly said, "Mother, if you have something to say, say it. You shouldn’t say such harsh words. If others hear it, they would think you are such a wicked stepmother."
Since Ji Xinhe was already firm on the idea of separating each household, naturally, she would no longer show any regard for Lady Ding. There was no harm in tearing up the façade.
Seeing Ji Xinhe’s words leaving her short of breath, Lady Ding wanted to explode, but Ji Dashan swiftly intervened, "Mi, let’s talk about the main issue first."
Ji Xinhe glanced coldly at Ji Dashan. The main issue? It seems that this worthless father of hers had already agreed.
Only then did Lady Ding give Ji Dashan a fierce glare, then turned to Ji Dong and scolded, "You three have been living off your family day by day, but you seem to have quite a lot of time to sit around. I see there’s labor work on offer in the neighboring town, it appears to be iron mining. A day’s wage is more than one hundred cash, this is the most profitable job. You’re young and strong, you’re most suitable for this work, so hurry up and try it out. Once you’re accepted, work hard."
While speaking, Lady Ding felt somewhat guilty inside. Everyone knew that people often died in these iron mines. It was death-defying work, otherwise how could it pay so well?
She had even anticipated that Ji Dong would not be willing to agree and had prepared a handful of reasons to force him.
Unexpectedly, though, Ji Dong hesitated for a moment and then simply said, "Okay."
Lady Ding was stunned, she never expected that these usually smart children would be so obedient today!
Did they agree so readily? Perhaps they were just too naive and had no idea of the dangers involved.
With that thought in mind, Lady Ding could not help but feel a sense of secret joy and quickly said, "Well then, it’s settled, Dongzi, you should hurry up. I heard they are still hiring today, they may not be taking anyone else by tomorrow."
Seeing Lady Ding’s demeanor, Ji Xinhe could not help but chuckle coldly, such an unsightly attitude!
Since their task was completed, Ji Dong, Ji Xinhe, and Xiao Bei left shortly after.
Only when they were long gone did Lady Ding reveal a rare smile of satisfaction.
Ji Dashan seemed somewhat reluctant, he whispered, "Even if Dongzi goes to work, earning more than a hundred cash a day is indeed not a small amount, but it won’t amass much silver in the short term anyway, should we just forget it?"
Lady Ding glared at him and furiously pinched Ji Dashan, "Forget what! We’re almost unable to put food on the table at home, is there something wrong with him going to earn some money? If you’re able, why don’t you go yourself?!"
Made speechless by such severe words, Ji Dashan had no retort left and mumbled, "Then, then I’ll go to the fields."
Lady Ding ignored him and only when Ji Dashan was gone did she pull Ji Xiulan’s hand excitedly, "This is good, now that Ji Dong is going to work in the mine, we no longer have to worry about the silver from the Zhus’ household. They dared to calculate against you, I will make them understand, what it means when they say the older the ginger, the hotter the spice!"
Ji Xiulan also had a pleased look on her face, "Mother, this is a great idea! Ji Dong can’t earn much in the mines in such a short period of time, but in case of any accidents, it could be very valuable. I even had Zhiru helping me inquire, he said that if anyone dies accidentally while mining, the compensation is twenty taels of silver! If mother can make a bit more fuss at that time, extracting another thirty taels or so might be possible!"
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