The Hu family siblings stayed at the Qin family for seven or eight days, helping to transport the first batch of jujubes from Zaoyuan, and then reluctantly returned to their home when Qin Guihua came to pick them up in person.

During this period, the head of Laoniu Village came once and brought money from the sale of more than 5,000 kilograms of grain and a list of twelve tenant households. On this list, the number of acres that each household wanted to be tenanted was marked in ten.

Clearly, this is based on head count, which is fair.

The village chief did not mention how Chu Erhu and the three brothers were causing trouble, and Qin Xiaoxiao was not interested in asking. After checking that it was correct, she wrote on the deed paper the words "In years of famine, the field rent will be reduced or reduced as appropriate", then signed and stamped one copy of the deed.

Give it to the village chief.

The village chief burst into tears with gratitude and said that he would strictly control the other eleven tenants to prevent the last rent collection incident from happening.

The cooperative relationship formed by the interests of both parties did not seem to be reliable. Qin Xiaoxiao did not take his overtures to heart and told him to beware of people like Chu Erhu and not to let a year's hard work go to waste.

In the next half month, the Qin family was busy around the jujube garden. This year the jujube garden was also a good harvest year, and the jujubes produced were plentiful and sweet. However, compared to the jujubes produced by the old jujube trees, they still tasted worse.

Inferior.

The price was almost the same as last year. In the end, because the jujubes were several hundred kilograms larger than last year, the silver received was more than twenty taels more than last year, reaching the limit of the entire jujube orchard's income.

Counting the jujube saplings sold in the spring, the Qin family's total income this year reached 1,800 taels.

After finishing her work in Zaoyuan, Qin Xiaoxiao finally had some free time and was able to calm down and sort out the manuscripts she had worked so hard to write over the past few months.

These manuscripts are related to the revision of household marriage laws. She compiled them by combining the household marriage laws of previous dynasties and relevant evidence sent by Jing Heng, and incorporating some of her own ideas.

There are still some shortcomings in the manuscript. It is tantamount to wishful thinking to use it to change the current household marriage law. Moreover, this manuscript needs an opportunity. Whether this opportunity will come, and whether it can be seized, she has no idea.

Know.

"Xiaoxiao, this is from someone from the Qin Mansion, take a look." Lin Qiuniang walked into the study room with a birthday invitation and saw the manuscripts piled up on her daughter's desk. She, who was illiterate, didn't take it to heart.

Qin Xiaoxiao took the birthday invitation, looked at it, and said hesitantly: "Mom, this is Mrs. Qin's birthday invitation. It will be her sixtieth birthday in five days, and she invites our family of three to come over and be guests."

Lin Qiuniang understood and said with a smile: "This birthday invitation is for you, you can go if you want? Your father and I won't join in the fun."

Qin Xiaoxiao's delicate brows furrowed, not knowing whether he should go or not.

Last time she went to the capital? If she hadn't happened to meet Qin Huai and learned about Mrs. Qin's illness, she would definitely not have gone to the Qin Mansion. Is Mrs. Qin celebrating her birthday this time? Just don't know. Now the birthday invitations have been sent.

? It seems inappropriate for her to ignore it.

Thinking of that time when she left the Qin Mansion? Mrs. Qin held her hand reluctantly with tears in her eyes. She was very torn in her heart. She didn't want to have frequent contacts with the Qin Mansion, but she couldn't bear to disappoint this old man who was not in good health.

Unable to come up with a solution, Qin Xiaoxiao asked in a low voice: "Does dad know?"

Lin Qiuniang saw her concerns and smiled: "Didn't you want to eat chestnut cake last night? Your father went to the mountains with others to harvest chestnuts? I will tell him when he comes back? You don't have to worry."

Qin Xiaoxiao shook his head: "Let's wait until dad comes back."

"It's okay? It's just that whether you go or not, you have to prepare a birthday gift. Think about what is suitable for our family to give." Speaking of this? Lin Qiuniang couldn't help but have a headache. Her family has a small financial background, so she can't afford expensive gifts.

"It's okay, Mom, we still have some mountain goods. We can put them in boxes and take them out when the time comes." Qin Xiaoxiao doesn't have a hobby of making people look fat, and giving gifts is not a big deal in her eyes.

.

"Pfft, other people's products from the mountains are kept on the table in winter to change the taste, but when they come to you, they become gifts." Lin Qiuniang couldn't help but laugh out loud. Her daughter was so good at living her life that she didn't know who to follow.

"What's wrong with giving them away? Do you think anyone dislikes those mountain goods I gave away?" Qin Xiaoxiao said plausibly: "I can't give away ordinary mountain goods, and most of the ones that can be given away are not available in the market."

She carried people on her back and secretly took Chubby and the others to find good things in the mountains. Forget about the delicious mushrooms, she would save some of those precious medicinal materials that can nourish the body every year.

