Farm Tough Girl

Chapter 148 - 148 149 Too Unscrupulous_1

?Chapter 148: Chapter 149 Too Unscrupulous_1 Chapter 148: Chapter 149 Too Unscrupulous_1 A few children were chattering excitedly around the fish caught in the fishing net, with Hongsheng eagerly clinging to the net, itching to scoop up a fish to play with.

The men pulling the nets, finding the children endearing, took a small fish from the net and handed it to Hongsheng, “Here, take it and play.”

Hongsheng accepted it joyfully, his smile sweet as he said, “Thank you, Uncle!”

Tianniu scolded him annoyedly, “Look at you, snatching it up just because someone gave it to you. Haven’t you heard they said these fish are twenty wen per kilogram? This fish must be worth more than a hundred wen.”

Upon hearing the price, Hongsheng was somewhat surprised and said reluctantly, “Then I’ll just touch it and put it back.”

Muniang, seeing what was happening here, chuckled instead, “Does Hongsheng like fish? Then take it and play with it. Sister here has plenty of fish. We can spare this one.”

Hongsheng, being only four years old, naturally had the heart of a child, desiring it, yet he also remembered his mother’s teaching not to take things from others without permission. Besides, the fish were meant to be sold by sister Mu. He still handed the fish back, saying, “I just thought it looked shiny and white and wanted to touch it, but I better not keep it.”

Muniang looked at the child’s reluctance and understood that he really liked the fish. She internally praised Madam Liu’s parenting and then said with a smile, “Does Hongsheng like keeping fish? How about Grandpa Xue catches a couple of small fish from the pond for you to take home and raise later?”

Hongsheng’s eyes lit up, “Really?”

Tianniu laughed beside him, “Why don’t you thank sister Mu already? You’re so happy you’re acting silly.”

Hongsheng smiled, his eyes curving into crescents, “Thank you, sister. You’re so kind.”

Shopkeeper Zhang watched the children, so sensible, and couldn’t help but take another long look, “Muniang, whose children are these? They’re so well-behaved.”

“These are my aunt’s four children. They’re staying with me right now. We’ve all been busy for half the day, and it’s already late morning. I’ve also prepared some good wine and dishes at home, so let’s not rush back. Everyone, come and have a meal at my place first,” Muniang offered warmly.

Shopkeeper Zhang smiled, “That’s great. Today I’ll finally have the chance to witness your culinary skills.”

The dishes at Dongxing Building were all supplied by Muniang, whose cooking was unquestionably superb, something Shopkeeper Zhang had long coveted.

The fish that had been hauled up were weighed, and the men dragged the net back to the river, keeping the fish inside for feeding, planning to pull it up after the meal to take them away directly.

Muniang had specially prepared a big table full of dishes for the people from Dongxing Building, as well as Grandpa Xue, the Liu Family, and everyone was there, enjoying the lively atmosphere.

“Muniang, your cooking is truly beyond praise. If it weren’t for the fact that your family’s property is so extensive, I’d really want to hire you as the head chef at my Dongxing Building,” praised Shopkeeper Zhang, savoring each dish. Although Dongxing Building also sold these dishes and Muniang had provided recipes, the meal at Muniang’s place was evidently more flavorful than what the chefs at Dongxing Building could make.

Today, Shopkeeper Zhang felt he was truly blessed to taste such a feast.

Muniang merely smiled, “If Shopkeeper Zhang likes it, eat more. I’ve got plenty of food and dishes to offer.”

“But this is truly a skill of yours. Tianzhuang produced a great harvest of fruits and vegetables, and suddenly the fish in the mountain pond are doing so well. I hear you’ve even got an Embroidery House in town. Tell me, how much money are you making?” Shopkeeper Zhang genuinely admired her; he had never seen such a capable woman before.

As Shopkeeper Zhang spoke, Jin Feng couldn’t help but glance at Muniang again. He hadn’t thought much of it before, but now that he heard this, he really did find her to be quite an extraordinary woman.

“That’s just my good luck. As for the fish pond, I just took a whim to build it. It’s all thanks to Grandpa Xue’s good management, and my aunt has been helping with the Embroidery House in town. I hardly interfered. The only skill I really have is just planting crops and cooking food.”

Shopkeeper Zhang interjected, “You make it sound so easy. But what exactly are you using that mountain for? Did you just dig a fish pond?”

“There are also some newly planted fruit trees. I reckon it will take another couple of years before they bear fruit.”

Shopkeeper Zhang eagerly said, “Then I want to reserve your mountain’s fruit in advance, don’t you dare sell it to anyone else!”

He obviously knew about Muniang selling her special variety of watermelon from Tianzhuang to Chen Ji, and he was still annoyed about it. If he had known about it sooner, he wouldn’t have missed out on such a good deal, and now Chen Ji Fruit Shop got the advantage!

Muniang raised an eyebrow, “Why are you so quick to reserve? They haven’t even grown yet; who knows if they’ll be sour or not?”

Shopkeeper Zhang hummed, “I don’t believe you could grow sour ones. I see clearly now, you girl, you never do business at a loss. You dare to spend two or three years tending to those fruit trees on such a large area of the mountain. The fruit will surely not disappoint by then.”

“Well then, if Shopkeeper Zhang trusts me that much, when the fruit trees on the mountain start bearing fruit, I’ll notify you first thing.”

“That’s settled then!” Shopkeeper Zhang laughed heartily, and everyone enjoyed their meal.

The meal was clearly a delight for both the guests and the host. After the people from Dongxing Building had taken the fish away, Muniang locked the five hundred taels of silver from selling the fish into a small cabinet.

Madam Liu and Qiao Yuanming had been busy supervising the construction of their new house recently. With many villagers coming to help, Madam Liu did not hire professional craftsmen to assist with the building, mainly wanting to keep a low profile. So she asked the villagers for help, paying fifty coins a day. It wasn’t much money; what was key was the villagers’ willingness to help.

Usually, when a family had a major event, all the relatives should come over to help, but not a single person from the Qiao family came. Everyone was talking behind their backs – clearly, what they did was outright indecent.

Madam Liu grumbled to Muniang about it in the evening, yet Muniang simply said, “Isn’t it quite normal? I never expected anyone from them to come over. By moving out, you must have offended the two elders. Naturally, they wouldn’t show up. Qiao Yuanzhen would not even carry a brick if it were for his own house construction, let alone help you. As for the elder branch of the family, well, if they had come I would have been scared to death.”

Madam Liu was still indignant, “Why though? Whenever there’s something going on in the family, haven’t both me and Old Three always pitched in wholeheartedly? Not to mention long ago, remember when the elder branch was building their new house? Old Three helped them for an entire month without taking a dime! Now when it’s our turn to build a house, they disappear without a trace!”

All Muniang could do was comfort her, “Don’t be angry over those kinds of people. Haven’t you seen their true colors already? I think it’s better they didn’t come. Otherwise, who knows what trouble they might have stirred up.”