Mo Lingxi understood Xiao Feng's thoughts but couldn't agree. He said earnestly, "Xiao Feng, your mother and I will eventually part ways, do you understand?"
Xiao Feng lowered his head, looking lost and sad, and sniffled, "I understand."
So, Father and Mother couldn't be together forever.
Who would he follow then?
He really didn't want Father and Mother to separate.
Mo Lingxi stroked his head and softened his voice, "Xiao Feng, forcing your father and mother to be together will make no one happy. You wouldn't want to see us unhappy, would you?"
Xiao Feng mumbled a low "mm," "I want Father and Mother to be happy, I want you both to be well."
"Xiao Feng is a good child. Whether your father and mother separate or not, you are our treasure, and we will always treat you well."
"Then, Father, can you get along well with Mother? Mother has sacrificed so much for this family."
Mo Lingxi agreed to Xiao Feng's request.
The premise was that Tao Lengshuang would not do anything she shouldn't, otherwise, he would not spare her.
From that day on, Tao Lengshuang and Mo Lingxi entered a phase where they pretended not to see each other, maintaining a facade of peace in front of outsiders.
Tao Lengshuang no longer helped Mo Lingxi with his injuries, nor did she even bother to acknowledge him or care about his condition.
Mo Lingxi also didn't expect Tao Lengshuang to treat his injuries anymore, leaving it to his hidden guards.
Furthermore, Tao Lengshuang had given up on expanding the area of her spatial medicinal garden through Mo Lingxi.
She planned to slowly expand the spatial medicinal garden's area through Xiao Feng and find some precious medicinal herbs in the mountains to transplant into the spatial medicinal garden.
The recent incident made her realize that relying on Mo Lingxi to expand the spatial medicinal garden's area was a joke.
"Xiao Feng, it's time for us to go into the mountains to gather firewood."
Tao Lengshuang, bundled up like a ball, stomped her feet and blew on her cold hands. The weather was getting colder, but thankfully, she had prepared everything needed for winter in advance.
"Coming!"
Xiao Feng, also bundled up like a ball, ran quickly to Tao Lengshuang with his basket. "Mother, I'm wearing the new clothes underneath the old ones, so they won't get dirty!"
Seeing his bright and cheerful smile, Tao Lengshuang instantly felt that life wasn't so hard anymore. She smiled and patted his chubby cheek.
"When the New Year comes, we'll wear new clothes inside and out and eat fatty meat, okay?"
Xiao Feng's eyes widened, and he swallowed, nodding. It was great to eat fatty meat during the New Year.
"Father, Mother and I are going to the mountains." He waved goodbye to Mo Lingxi with a beaming smile.
Mo Lingxi gave a few instructions, then looked up at Tao Lengshuang, only to see her back as she led Xiao Feng away. She didn't even spare him a glance.
He frowned slightly. "Tao Lengshuang, wait a moment."
Tao Lengshuang stopped, without turning her head, and asked indifferently, "Is something wrong?"
Mo Lingxi was not pleased with her attitude but didn't know how to make her change it. He actually preferred her previous attitude towards him.
"I have all the things prepared. When can you examine my nephew?"
"I'm sorry, my medical skills are not proficient. You should find someone else." After saying this, Tao Lengshuang took Xiao Feng and left the house, showing no intention of paying Mo Lingxi any further attention.
Mo Lingxi pursed his thin lips, a gloominess in his eyes. This woman had clearly promised.
The woman who had made a promise, not long after leaving with Xiao Feng, encountered Aunt Shen the Second, who was looking for her.
"Oh, are you two going up the mountain?"
Aunt Shen the Second sighed with a bitter smile, "The village chief is already collecting silver from house to house. It's likely he'll be at your house soon."
Tao Lengshuang hadn't expected it to be so soon, but she wasn't worried. It had nothing to do with her; it was Mo Lingxi's own affair.
"Could you please tell me, Aunt Shen the Second, how is your family doing?"
Aunt Shen the Second said she could barely scrape together five taels of silver, but her son had to go and build the royal villa.
She was worried. This was free construction of a royal villa, working for the royal family. One wrong step could cost him his life.
But no one could do anything about it. No one in the village could afford twenty taels of silver.
Tao Lengshuang also couldn't afford the exorbitant sum of twenty taels. She only had a few taels of savings, which she kept for emergencies. The rest of her money had been spent on various supplies.
"Aunt Shen the Second, don't worry too much. Perhaps this is an opportunity. As the saying goes, crisis and opportunity coexist."
Aunt Shen the Second knew this was just comfort. Just as she was about to say something, she heard the urgent voices of Old Master Tao and the others approaching.
"Lengshuang, Lengshuang, quickly help your father! Give me thirty taels of silver!"
"Little sister, Eldest Brother can't go to build the royal villa! You must help me this time, no matter what."
Seeing Old Master Tao and the others rushing over with anxious faces, Tao Lengshuang shielded Xiao Feng in her arms and glared at Old Master Tao and the others.
"Your family's affairs have nothing to do with me."
Old Master Tao and the others surrounded Tao Lengshuang, but they didn't dare to get too close.
"Lengshuang..." Old Master Tao had just begun to speak when he heard the cheerful voice of Village Chief Luo.
"Everyone is here?"
Village Chief Luo, accompanied by five or six strong young men from the village, walked over and greeted Tao Lengshuang kindly, "Your family should also prepare the silver. I'll come to collect it later."
Tao Lengshuang said "okay" with a smile and then pulled Xiao Feng to the side to watch the show.
"Tao family, are you paying the silver, or will your entire family go to help His Majesty build the royal villa?" Village Chief Luo asked with a cold face and an unfriendly tone.
Old Master Tao was flustered and repeatedly said, "Lengshuang will pay the silver. She has money. Just ask her."
"She is my daughter; she should help me."
Tao Laoda and the others also chimed in, saying that Tao Lengshuang was their sister and it was only right for her to pay the silver for them. They told Village Chief Luo to ask Tao Lengshuang for the money and not them.
Tao Lengshuang was so amused she laughed. "I say, what kind of daydreaming is your family doing?"
"A married-out daughter is like spilled water. You all said in front of the entire village that I have no relationship with your Tao family anymore. Don't come to me for money or things."
Setting aside whether she had money or not, even if she did, she wouldn't be foolish enough to help the Tao family pay this hundred taels of silver.
Old Master Tao and the others were persistent, saying that the Tao family had great kindness in raising Tao Lengshuang and had found her a good husband. They insisted that she pay this sum of money.
If she couldn't produce the money, they suggested she ask that noble young master, who would surely provide the silver.
As soon as she heard this, Tao Lengshuang understood. The Tao family's request for money was a pretense; their true intention was to force her to find that noble young master to achieve their own goals.
"How about this? Shall I go and meet that noble young master for you?"