In addition to making soup for family members, it is not shabby at all to give as gifts.

Lin Qiuniang was persuaded by her daughter, and waved her hands and said: "Okay, okay, etiquette is light but affection is heavy. When the time comes, you can make a birthday peach with your own hands and send it as a birthday gift. I think Mrs. Qin will also be happy."

After that, she gave her daughter a few words, told her to look carefully, and then went out to do her work.

Qin Xiaoxiao returned to the desk, couldn't help but pick up the birthday invitation and read it again, then closed it and put it in the drawer, and breathed a sigh of relief.

At noon, Qin Shan came back with a basket full of small chestnuts. When he learned that the Qin Mansion had sent a birthday invitation to his family, his first reaction was not to go.

When he met his daughter's questioning gaze, he hesitated for a moment and said insincerely: "You can go if you want to, just in time to see Sanbao and Shumo. These two brats haven't been back for months."

Qin Xiaoxiao counted on his fingers and found that he had indeed not seen his two younger brothers for more than three months, so he nodded: "I will listen to you."

Qin Shan's heart was pounding, and his chest was so tight that he couldn't breathe: Girl, why are you so obedient?

Qin Xiaoxiao didn't notice, and enthusiastically scooped up a basin full of chestnuts and took it to the stove to clean, ready to be steamed and made into sweet and soft chestnut cake.

"If you don't want your daughter to go, just say so, but you have to pretend to be generous. What can you say?" Lin Qiuniang was quite disgusted with her husband's hypocritical appearance, and felt that he was looking for trouble for herself.

"I don't want to embarrass my daughter!" Qin Shan wiped his face and glared at his wife angrily: "If I don't let my daughter go, my daughter will definitely not go, but who knows if she will miss it in her heart."

Lin Qiuniang advised: "As my daughter grows older, we don't have to second guess her thoughts. Anyway, let her make her own decisions regarding the affairs of the Qin Mansion. Don't force yourself."

Qin Shan muttered: "It's easy for you to say, I didn't trick the Qin government into tricking my daughter away."

Lin Qiuniang was speechless: "If someone really wants to cheat, can you stop her? Besides, Xiaoxiao is not a three-year-old child, how could they easily deceive her? It seems like you don't believe in Xiaoxiao, but in fact you don't believe in yourself."

Qin Shan suddenly became furious and denied three times: "I'm not, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"

Lin Qiuniang insisted on "talking nonsense" and was determined to take this opportunity to cure her husband's "old problem": "I know what you are struggling with in your heart. Isn't it just that you feel that you are a mud-legged person and will be nothing when you go outside? Mr. Qin is different. He

She is Lord Shangshu, a powerful person. If she recognizes him with a smile, she will have a big backer. If anything happens, there will be someone who can help her. But you are reluctant to let her go, because you are afraid that she will not be able to accept him if she recognizes her biological father.

Kiss your adoptive father, do you think what I said is right?"

Qin Shan frowned and continued to deny: "Nonsense!"

Lin Qiuniang sneered: "We have been a couple for more than 20 years. I have a clear idea of ​​your thoughts. Do you know it in your heart? Outsiders say that you are not afraid of anything, but they have not seen you grinding in your heart.

What a coward!"

Qin Shan's face turned red, and he said with a stern expression, "Who are you calling a coward? I have never been a coward in my whole life!"

Lin Qiuniang stood up, patted the non-existent dust on her clothes, and walked into the kitchen: "You know whether you are scared or not. Why are you yelling at me? My daughter and I are making chestnut cakes, and I am too lazy to pay attention to you."

After saying that, she left without even shaking her head.

Qin Shan stared at his wife's back and opened his mouth to call her back to argue, but he opened his mouth and failed to shout out. He sat alone in the main room doubting life.

Mr. Qin and Mrs. Miao had no objections to the fact that Qin Xiaoxiao was going to the Qin Mansion to congratulate Mrs. Qin on her birthday. They also helped to find gift boxes sent by the guests who celebrated their birthdays, and asked Qin Xiaoxiao to give away those wild goods.

Put it in.

Three days later, Qin Shan set off in a carriage with Qin Xiaoxiao and Shou Li. When the sun was three feet high from the ground, the two arrived in the capital.

But as soon as the carriage entered the city gate, the father and daughter were stopped by a steward-looking man. However, it was the steward of the Qin Mansion who took the father and daughter into the Qin Mansion on the orders of Mrs. Qin.

It turned out that after the birthday invitation was delivered to the Qin family, Mrs. Qin couldn't wait to ask the steward who knew the Qin family's carriage to wait at the city gate. The steward waited for four days in a row, thinking that they would not come, but now he received

People are as happy as meeting their biological father and mother.

"No, I'm just a guest here to celebrate my birthday. It's not appropriate to live in the Qin Mansion." Qin Xiaoxiao would never live in the Qin Mansion. She smiled and rejected the steward's request: "Tell the old lady that I will come over tomorrow morning.

