The village chief was even more pleased, and there was always a smile on his face. He was even called the best village chief and received a reward from the government.
He remembered Xu Qing’s contributions and took good care of her. In addition, the social environment in the village was much better, and the rumors about Xu Qing were gone. At least, no one would say it in front of Xu Qing. After all, the human heart was uncontrollable.
Xu Qing passed by the village square. There were many people sitting there. As they busied themselves with work, they chatted enthusiastically.
When they saw Xu Qing and her three children, they perked up.
Li Bixia greeted them amiably, “Little Qing is back with the children. Come, Hanxue, Yuandeng, and Tingdeng. I have candy for you guys!”
The candies weren’t cheap. She had bought them from a candy shop under Xu Qing’s name. Xu Qing had specifically opened the store for the children. Because the taste and packaging were very novel, it was very popular with children. It was also because it was so popular that people from other places came to buy it. As a result, the candy shop was fully packed with customers every day and the demand was high, so the price was high as well.
“They’ve been eating too many candies recently. You can keep these for your grandchildren,” Xu Qing quickly said. Because her three children were cute and were often given snacks, these children had a lot of snacks.
Moreover, Li Bixia’s son, Li Helan’s half-brother, had just married Wu Xiao’an last year and had given birth to a little boy this year. The family doted on him very much.
Li Bixia smiled. “Chen Xiaobao is too young now. He can’t eat it either. Be good, Hanxue, take it and share it with your brothers.”
Seeing that Li Bixia was insistent, Xu Qing could only nod at the children. Xu Hanxue immediately caught the candy and said sweetly, “Thank you, Granny Li!”
Li Bixia smiled with wrinkles on her face. “How obedient!”
“So what if he’s obedient? He’s still a bastard!” A discordant voice sounded. It was Old Madam Qian. Because her daughter-in-law had never had children, she was jealous of everyone’s children now.
However, her words made everyone in the square change their expressions.
Xu Qing looked up with a murderous look in her eyes. Old Madam Qian’s heart skipped a beat. She had long discovered that Xu Qing was getting more terrifying. However, she really couldn’t help but snub her!
Xu Qing approached Old Madam Qian step by step.
Old Madam Qian trembled with her face pale. “What are you doing? There are so many people here…”
Xu Qing sneered. “What can I do? I just want to tell you that Mr. Bei Shu won’t accept your family’s herbs this year! After all, who knows if there’s anything wrong with an old lady who dares to curse her child?”
“You can’t do that!” Old Madam Qian panicked. Growing herbs was her family’s only income!
In fact, in the past two years, all the families had changed, and they no longer solely relied on planting herbs. Only Old Madam Qian’s family barely had enough to eat. The herbs planted by their family weren’t of good quality, but Xu Qing reluctantly accepted them on account of the fact that they were from the same village. The pay was naturally low. On the other hand, Old Madam Qian’s family didn’t care about herbs because they felt that their daughter would marry Xu Jiangzhong sooner or later! Naturally, they were very indifferent about improving their current life.
“Why not? Mr. Bei Shu likes these three children the most. If he finds out that you’re scolding them like this, how can he accept your herbs?” Xu Qing looked at Old Madam Qian coldly.
Old Madam Qian was trembling with fear. She was frightened by Xu Qing’s sudden murderous aura, and she was also afraid that her family’s life would become difficult.
Xu Qing looked at Old Madam Qian coldly, then turned around to bring the three children home.
The other people in the square packed up and went home. They didn’t want to see Old Madam Qian. Actually, some people guessed that these three children were Mr. Bei Shu’s, but no one dared to say anything. After all, these things had nothing to do with their own lives. They didn’t want to lose their jobs because of gossiping.
Xu Qing brought the children home. Along the way, Xu Hanxue kept her head lowered and looked sad. Her chubby face also drooped.
Xu Qing’s heart ached when she saw this. She picked up the child and kissed her little face. “Baby, don’t cry! Look at your little chubby face. It doesn’t look pretty anymore.”
“Mom, I’m not a bastard!” Xu Hanxue leaned on her mother’s shoulder and sobbed.