"It's an egg laid by a type of poultry called quail. It's eaten like a chicken egg."
"I don't want that for now. The doctor said it's unsuitable."
"Do you want some sweet corn? Just boiled out of the pot."
"Give me two."
"Okay, I'll get it. Wait a moment."
Qiao Mai unlocked the door and entered the courtyard. She locked the door behind her and went back into her space.
She took a basket and placed a watermelon at the bottom. On top of it was a box of strawberries, three melons, and two ears of cooked corn.
She carried it to the courtyard and opened the door. The man had not left and had been waiting.
"This is what I can give now."
"How much silver is in total?"
"Watermelon for eight hundred coins, strawberries for five hundred coins, three melons for thirty coins, and two ears of corn for twenty coins. It's a total of a thousand three hundred and fifty coins."
Yuan Jiaqi took one tael of silver and four hundred coins from the pouch at his waist and handed it to Qiao Mai with both hands.
"Sorry for disturbing you. You can keep the change."
Was this a tip? This man was smart. He knew how to stir things up.
"No, I don't take advantage of customers. Wait here."
Qiao Mai returned to the house to get a few ears of corn and put them in the basket.
"I don't need the basket. You can use it when you come to buy from me again."
"I didn't think it through."
"Hurry up and go home to see your child."
At the mention of the child, Qiao Mai's voice became gentler. She had children, so she naturally knew the love parents had for their children.
Just based on the fact that he treated the child well and people politely, she knew this man's character should be passable.
Just as the man was about to pick up the basket, a childish voice sounded.
"Father!"
Yuan Jiaqi quickly turned around and walked over. He held a boy in his arms and touched his forehead.
"You still have a fever. I bought you the watermelon you wanted to eat and other fruits. Drink the medicine before eating, okay?"
"Yes."
Qiao Mai sized up the child in his arms. He was at most four years old and looked like Yuan Jiaqi.
"Call her auntie!"
"Hello, Auntie."
Qiao Mai smiled at the little boy. "Hello to you too. If you have a fever, you must take your medicine properly. That way, you can recover quickly."
"Auntie, I'll listen to Father. I don't need Father to coax me. I'm not afraid of the bitter medicine."
"What a good child!"
The man carried the child in one hand and the basket in the other as he smiled at her.
"Sorry for disturbing you!"
Qiao Mai turned around and walked into the courtyard as she watched the father and son walk toward the west.
Just as she entered the door, she saw two shadows sneaking past her from the corner of her eye.
Her many years of being a secret agent immediately made her wary.
She walked to a corner of the courtyard and looked at Dong Zhao. Then, she locked the doors of the east and west wing rooms.
She had wanted to make food for herself in the kitchen, but when she thought of the two shadows, her appetite disappeared.
If they were to steal from her courtyard, she was willing to let them live as long as they did not destroy her things.
But if it was directed at her... Qiao Mai narrowed her eyes, and a hint of killing intent flashed past.
She also locked the kitchen door. The two shadows must have come to check the place just now. If they wanted to enter the house, it should be after midnight.
At the thought of this, she was no longer in a hurry. She entered the bedroom and went into her space after locking the door.
Ling'er was almost six months old and could crawl around on the ground. Qiao Mai moved all the objects in the house that was in the way.
She even put away the small items to prevent the baby from stuffing them into her mouth.
When she wasn't around, Ling'er would crawl on the floor and play by herself if she woke up.
Qiao Mai had ordered a wooden ball for her at the carpenter's shop. She wanted Ling'er to play with it when she woke up and would not consider anything sharp for now.
When she entered the space, the baby was awake and playing with the wooden ball.
Seeing that her mother had come, Ling'er patted the wooden ball and smiled at her.
Qiao Mai changed her diapers, wiped her butt clean, and washed her hands.
"Baby, I'll cook for you. Be good and play, okay?"
Now, she didn't even have to carry Ling'er back and forth. Seeing that she wasn't pestering her, Qiao Mai got up and went to make her milk.
