To prevent Su Xiaoqi from overthinking, Shen Yun spoke:
“The manor hasn’t been bought yet, where did the grain shop’s supply come from?”
Su Xiaoqi was taken aback, she hadn’t expected Shen Yun to ask this.
In her mind, Shen Yun was oblivious to the outside world, only engrossed in studying the sage’s teachings, never concerning himself with such matters.
Why was he suddenly asking today? Moreover, Shen Yun’s place was different from Zhao Dayou’s.
No matter how many lies she fabricated, he wouldn’t be able to tell.
Shen Yun was different. He knew her whereabouts like the back of his hand; he wouldn’t believe her if she said she got the goods at the dock.
After all, she hadn’t even figured out which direction the Mianzhou dock was.
Su Xiaoqi’s eyes flickered, and she couldn’t stop thinking, ‘No way, no way, he wouldn’t suspect anything, would he?’
Looking up into Shen Yun’s eyes, those eyes seemed to speak, their shimmering light telling her that yes, he was indeed suspicious.
‘No, no, absolutely not.’ Su Xiaoqi made up her mind, she couldn’t let Shen Yun get involved in this. Without thinking, she clung to his arm and offered him her lips.
There was no time. She couldn’t think of anything else to divert his attention in such a short period.
Shen Yun’s lips felt the warmth, and his actions were faster than his thoughts. Before his mind could issue any commands, his hand had already pulled Su Xiaoqi closer, and he lowered his head, deepening the kiss.
How could he refuse such a welcome offering?
Shen Yun chuckled inwardly.
It seemed he needed to mention these things more often in front of Xiaoqi from now on, perhaps to gain some benefits for himself.
Su Xiaoqi didn’t know how, but she went from being the aggressor to the passive receiver.
And she had originally intended this as an excuse to fend off Shen Yun’s obsession with the grain shop’s supply.
But after being kissed until she was breathless, Shen Yun brought up the same topic again.
“Grain shop supply…”
Su Xiaoqi, breathless from the kiss and her mind in a haze, almost instinctively replied, “What are you afraid of? I have the space…”
Before the words were even out, Su Xiaoqi’s heart skipped a beat.
Good heavens, what had she just said?
She had actually mentioned the space in front of Shen Yun.
She quickly lowered her head and slapped her own mouth.
Then she pressed her lips tightly together, afraid that if Shen Yun asked further, she would blurt out more.
Fortunately, after mentioning it, Shen Yun automatically filtered out her words, instead cupping her chin and continuing to explore the sweetness of her mouth.
‘Thank goodness, thank goodness, it’s a good thing Shen the bookworm didn’t pay attention.’ Su Xiaoqi secretly rejoiced.
Little did she know, a fleeting glint of sharpness flashed in the eyes of the man exploring her exquisite lips.
So the space could produce grain?
The next day, the sky was clear and the air was fresh.
Zhao Village had shaken off its recent bleakness and came alive.
It was also time for Su Xiaoqi to distribute the seeds as promised.
This time, it wasn’t the old rule. Su Xiaoqi made it clear to them.
This time, she would be collecting money.
“Ah, aren’t you giving us the seeds as a gift?” Zhao Baoyi was the first to express his displeasure.
“Yes, we were going to give them, but since you don’t understand gratitude, we won’t. Whether you plant them or not is up to you.”
Su Xiaoqi had thought it through; some people just didn’t know how to be grateful. No matter how good you were to them, they felt it was their due and didn’t take your kindness seriously.
In that case, it was better to be straightforward, and no one could take advantage of anyone else.
She would no longer hold out any further expectations for them.
Without expectations, there would be no disappointment.
“Corn seeds and potato seeds are just out, with a big discount: fifty wen per jin of corn seeds, fifty wen per jin of potato seeds.”
Actually, for new grains like these, Su Xiaoqi could have sold them at a much higher price.
But her original intention was not to make money from this.
Her initial aspiration was to bring benefits to everyone through her space.
“So expensive, much more valuable than grain seeds,” someone grumbled.
Su Xiaoqi smiled, “Grain seeds yield two to four shi per mu, while potatoes yield nearly ten shi per mu, and corn yields five shi.”
