Xiao Qinghe felt a pang of pain in his heart and somewhat unsure of how to face her.
She didnât say anything, just asked casually, âFourth Brother, can we eat breakfast now?â
He nodded, his voice somewhat hoarse, âYes, we can.â
The three of them ate breakfast in silence.
Su Qingyue still followed her usual routine of taking the little bastard up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs.
Xiao Yuchuan went out to sell goods, while Qinghe stayed at home and read medical books.
The Xiao Family still lived their days seemingly in harmony, as if they were all trying their best to maintain the peace that could shatter at any moment.
In the town, in the wealthy familyâs Ministry Councillor Fangâs residence, more than ten workers were repairing an old building in the backyard under the scorching sun, scraping the wall skin, carrying bricks, and working in an orderly manner under the foremanâs command.
Several maids looked at the workers laboring under the scorching sun from the long corridor in the mansion, each of the men shirtless and strong.
âLook, those men donât even wear shirtsâ¦â one of the maids pointed at one of the men and said.
âItâs too hot, men who do physical work are all like this,â said another maid.
âItâs really embarrassing to look at themâ¦â one of the maids looked at a foreman and said, âYou know that foreman wearing gray clothes? His name is Huang Da. I heard that he hasnât married yet and has fifteen acres of paddy fields at home. Whoever could marry him wouldnât have to work so hard as a maid. Among these part-time workers, the richest one is Huang Daâs familyâ¦â
âHeh, are you girls thinking about love?â A middle-aged man walked over, and several maids respectfully greeted him, âSteward Fang.â
Steward Fang glanced at the part-time workers repairing the old building, âLet me tell you, the richest among them is not Huang Daâs family, but Xiao Yishanâs family. Itâs the Xiao Family, you know? The Xiao Family sold ten thousand jin of dried ferns to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, earning two thousand taels of silver, and their bayberry wine also sold for 625 taels. I heard from a friend in Wushan Village that the Xiao Family bought a hundred acres of farmland all at once, becoming the richest family in Wushan Village.â
âWow!â The maids widened their eyes, âSo rich!â
They eagerly asked each other, âWhich one is Xiao Yishan?â@@novelbin@@
âHeâs easy to recognize,â said Steward Fang. âHeâs the biggest and strongest man with a scar on his left face.â
The maids all looked at Xiao Yishan together, and one of them named Biâer said, âThat man looks so terrifyingâ¦â
âYeah, like a wicked bandit, itâs scary just looking at himâ¦â Huanâer, another maid, continued, âI donât know how he got that scar on his left faceâ¦â
Steward Fang said with some admiration, âYou girls really donât know anything. Xiao Yishan may look fierce, but heâs actually quite a good person. His fourth brother, Xiao Qinghe, had both his legs disabled more than four years ago, but Yishan never gave up on him and kept working to support the family. Over six years ago, the Xiao family was very poor, and Yishan had a girlfriend named Liu Haitang. That woman deceived him and got involved with Wealthy Wan, a rich man from the neighboring town. She said she was pregnant with Yishanâs child, but Wealthy Wan was fearful of his wife and didnât dare to marry Liu Haitang. She then accused Yishan of fathering the child in her belly. Wealthy Wanâs wife was no easy person to deal with, so she had Liu Haitang thrown into the deep mountains. Yishan went into the mountains to save Liu Haitang, encountered a bear, and got his left face scarred. That scar on his face was earned while trying to save someone.â
Huanâer asked, âWhat happened to Liu Haitang afterward?â
âShe was pregnant with Wealthy Wanâs child, but he still married her as a concubine despite fearing his wife. However, Liu Haitang gave birth to a daughter, who died last year, and she was divorced by the Wan Family a few days ago.â