Chapter 125: The God of Wealth (Extra Chapter)

Xiang Chuntao and Wang Juying exchanged glances, both eyes wide with the same surprise.

“Mushrooms can be cultivated?”

“Yes, it’s quite simple. Once you learn how, you’ll have an endless supply to eat, and you can even sell them,” Qin Huiyin said with a smile.

“Huiyin, we don’t even know how to thank you. This is a valuable skill, and by teaching it to us, you’re placing your trust in us,” Wang Juying, who usually kept quiet, quickly expressed her gratitude. “We’ll learn carefully, and once we master it, we’ll only sell to you.”

“Ladies, I’ve also asked some other sisters-in-law to order small fish and shrimp for me. Could you help me receive them? One wen per jin; I ordered fifty jin. Here’s fifty wen—please help me sort them out and then pay them,” Qin Huiyin said.

“Alright. I’ll have my husband carry them over for you later,” came the reply.

After arranging the tasks for the next day, Qin Huiyin returned home to find Tang Luwu had already prepared the dough, now letting it rest.

Tang Luwu was very quick to learn anything Qin Huiyin had taught her. For example, she had only seen Huiyin make hand-pulled noodles twice, yet she already followed the process precisely. However, she lacked confidence and would ask Huiyin for guidance before doing anything once Huiyin returned.

Qin Huiyin, feeling lazy, simply said she had a headache and wanted to rest in her room, finally gaining some peace and quiet.

Li Taohua and Old Master Tang brought back the ceramic jars needed for tomorrow.

Qin Huiyin stepped outside her room.

“Grandpa, don’t move; we young ones will carry it,” she said, noticing that Old Master Tang looked weary after the day’s exertions.

Old Master Tang patted his shoulders, smiling, “Only young ladies know how to care for others. If it were some reckless boys, they wouldn’t spare a thought for an old man’s fatigue.”

Li Taohua felt guilty, saying, “Third Uncle, thank you for all your hard work today. Tonight, I’ll have a few drinks with you to help you relax.”

Just then, Song Tieniu and Zhang Jieba each came in carrying a wooden bucket filled with lively fish and shrimp.

Qin Huiyin called out, “Brother Song, Brother Zhang, you’re just in time! Could you help us unload these? Five wen each for your trouble.”

Song Tieniu chuckled, “Such a small favor, why mention money? Do you think your big brother here is all about the cash? These are light, just a lot of them. We’ll carry them; you all must be tired after a long day—get some rest!”

“Yeah, don’t take money…” Zhang Jieba, rarely speaking, blushed after saying this.

Song Tieniu and Zhang Jieba carried the fish and shrimp inside, pouring them into Tang’s wooden tubs before starting to unload the rest.

“We picked out two hundred small ceramic jars again,” Li Taohua said. “Also, you wanted more sauce jars for those two boys, so I bought twenty large ones separately. Zheng Hua was quite generous and gifted us five large vats. Look, just like the ones Song Tieniu carried—can these be used for storage?”

“Such big vats are very useful. Uncle Zheng is truly generous,” Qin Huiyin said, guiding Li Taohua to sit on a stool and gently massaging her shoulders.

Li Taohua wouldn’t let her press too hard and instead took Huiyin’s hands, softly rubbing them. “You’re so young, and you’ve been through so much today, even standing up for me. You should be the one most tired.”

“I’m not tired.”

“You’re not made of iron. How could you not be tired?” Li Taohua hugged her. “No matter how old you get, you’re always my child. It’s okay to complain when you’re weary.”

“Mother…” Qin Huiyin leaned into Li Taohua’s embrace, drawing warmth and motherly love, when suddenly something nipped at her pant leg.

Looking down, she saw a little puppy tugging on her trousers, whining softly.

Li Taohua laughed and teased, “It’s feeling wronged now.”

Qin Huiyin bent down to pick it up, stroking its head. “It must be hungry.”

“You don’t need to work today. Just take care of these little ones,” Li Taohua said, then directed Song Tieniu and Zhang Jieba to move the ceramic jars to their designated spots.

Qin Huiyin fed several puppies first, then played with them for a while.

The two little puppies looked nearly identical, and with their playful antics, her heart melted.

She cradled Baozi and Mantou and stepped outside for some fresh air.

These two pups had never left this courtyard before; they didn’t know what the village looked like!

The puppies were so adorable that as soon as she took them out, many children gathered around. But seeing Qin Huiyin holding the pups, they dared not touch them, only watching from afar.

Qin Huiyin and her mother’s formidable reputation in the village was well known. Everyone warned their unruly children never to mess with the Tang family, or it would be courting death.

“Want to pet them?” Qin Huiyin asked a particularly eager little black boy.

He nodded eagerly and cautiously asked, “May I?”

“Our puppies like good kids. As long as you don’t bully them, you can pet them.”

“I won’t bully them.”

“Then it’s okay.”

As villagers returned home with their tools at quitting time, seeing Qin Huiyin playing with the village children and the two white puppies hopping around, the entire village was filled with joyful laughter, and their impression of Qin Huiyin improved somewhat.

“That girl might be tough, but she’s still just a twelve-year-old girl. If she weren’t strong, she and her mother would have been bullied to death by now. After all, orphans with a single mother always stir pity.”

“I heard their family bought Aunt Yu’s house next door and is planning to build a new house. Stop pitying her and start pitying yourself. That girl doesn’t need anyone’s pity.”

“How much money did they make? Can they just build a new house like that?”

“No matter how much they made, it’s none of our business.”

“How can it be none of our business? Look at Song Tieniu and Zhang Jieba; they know how to get along well and never offend them. They’re always helping them out; didn’t they make some money a few days ago?”

“Heh, my wife got along well with Sister Xiang and made a little money, about thirty wen or so…”

“My wife isn’t as clever as yours; she gathered twenty-five jin of mushrooms and earned a little over ten wen. Still enough to buy a pound of meat to taste.”

The group paused, eyes burning with intensity as they looked at Qin Huiyin.

This was no delicate little girl carved from jade and ivory; she was more like a lively, smiling deity of wealth.

“Huiyin, playing with the dogs?”

Qin Huiyin: “...Yes, playing with the dogs.”

Better not force conversation; it’s awkward, Uncle.

“Huiyin, if we gather mushrooms, will you buy them?”

An elderly woman smiled warmly. “I’ve never spoken ill of your family or bullied you.”

Qin Huiyin smiled, “If you gather mushrooms, you can give them to Sister Xiang or Sister Wang. They’re in charge of that.”

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Please consider adding this charming story to your collection: “The Farmhouse Stepsister in the Transmigration Novel—Spoiled by the Powerful Brothers.”