CHAPTER 99: CHAPTER 99: NEVER SATISFIED

Now it’s already the beginning of spring, but the weather remains cold, with occasional sporadic snowfall, and a thick layer of frost often visible on the ground.

In Qingshui Village, it’s already noon, and every household has smoke rising from their chimneys, cooking meals over the fire.

Near a river, there’s a courtyard with four sides, where a woman has just finished her lunch and is hanging clothes to dry. Behind her, an old man is holding a dry tobacco pipe, taking puffs.

"Old man, say something, will you? That Li Laosan promised to come in the spring to take us to get herbal seeds and plant them, but it’s already been more than half a month, and we haven’t seen them. Do you think they might be planning to back out?"

The Yang Family finished hanging the last piece of clothing, turned around to see her husband still absent-mindedly smoking, and got annoyed, snatching away his tobacco pipe angrily, "You big shot of the village, yet you don’t even know how to get some benefits for the family. How do you face people outside?"

"You’re so annoying, woman! I’ve heard you nagging for days now. That Li Laosan is a scholar, and his wife is a lady from a prestigious family. They’re both reasonable people. Since they said they’d do it, they will. What’s your hurry?"

"But there are plenty of ungrateful people these days! We helped them a lot, and now that Li Laosan has made it big, he didn’t even think to send a little something as a token of appreciation. People, oh!"

With a long sigh, Yang looked disappointed. Wang Zhihuan took a puff of smoke, smacked his lips, and said, "Alright, stop fussing. I think it’s about time. They’ll have to come back at some point; there’s still some unfinished business in the village!"

As Wang Zhihuan spoke, they heard the voice of their grandson from outside.

"Grandfather, grandmother, the Young Master from the Qin family is here, just at the village entrance!"

"The Young Master from the Qin family? Which Young Master from the Qin family, what does this have to do with us..." Yang stopped abruptly, remembering that Li Laosan is now the Young Master of the Qin Family Embroidery Workshop.

"Oh my, my memory, I forgot such an important thing. Old man, Li Laosan is back! I knew that kid is grateful, look, he probably brought something good with him! Let’s hurry and take a look?"

Wang Zhihuan saw his wife’s excited face and shook his head helplessly. Just a moment ago, she was calling them ungrateful, and now she’s praising them. People, so mercenary!

He extinguished the tobacco, brushed the dust from his clothes, and followed his wife out the door.

At the village entrance, quite a number of villagers had already gathered. Each of them carried a basket or a burlap sack, looking inexplicably excited.

"Dear fellow villagers, over the years, thanks to your care, my husband and I are very grateful. So this time, we’ve specially brought these seeds. If anyone wants to plant herbs and earn money, you can come to me to get some."

Behind Long Yue were over a dozen baskets of seeds, along with several Qin family servants. The villagers gathered around, each curiously eyeing the seeds in the baskets.

"Third Sister, are these seeds given to us for free?"

A villager, suppressing the joy in his heart, asked tentatively.

"Of course, didn’t I say before? Planning to let everyone earn money together. It’s better to share joy than to enjoy it alone! Hey, does anyone here want to grow herbs? Come and get some, but each type of seed is limited to one dou, first come, first served!"

"Give me one, it seems like the Li family’s harvest is pretty good, someone from the pharmacy even came to ask about prices a few days ago!"

"Yes, I want some too!"

"Give me some, give me some!"

"..."

When Wang Zhihuan arrived at the village entrance, he saw such a bustling scene. Villagers were lining up to collect seeds from Long Yue, and the Qin family’s servants were busy, sweating profusely.

He gently stroked his beard and slightly nodded, saying to his wife beside him, "See, earlier you said they were ungrateful, now they’ve returned with glory, bringing good fortune to our village!"

Yang’s face turned red, lightly pushing him, "What! You know I was wrong, yet you bring it up. Not spending the night with you tonight!"

"Hey, hey, old lady..."

Wang Zhihuan felt helpless and hurriedly chased after his wife running into the crowd.

"Third Sister Li... Oh, look at my mouth, I should call you Madam Qin now!" Yang said with a pleased smile, circling around Long Yue, "Oh my, see, things are different now, look at these clothes, so smooth, even embroidered... You’ve really made it big!"

Though Yang’s words were all compliments, Long Yue knew that between the lines she was saying: You made it big, shouldn’t you send over some gifts as a token? My husband did you a big favor back then!

"Aunt Wang, let’s chat about that later."

One sentence from Long Yue, and Yang quieted down.

More villagers came to collect the seeds, and they even gave out a small booklet on how to plant them, making everyone quite happy.

At this time, a villager with a sycophantic face said, "That Young Madam Qin, do you only have these few kinds of herb seeds? How about giving more?"

Long Yue knew human nature well and anticipated some would be unsatisfied, so she feigned a troubled expression, "This uncle, it’s not that I don’t want to give more, but other herb seeds are hard to get, the cost is high, and giving them away would be too much for us to handle!"

"You’re the Young Madam of the Qin family, a wealthy family, how come such a small amount of money is unaffordable?"

The person seemed displeased with Long Yue’s answer, even bringing up her status.

Li Qingmu, standing to the side, noted the villagers’ attitudes. Some people just laze around and long for others to serve them.

"No family’s silver is stolen. My Qin family is newly established, hardly having any surplus. Didn’t Uncle Chen mention this already?"

Li Qingmu didn’t look happy, and as Uncle Chen wanted to argue, they heard a coughing sound from behind. Looking closely, it was the village chief, Wang Zhihuan!

The man, knowing Wang’s character, quickly retreated, not daring to utter another word.

But Wang Zhihuan wasn’t planning to let him off, coldly snorting, "Young Master Qin came to our village, giving out herb seeds and even teaching you how to plant them. He’s been more than generous, don’t push it,"

After speaking, he looked at Long Yue, "You all continue."

"Mr. Village Chief, I do have other seeds here, but they are rare and expensive. I fear you might not plant them well, but these basic herbs are different. They’re easy to plant with fewer requirements, perfect for newcomers. Of course, if later on, you become skilled and wish to plant more varieties, you can come to me. But the seeds need to be purchased, and the planting instructions aren’t free. There’s a fee..."

"Oh, so you plan to scam us, huh?"

A sharp voice suddenly interrupted from the back.