If only there were a milk bottle. She could give her the milk bottle after making the milk, and Ling'er would be able to drink it herself.
After feeding the child, Qiao Mai drank a bowl of red ginseng water and brought Ling'er to the ground. She let her play with the ball while she planted peanuts in the field.
By the time she was done planting the peanuts, the child had fallen asleep hugging the ball.
Qiao Mai carried her into the house and tucked her in. She then prepared everything to open the stall tomorrow.
She took a deep breath and opened the cabinet door. She took out a silent pistol and glanced at the chamber. It was full of bullets. Then, she pushed the chamber and put on the safety.
As soon as she flashed out of the space, she sat cross-legged, put the pistol in her pocket, and picked up the thick and smooth wooden stick from the cabinet.
She looked out the window, hoping the two figures were not coming for her.
She didn't want to kill and let her hands be stained with other people's blood. After coming here, she just wanted to live a peaceful life.
If someone forced her to kill, she wouldn't mind. She didn't want to, but it wasn't impossible.
The moon was heading west, and it was almost midnight.
Qiao Mai did not feel sleepy at all. She closed her eyes and listened to all the sounds in the courtyard.
Suddenly, she heard a bird chirping.
From her experience, this wasn't a real birdcall. It was someone imitating it.
After the sound stopped, two soft landing sounds were heard.
Qiao Mai kept her eyes closed and used her ears to distinguish. There were two people, and they were both men who knew martial arts.
After they entered the courtyard, they did not rummage around. Instead, they approached her carefully and went straight to her bedroom.
She clenched her fists. As expected, they were coming for her.
Should she kill them or report to the authorities after capturing them?
No, she couldn't let these two die. If they died, the person behind the scenes would win. It was better to capture them and report them to the authorities.
Even if the two men didn't reveal the mastermind's identity, that person would still be nervous and afraid for a while.
Qiao Mai opened her eyes and jumped to the door silently.
Through the door crack, a snow-white dagger was cutting the bolt. She raised the wooden stick with both hands, ready to face the enemy.
The door unlocked, but the man outside did not come in. Qiao Mai suddenly thought of something and quickly took a gas mask from her space to cover her nose and mouth.
Sure enough, a wisp of white smoke drifted in from the outside.
These two thieves were meticulous. They had to use smoke to deal with a woman.
She sneered and stared at the door. After a while, a head popped in and whispered to the person behind him.
"I took down that woman!"
"I will search for silver in the room. Do you want to f*ck that woman?"
"She's not good-looking. I don't want to go."
"Then I'll do it. You will search for the money?"
Hearing this, Qiao Mai immediately understood.
These two thieves must have been entrusted by someone to humiliate her and earn some money. After all, she had been doing business for so long. How could she not have some savings?
The first man had just leaned half his body in, and Qiao Mai hid behind the door.
When she saw the second man, the rod in her hand struck their heads at lightning speed.
Before the thieves could react, they fell to the ground.
Qiao Mai controlled her strength when she hit them. She would not let them die or bleed. They would only faint.
Their voices were unfamiliar, and she did not need to light the lamp to see who it was. They definitely did not know each other.
Qiao Mai threw the stick and messed up her hair. Then, she rushed into the courtyard and shouted at the top of her voice.
"Someone come and catch the thief! Damn it! How dare you steal from a poor girl!"
In the dead of the night, her shout could scare people's souls out.
Neighbors, people in front of and behind the house, all got up from the brick bed, put on their shoes, and ran over with lanterns in their hands. The courtyard door of Qiao Mai's house was still open.
"Open the door, open the door, quickly open the door! What's the use of shouting but not opening the door?"
Qiao Mai opened the door in a panic. A lot of people, both men and women, rushed in.
"Where are the thieves?"
Qiao Mai pointed at the house with a trembling hand. "The bad, bad guys are in the house."
"Don't be afraid. Let's go in together!"