Qiao Changshun shivered at the words "retribution," keeping his head down without a word.
Sun Family hmphed, walking toward the door.
Zhu Cuiying glared at Qiao Xiaomai and said, "There will be a time when you beg me!" With these words, she stormed off angrily.
Qiao Xiaomai approached and thanked Tong Sanlang once more.
Tong Sanlang didn't reply, only gave her a nod and then left.
Left in the courtyard were Qiao Xiaomai, Qiao Dami, and Qiao Changshun.
Qiao Xiaomai closed the courtyard gate again, blocking out the curious eyes.
"Xiaomai..." Qiao Changshun finally spoke up, his dark face wrinkled, "If it truly comes to that, we will just have to sell the house. What we don't deserve, we shouldn't take."
"Dad, don't listen to the village gossips." Qiao Xiaomai walked to Qiao Dami, taking the broken pottery jar in his hands and added, "I will figure out the tax silver issue."
"What can you do?" Qiao Changshun sighed heavily, his back hunched and face filled with worry. "Don't push yourself too hard. We can sell the house. I promise, even in death, I will not lead you into the fire."
"Talk about dying! Dad, bring out the small mill. I promised I have a way to earn money, I'm not bluffing."
"Huh?" Qiao Changshun was puzzled.
"Just follow my instructions."
Qiao Xiaomai poured the dozen or so small fish from the pottery jar into a basin of water and found a layer of river snails at the bottom. She put them together, "Dami, go inside and change your wet clothes."
Qiao Dami had expected to be scolded by Qiao Xiaomai. Hearing her words, he breathed a sigh of relief and scampered into the house.
Qiao Xiaomai entered the Grocery Room and brought out a dozen sweet potatoes.
That was all she had left at home now.
She peeled and chopped the sweet potatoes into small pieces, then put them into the small mill about a foot long, adding water, and bit by bit ground them into sweet potato paste.
"Xiaomai, what are you doing with this?" Qiao Changshun, sitting by the side, asked curiously.
Qiao Dami also tilted his small head, his shiny eyes unwaveringly fixed on her actions.
"I am preparing to make sweet potato starch and turn it into jelly to sell in town." Qiao Xiaomai replied.
Sweet potatoes only arrived in Daqi a few years ago. Rumor has it that seafarers brought them from overseas. Because they are easy to grow, have high yields, they quickly spread throughout Qi Country.
However, most people here either roast or boil them, the variety of ways to consume them was limited. So her sweet potato starch was a novel item to sell in town, surely it would bring in some earnings.
"Will this method really work?" Qiao Changshun was somewhat dubious.
"You'll see when I finish it." Qiao Xiaomai replied.
Qiao Changshun looked at her, his lips trembling slightly before he asked hesitantly, "Xiaomai, your mother, she..."
"Life goes on whether she is here or not."
Although she had only been here for three days, she understood Zhuang Luhe's actions. For Luhe to hold on till now, she was already very benevolent.
Qiao Changshun looked at her and sighed heavily.
Qiao Dami didn't know about Zhuang Luhe's departure. He tilted his head and asked, "Sis, didn't mom go to town? When will she be back?"
"Mom went to County Town to work and earn silver, so she won't be back for a long time." Qiao Xiaomai casually made up a lie. Dami was only seven years old. When he got older, she would tell him the truth. She didn't have the patience to deal with children now.
She was leading a comfortable life in the future when she was inexplicably hit by a car and sent here, and she had yet to vent her frustration at meeting this problematic family.
"Dami, grandma will definitely say mom abandoned us, don't believe her or the village rumors. And don't tell anyone that mom has gone to earn money, otherwise, grandma will definitely come asking for money. Got it?"
As Qiao Xiaomai turned the mill, she reminded him, "Don't mind those people, you just have to listen to your sister."