The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 913 - 203: Good Calculation_2

Chapter 913: Chapter 203: Good Calculation_2

Jiang Benxin did not beat him, but the doctor arrived.

After taking her pulse, he only said that Widow Yang had suffered from cold and fright but was not pregnant.

Zhang Shiqian insisted on changing doctors.

After changing two who both said she wasn’t pregnant, he still wanted to change. Jiang Benxin, under the accusation of false charges, punished him with twenty hefty strokes and warned, "If you offend again, I will not spare you!"

The fear of previous incarcerations surged through him, and even though Zhang Shiqian was reluctant, he dared not press charges again.

Whether it was a whip or a plank, Fang Li had endured neither, and he couldn’t help feeling a surge of relief. Seeing Widow Yang’s condition, he felt sympathy but could not show it, and could only leave in anger about the false accusations.

Fang Fu was waiting for him outside, and seeing his relieved expression, she pursed her lips and said, "Two Silver Ingots."

Fang Li’s relieved face stiffened, but he knew—since both doctors had diagnosed a cold, they couldn’t both be quacks. Apparently, money had been taken.

Widow Yang also came out, pale and weak, swaying as if she might fall.

Seeing her without any gratitude, Fang Fu coldly told Fang Li, "Watch yourself."

Watch myself? Fang Li now suspected that Pei Qin had leaked information in town, which is how Zhang Shiqian found out. Otherwise, why hadn’t it been the Old Pei’s House, who held a grudge against them, that came forward with the accusation, but instead, it was Zhang Shiqian?

When Pei Qin heard about it, she just acknowledged with an "Oh" and continued preparing meals. Xiao Guangbi had sent someone with New Year’s gifts to see Xiao Yi, and she looked at the kitchen, intending to prepare a delicious meal for him and let him follow them back to his own home after eating.

Xiao Yi had gradually adjusted, spending his time playing around Taiping Town with Jiujiu, Sun Xingwang, and Zhao Xiaolang when he was not studying with the teacher.

Landlord Zhao had the road rebuilt, and the kids played with skateboards on this new road. Skateboards were not as expensive as when they first became popular, so now the local kids could also afford to play, and skateboarding thrived again in Taiping Town.

Dressed like a plump dumpling, Jiujiu had the new maid drag her skateboard to the road. She sat on it and had two maids pull her along, saying, "Mother said I’m too young to play, but she didn’t say I couldn’t sit and slide."

Xiao Yi also grew to love skateboarding, though he felt the townspeople were of lower status and rather unsophisticated. Still, playing carefree with many other kids his age made him not want to leave.

Xiao Guangbi intended to have him return, but Pei Qin had expressed several times that even though Mo Heng was unsuspecting, he wouldn’t doubt anything.

But Xiao Yi, seeing Pei Qin wishing he would leave promptly, declared, "I am not leaving! You demand that I come, I come; you say leave, and I leave!? I’ll show you how easy it is to invite a deity but hard to send one away! Hmph!" He felt that staying here was more interesting and fun than staying in the Wang Mansion.

Manager Liao earnestly advised him, saying how much better it would be to return to the Wang Mansion, asking why he would want to stay here and be a hostage for a village woman like Pei Qin?

Xiao Yi, however, had made up his mind and was not leaving!

Xiao Guangbi did not say it outright, and seeing that Pei Qin could not send him away, she had no choice but to let him stay, "Living at my house is not free of charge!"

"Chang Yonglin and Zhao Yong eat and drink for free, why can’t I!?" contested Xiao Yi.

"Who said they eat and drink for free? They pay every year!" Pei Qin glanced at him askance.

Xiao Yi, disbelieving, asked, "How much did they give?"

Hearing this, Pei Qin said seriously, "Growing radishes from someone else’s yard isn’t as easy as one’s own; the effort is much more. To have me grow radishes for someone else requires at least a few thousand taels of silver a year, doesn’t it?"

Manager Liao couldn’t help but inwardly roll his eyes at Pei Qin—he knew the gifts from the prince were more than enough, and here she was, asking the junior provincial official for silver!

Xiao Yi was not entirely naive; he somewhat understood Pei Qin’s hint about wanting money. Seeing Chang Yonglin and Zhao Yong return with Pei Wendong, Pei Qin asked the kitchen to prepare their favorite dishes, conveying with their treatment that they had paid and hence were well regarded, while his own freeloading led to neglect.

The more he thought about it, the more resentful he became. Immediately, Xiao Yi demanded Manager Liao to provide three thousand taels of silver for Pei Qin, "Don’t think it’s easy to take the prince’s silver! Whatever you quietly say to them, you must also tell me!"

Each time Pei Wendong, Chang Yonglin, and Zhao Yong returned, they would consult Pei Qin on numerous arithmetic problems, and the teachings Pei Qin provided were increasingly profound. Hence, the duration of each teaching session also extended.

Xiao Yi noticed that Pei Qin was discussing things with the three men that he did not understand. After staying for so long, he wasn’t included, which he perceived as a slight. How could this be acceptable?!