“Nearly ten shi? That’s a thousand catties! That’s amazing, I want some.” Zhao Dashan, who was at the back of the line, heard about the high yield and rushed to the front, immediately counting out a hundred wen and handing it over.
Su Xiaoqi gave a look, and Zhao Ye handed him a bag of corn and a bag of potatoes.
Zhao Dashan weighed them and thought, these two bags combined were far more than two catties, probably even twenty catties.
“No way, can two catties be this much?”
Soon, sharp-eyed individuals noticed the secret in Zhao Dashan’s cloth bag and loudly exclaimed, exposing it.
Su Xiaoqi remained unperturbed and stated directly, “That’s our maternal uncle, he insisted on paying even though we would have given it to him for free.
It’s just that my uncle is generous and insisted on paying this money.”
These words were irrefutable, making everyone wish they were related to the Shen family.
Additionally, Su Xiaoqi had Zhao Ye give Zhao Dashan ten catties of buckwheat seeds, instructing him to find a clearing on the mountainside of Yuanbao Mountain and scatter them.
Zhao Dashan chuckled, feeling that the hundred wen was incredibly well spent. He walked to Shen Yun, who was responsible for registration, to report the weight he had received.
Corn ten catties, potatoes ten catties, buckwheat ten catties, a total of one hundred wen.
Shen Yun bowed to him, and Zhao Dashan, beaming, hoisted the goods and prepared to leave.
Su Xiaoqi called out from a distance, reminding him, “Uncle, keep three catties each of corn and potatoes, you can cook the rest directly.”
Seeing that Zhao Dashan didn’t understand, Su Xiaoqi set aside the eagerly waiting villagers and explained how to prepare the new grains.
“For corn, peel off the husks and you can boil it directly in water. Boil for about fifteen minutes, then take it out and let it cool before eating.
Potatoes can be eaten boiled just like corn, or they can be used as a side dish for stir-frying.
Cut them into shreds, slices, strips, or cubes… there are many ways.”
Su Xiaoqi’s mouth was dry, realizing there was too much to say.
She stopped, deciding to issue a guide booklet for the new grains in a couple of days.
It would teach them not only how to plant and save seeds but also how to prepare them as dishes.
This unfamiliar yet extremely professional explanation instantly quieted the previously restless villagers.
They were immersed in Su Xiaoqi’s description for a long time, unable to snap back to reality.
It was so novel! This golden thing they had never seen before could actually be eaten.
And that round, mud-like thing had so many ways of being prepared.
However, thinking about potato stewed with beef or ribs, they decided against it. Meat was too expensive, and they couldn't bear to waste it.
It was more sensible to start with stir-fried potato shreds.
After a brief period of daydreaming, someone finally came to their senses: “Niece-in-law, give me a few catties of each too.” It was Zhao Erhu speaking.
Su Xiaoqi had interacted with him since she arrived.
He was very good at reading the room. Seeing Zhao Dashan carrying away nearly a string of cash due to his familial relationship, he immediately felt tempted.
He took out the money from when he paid for the construction of the Shen family’s house and handed it to Su Xiaoqi.
As Shen Yun’s maternal uncle, he naturally received the same amount of goods as Zhao Dashan.
“Mrs. Shen, I am your distant cousin, you see…” someone called out loudly.
“Distant cousin, the price remains the same, but the weight is halved.” Su Xiaoqi recognized him as Zhao Dakuan, one of the people who had returned the grain with a surplus last time.
“Ah, alright then.” Zhao Dakuan was agreeable, revealing a row of yellow teeth. He paid a hundred wen and left with five catties of potatoes, five catties of corn, and five catties of buckwheat.
One after another, many people came forward.
Basically, they received the same treatment as Zhao Dakuan.
Seeing the crowd around her dwindling, Zhao Baoyi couldn’t hold back any longer. He took out a hundred wen and shouted to Su Xiaoqi:
“Give me ten catties too.”
Su Xiaoqi glanced at him and chuckled softly, “I’m sorry, you returned less grain last time, so it’s halved again.”
“Halved again? On what grounds… on what grounds?” Zhao Baoyi was indignant, his voice rising as he glared at Su Xiaoqi.
Su Xiaoqi glared back, her gaze unwavering:
“Didn’t you hear? Others returned three dou of grain, but you only returned three sheng. Who do you think is a fool?”