"Sister Qin's quilt smells so nice," Fuzi said, hugging Qin Junyao's quilt and refusing to get up after waking up.
Qin Junyao sighed as she watched Fuzi roll around and quietly asked Granny Ma, who was tidying Fuzi's bedding, "Granny Ma, does Fuzi wet the bed every night?"
"No, the young master usually wets the bed when he's scared or drinks too much water at night." Su Dan Novel Network.
"Then," Qin Junyao glanced at Fuzi, who had rolled to the far end of the bed, and asked again, "do his brother and mother know? Fuzi is almost six years old."
Granny Ma paused in her actions. "The young master knows. He said it will be fine when the young master grows up. Madam, Madam also knows."
Granny Ma didn't say anything more. She was just a servant of the Zhao family. All she could do was offer suggestions; the masters made the decisions.
.
Fuzi's bedwetting earned him ridicule all morning from Qin Xiaoyu.
Mother Qin and Aunt Qin Er both suggested that Granny Ma take Fuzi to see a doctor. Although they had heard of people wetting the bed into their twenties or thirties, it was not a good reputation.
Granny Ma could only smile awkwardly in response, unable to say anything else.
"Sister-in-law, don't you think wealthy families should care more about their sons? Why doesn't Fuzi's mother do anything? Fuzi's clothes and food are all Granny Ma's responsibility," Aunt Qin Er asked Mother Qin while wiping the stove.
Mother Qin glanced at Granny Ma, who was watching Fuzi play outside. "Speak softly. Granny Ma is their servant; this is her duty."
"It is her duty, but what mother wouldn't want to make clothes or cook for her son?"
"Perhaps Fuzi hasn't been with her for a long time," Mother Qin said, washing bowls and unable to figure out why Qian Shi, despite appearing close to Fuzi, was not hands-on with everything.
"If he's not around, shouldn't she be even closer? Hey? Here comes Stool Leg."
"Eldest Brother Yan, why hasn't my Er Niu's father returned? If he's not back, we can't go and deliver food."
As soon as Stool Leg entered the Qin family courtyard, he was warmly welcomed. Qin Er Niu and Aunt Qin Er crowded around to ask about Qin Lin's situation. Fuzi even tugged at his pants, asking to be carried.
"Settle down, all of you. Those with work, get back to it," Granny Qin's appearance made even Fuzi obediently let go.
"Granny Qin, Aunt Qin Er, the work at the salt lake is urgent. We'll take a couple of days off together next time. Prepare the grain, and I'll deliver it all this afternoon."
"Is that so? It's good that nothing happened. Then you can chat with my mother; I have work to do." Aunt Qin Er, reassured, returned to the kitchen.
Under Granny Qin's stern gaze, Qin Er Niu turned and walked away. Fuzi was about to leave when Stool Leg called him back. "Fuzi, why aren't you at school? You weren't there yesterday either. Your teacher told me."
"The teacher is very stingy."
"Your teacher is my brother; what are you saying?"
"Brother Stool Leg is very kind. Brother Stool Leg, I'll go to school now. I'm just a child; children speak their minds."
Everyone was amused by Fuzi's words and happily went inside.
Granny Qin took Stool Leg to her room. Qin Mu and Qin Sen accompanied her, as did Qin Junyao, who had been granted special permission by Granny Qin.
The five people sat down, and Granny Qin immediately got straight to the point, asking about Village Chief Hao's situation.
"What do you know, Granny Qin?" Stool Leg wanted to gauge how much the Qin family knew so he could reveal accordingly.
His eldest brother had asked him to stay in the village, partly out of consideration for his recent marriage, and partly to keep an eye on Village Chief Hao.
With the families of so many brothers living in this village, the incident of grain being confiscated last year could not happen again.
"Then I, an old woman, will tell you what I've heard from informal sources," Granny Qin said, unbothered by Stool Leg asking her first.
"Village Chief Hao himself is not very capable. His wife is a distant relative of a high-ranking military official."
"They have few acres of land, yet they live in a tiled house, and their son is studying in Yan County."
Granny Qin took the water offered by Qin Junyao and slowly said, "A village chief who doesn't hoard land, doesn't open shops, and doesn't take a second wife when he has money."
She suddenly quickened her pace. "The village chief's wife's influential relative is not on good terms with you; they are here to spy."
Stool Leg could still smile at Granny Qin's earlier words, but her last sentence made his expression change immediately.
"It's not that we're not on good terms; we have enmity. From the Northwest Army."
Granny Qin's next words made Stool Leg jump to his feet. They had spent a long time and effort investigating, so how did Granny Qin know?
"Granny, you're truly amazing. The village chief's wife is a distant relative of Shao Yong, the commander of the Northwest Army. If they didn't share the same surname, we wouldn't have discovered their connection at first."
"How did you know? Did you throw those copper coins?" Stool Leg made a gesture of tossing copper coins, genuinely asking Granny Qin for advice.
Granny Qin drank her water in one gulp and looked at Stool Leg with her triangular eyes. "I tricked it out of you."
Stool Leg stood there awkwardly.
Qin Junyao and Qin Sen exchanged glances and lowered their heads, stifling laughter.
They couldn't laugh; they were discussing important matters.
"With such a powerful background, this will be difficult. Your intention is to sell it for five hundred wen?" Granny Qin brought the conversation back, pretending not to see Stool Leg's embarrassment.
Stool Leg tugged at his clothes and sat down again, swallowing before carefully saying, "No, I will go talk to the village chief about it, uh..."
Granny Qin suddenly understood. "If you go to talk, it must be General Zhao's intention. In that case, Grandma has an idea."
"If you can investigate, then investigate whether the divine being the village chief found is real or fake."
"If it's fake, spread rumors that someone from the Northwest Army is in various villages to extort money, deceiving the village chief. Remember to clear the village chief's family."
"If it's real, ask for the price of the ritual. It absolutely cannot be one hundred taels of silver per session. Then spread rumors that the divine being was forced by the Northwest Army to overcharge the village chief. Remember to clear the village chief's family."
Stool Leg's eyes lit up as he listened to Granny Qin's words, and he stood up to bow.
Last night, he had told Deputy Officer Zhou about the village's situation and asked for advice.
Suozi's reply was to not pay the money, and if they wanted money, they should come to the salt lake to ask for it. He was told to convey this message.
Now, Granny Qin's idea seemed even better.
After seeing Stool Leg off, Qin Junyao asked Granny Qin, "Granny, why would such a high-ranking official assign a village chief to this village?"
"More than half of the salt workers at the salt lake have families in this village. Your second uncle mentioned that mining salt isn't something that just requires strength; it's salt."
"Then why are they still collecting grain?"
"Hmph," Granny Qin snorted. "Because they don't treat ordinary people as human beings."
"Let's not talk about this. Let's talk about that wolfsbane. You stay inside and don't get tanned," Granny Qin said, taking a small stool and sitting by the door, basking in the sun, and asked Qin Junyao.
"I'm thinking of making vinegar from wolfsbane. It's potent, with high investment and high returns. Doctor Sheng said that wolfsbane can only be harvested in spring and autumn."
"Since it's not too busy now, let's make vinegar from wolfsbane. In summer and winter, we can still run the small food stall business. In autumn, I heard there will be reapers. We'll hire reapers to harvest the grain, and we'll still make vinegar from wolfsbane."
"Granny, I want to lead the villagers to do it together."
Granny Qin immediately rejected it. "No."