片库网 免费

Chu Qingzhi and Tang Jinghong exchanged a glance and, with perfect understanding, moved to the next room.

This spared them trouble; the room was empty. Upon entering, Tang Jinghong secured the door, ensuring no one would barge in.

The sound insulation of the rooms was lacking, allowing them to hear the conversations from the adjacent room when standing close to the wall.

Inside, Mou Yongfengwas massaging a middle-aged man’s shoulders, ingratiatingly saying, “Big brother, my men were incompetent and botched the job with the grain seeds.”

The man’s eyes snapped open, filled with dark fury, “I wondered why there was no impact. So it failed. How could such a promising plan fail? What were you doing?”

Mou Yongfeng, frightened, knelt down, explaining the situation in detail, “Big brother, now is not the time to talk about this. Please, I beg you to plead with the master on my behalf.”

The matter was gravely serious. Even if the master didn’t kill him, punishment was certain.

The man kicked Mou Yongfeng over, cursing, “Useless trash!”

Mou Yongfeng scrambled up, kneeling properly, “Big brother, why don’t we just kill Tang Jinghong? That would settle everything.”

Another slap from the man, “You dare make decisions on matters not ordered by the master! Your own death is your business, don’t drag others down with you!”

Mou Yongfeng, holding his face, felt tears coming, “Big brother, what should we do then?”

The man wished he could strike Mou Yongfeng dead, “I can’t help you with this. You’ll have to speak to the master yourself!”

Crawling a few steps towards the man, Mou Yongfeng pleaded, “Big brother, I dare not. Please help me.”

The man patted Mou Yongfeng’s cheek, delivering news, “The master will arrive in Wan City by tomorrow evening. Prepare yourself.”

Mou Yongfeng collapsed to the ground, murmuring in despair, “Pin done for…”

In the adjacent room.

Chu Qingzhi looked at Tang Jinghong, her eyes clear as spring water, “The master will come to Wan City tomorrow. Does this mean he plans to deal with you personally?”

Tang Jinghong seemed unconcerned, “Let him come. Saves me the trouble of looking for him.”

Chu Qingzhi blinked, “Then we wait for tomorrow.”

With a light smile, Tang Jinghong said, “Let’s go.”

They flew out the window, eager to leave the scene below.

In Chu Village.

On a winter morning, the sky was dotted with clouds, through which rare sunshine pierced, warming the ground.

After a warm breakfast, Chu Qingzhi, Ge Lihua, and Chu Qingning headed to the ancestral hall for the children’s final exam and last day of school. Chu Qingzhi wanted to see how they were doing.

At the entrance of the ancestral hall.

The children had already arrived, standing at the doorway, their innocent eyes filled with reluctance and sadness, too heartbroken to speak.

Though their schooling lasted only three months, it fulfilled a lifelong dream, making it hard to let go.

Xu Songnian approached Chu Lan’er, asking with concern, “Did you gather all your things?”

“Yes.” Chu Lan’er nodded shyly. Xu Songnian’s special attention to her was noticeable, as he never initiated conversations with other girls.

Xu Songnian encouraged, “Do well on the test, don’t be nervous. You’re smart; you’ll do fine.”

Chu Lan’er nodded, “You too.”

Xu Wenlin nudged Tian Xiaoqiu, whispering, “Look at my brother. Does he fancy Chu Lan’er? He’s so attentive.”

Tian Xiaoqiu laughed, “Possibly, but I’ve never seen your brother care for anyone else like that.”

Xu Wenlin covered her mouth, giggling, “I never thought my brother would take a liking to Chu Lan’er.”

Xu Songnian, turning back, caught Xu Wenlin giggling, felt embarrassed, and quickly stepped away, pretending nothing happened.

Xu Wenlin laughed even harder, a clear case of the guilty party protesting too much!

Chu Qingzhi, Ge Lihua, and Chu Qingning approached, with Hongyu Jun busy brewing and heading to the workshop, planning to join later.

Seeing the trio, everyone showed respect, “Good morning, sisters.”

Chu Qingzhi’s expression was somewhat stern, “Enter the classroom, it’s cold outside.”

The students filed into the classroom.

Fire basins were placed at each corner for warmth.

Four students set about lighting the basins; with such cold weather, frozen hands would make writing difficult.

Chu Qingzhi tapped the lecture desk, drawing attention, “Today is the last day. We’ll have exams instead of lessons, with two tests. Only those scoring above ninety can stay to work in the workshop.”

A palpable pressure settled over the students, hearts racing at the thought of this life-altering exam.

Chu Qingzhi surveyed the room, “Everyone, take your seats and prepare your paper and pens. In one incense stick’s time, we’ll begin. Each test lasts an hour, with results announced in the afternoon.”

The announcement heightened the tension.

Ge Lihua smiled reassuringly, “The exam questions are from our lessons. As long as you’ve paid attention, you can answer them. Don’t be too nervous.” Xu Zezhen couldn’t help asking, “Lihua sister, if we fail, do we have to leave?”

Ge Lihua glanced at Chu Qingzhi, saying, “Let’s take the exams first, then we’ll discuss.”

“Okay.”

After the incense was lit, the students warmed up, ready to begin the tests. The three distributed the exam papers.

“The exam starts now!”

Chu Qingzhi flipped the hourglass to start the timing.

As sand trickled down, the children’s breathing quickened, understanding the stakes of this exam. A single misstep could ruin their futures.

Holding their pens tighter than usual, the students began.

After distributing the papers, Chu Qingzhi, with paper and pen, sat at an empty desk, planning what items to stock in the grocery store.

With the store’s construction and decoration underway, it was time to arrange the shelves and stock items for business.

Besides their own food, daily necessities like firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea would be sold.

Fabric from Ge Lihua’s family and quality, affordable cloth from Chu Qingyue’s weaving workshop would likely sell well.

Women’s hair accessories from the capital, affordable yet popular items, could also be stocked, as villagers admired goods used by the nobility.

Additionally, selling Qing Shuang’s uniquely shaped and patterned pottery cups, popular among the villagers, would do well.

Contemplating the limited variety, Chu Qingzhi thought of adding rheumatism plasters to the inventory.

Rheumatism was common among the village elders, with many suffering from debilitating leg pain. Crafting affordable herbal plasters for rheumatism could be a viable product to sell.