I wish her a happy birthday."

The steward said: "Girl, the old lady has been looking forward to your coming every day. She refused to come to the house when she knew you were here. I'm afraid she will be so sad that she won't even be able to eat tonight."

Qin Xiaoxiao still shook her head and gave him an idea: "If you don't tell me I'm here, the old lady won't know." After that, she said to Qin Shan, who didn't look very good-looking: "Dad, let's go."

"Hey, let's go." Qin Shan's face turned cloudy in an instant. He waved his whip and directed the horse to pass the steward and walk towards the inn where he stayed last time.

The steward did not dare to stop him by force, and could only watch the carriage go further and further away.

When she arrived at the inn, Qin Xiaoxiao asked for two upper rooms, and went upstairs with Qin Shan with her birthday gift. This time she did not forget to inform Jing Heng, and gave the innkeeper thirty Wen and asked him to deliver a message to the princess's house.

.

Not long after, the innkeeper came back and brought Jing Heng who hurried over in official uniform.

Meeting Qin Xiaoxiao's appraising gaze, Jingheng coughed dryly and explained in a concealed manner: "I happened to meet you at the door. I was in a hurry to see you and forgot to change."

It's not that he forgot to change, but when he entered the house and was about to change into his regular clothes, he suddenly remembered the little girl's surprised look when she saw him wearing official clothes last time, so he took off the wrinkled official clothes and put them on today's clothes.

Freshly starched official uniform.

Qin Xiaoxiao didn't know how careful he was, so he praised him very much: "Brother Li is the person who wears official uniforms best I have ever seen!"

"Ahem, as a woman, you have to be reserved." A trace of blush crept into Jing Heng's ears, and he scolded Qin Xiaoxiao with a straight face, pretending to be thirsty and picking up the tea cup.

He was obviously used to her straightforward expressions a long time ago, but after he no longer regarded her simply as his sister, he began to get used to it again.

The candlelight flickered, reflecting Jingheng's handsome face. Somehow Qin Xiaoxiao had the idea of ​​teasing him, pretending to be confused and said: "Brother Li, if I accept your intention, I am willing to marry you.

Do you also have to be reserved in front of me?"

"Pfft~cough!" Jing Heng never expected that he would hear these words. In his shock, he forgot that there was still tea in his mouth. He suddenly choked and coughed violently.

Mr. Jing, who was highly praised by the powerful, was in such a miserable state for the first time.

"Brother Li, why are you coughing and not talking?" Qin Xiaoxiao refused to let him go. While patting his back to comfort him, he held back his laughter and asked, "Does this question embarrass you?"

By now, Jingheng would be a fool if he didn't know that this girl was deliberately causing harm.

"Are you satisfied?" He covered his mouth and coughed a few times. He raised his head and looked at Qin Xiaoxiao. The slightly moist eyes added a bit of vulnerability to his stern eyebrows, giving him a feeling of being easy to bully.

.

"Satisfied..." Qin Xiaoxiao was stunned unconsciously, and the words "beautiful women are like jade, enchanting and captivating" suddenly popped up in his mind. For the first time, he knew that this was not just a description of beautiful women.

Jing Heng, however, was all hairy after being stared at by her naked eyes. He grabbed her hand on his back and pushed her down on the stool to sit down: "I'm used to you!"

Qin Xiaoxiao was restless even while sitting, and took another secret glance. His heart was pounding, as if he had climbed three mountains in a row.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Jing Heng frowned and raised his hand to tug her face. Unexpectedly, he found that her face was hot and he couldn't help but worry: "Do you have a fever?"

Qin Xiaoxiao touched it and found that it was really hot, and said stupidly: "It seems so."

Jing Heng was speechless. He stretched out his hand and touched her palm. Seeing that it was dry and sweat-free, he touched her forehead again: "Do you feel uncomfortable somewhere?"

Qin Xiaoxiao finally came back to her senses, her pink cheeks turned red instantly, and she hurriedly got rid of the big hand on her forehead: "It's not uncomfortable, it's just that the room is stuffy. I'll just open the window and it'll be fine."

After saying that, she was about to get up and open the window, but found that in the lobby where they were sitting, a window was opened on each side, and a slow cool breeze blew in, which was not stuffy at all.

This is very embarrassing.

Looking at Qin Xiaoxiao who was standing still, Jing Heng finally realized that something was wrong with this girl. His eyes suddenly lit up. He remained calm and did not expose her cover up. He stood up and said, "There is something wrong with this girl."

Bored, I’ll take you out for a walk.”

Qin Xiaoxiao patted her still hot cheek and nodded hurriedly: "Okay, I'll go tell dad." After that, she turned around and ran upstairs to prevent Jing Heng from seeing anything strange about her.
Chapter completed!