Chapter 470: A Bunch of Fools
“Xiaomai, we will be waiting to buy your fruit by then.” Du Qing’ai said.
Qiao Xiaomai responded crisply, “I promise I won’t cheat my fellow villagers, everyone look forward to eating sweet fruit!”
After sending these people away, Qiao Xiaomai carried their money basket into the house and then went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
After dinner, the day passed quickly.
In the evening, Tong Sanlang came for a visit. Qiao Xiaomai told him about the University President Gu visiting their secret tunnel with his students, then they started to chat idly. Discover more novels at novel(ꜰ)ire.net
Tong Sanlang went hunting in the mountains today and exchanged his spoils for twenty taels of silver, which he used to buy two acres of land.
He was to continue planting sweet potatoes tomorrow.
“Wow, will they rebel if you keep tormenting them ?” Qiao Xiaomai couldn’t help but mention how miserable the Tong family members looked the day before.
“There’s nothing we can do. Grandfather has made up his mind to torment them.” Tong Sanlang felt really helpless about this.
Tong Tiehu could be stubborn, and also his simple and crude way of doing things had led to the Tong family’s current predicament.
Qiao Xiaomai clicked her tongue a few times, silently lighting a candle in her heart for these people.
Fools, all of them. Short-sighted as a mouse.
With just the hunting skills of Tong Sanlang, the Tong family could return to their former glory in a heartbeat.
So, if they could endure this difficult period, everyone could continue living a good life.
They couldn’t endure a single day of hardship.
In order to protect their purses, they tried every trick in the book, and their methods were both stupid and ugly.
They could only see Tong Sanlang’s hunting skills but failed to see the good life hidden behind these skills.
Well, fortunately, Tong Sanlang didn’t follow these people.
“I’m going to deliver Sour Plum Soup to the Construction Team tomorrow, you can come with.” Qiao Xiaomai said.
In the past, it was Egg Flower Soup, now it was Sour Plum Soup, both were cheap and effective ways of minor good deeds.
“We’ll see.” Tong Sanlang didn’t give a definite answer.
Though he saw his family as foolish too, if these people were suffering under the scorching sun while he was enjoying, he couldn’t get past that barrier in his heart.
Forget about his two elder brothers, his grandparents and parents were all in real hardship!
Qiao Xiaomai understood his thought process, rolled her eyes and didn’t press further.
The two chatted for a while, and when it was late at night, each went back to sleep.
The next day, around midday, Qiao Xiaomai made two pots of Sour Plum Soup and sent it to the Construction Team. Tong Sanlang still hadn’t emerged when she came back to the village in an ox cart.
The day passed quickly, and in the evening, she, Qiao Changsun and Qiao Dami went to Qiao Dazhu’s new house for the banquet.
She had a good impression of Qiao Dazhu, so she brought a roll of brocade as a gift.
When the three of them arrived, others were already there.
Qiao Qinghe and Qiao Meipan, Zhao Shufen and Qiao Xiaobao, and the family of Qiao Changkang.
Seeing Zhao Shufen, Qiao Xiaomai did not feel awkward, she acted as if she didn’t see her and greeted the others.
Zhao Shufen and her son Qiao Xiaobao didn’t speak, they just buried their heads and ate.
Being a widow with a young son, their lives were tough. Now that they had a chance to enjoy a banquet, they naturally ate more.
Because of this, they ended up even sharing a table with Qiao Changkang and his wife Wu Yinfeng.
“Grandfather, how have you been recently?” Qiao Xiaomai asked.
“I’m fine.” Qiao Qinghe, who looked older than before, replied. All of their 30 acres were being worked by him alone, making him much thinner than before.
“Grandfather, do you want me to find someone to help you?” Qiao Xiaomai stared at his aged face for a few moments and sincerely offered.
“No need.” Qiao Qinghe shook his head.
What’s a bit of hardship to him?
Qiao Changsun’s family had been living for over ten years.
A bit of hardship was good, it made him feel at ease.