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n104 Ms. Xu’s Anticipation

nMs. Xu snapped at him. “Don’t be silly. Dad and Mom must have had a row. As their juniors, we should not get involved in the matter.”

nShao Dalang was startled. “A row? That can’t be possible! They were fine last night…”

nMs. Xu snorted. “Who knows! But just listen to what Mom says! If you ever dare say anything more, she will teach you a lesson!”

nShao Dalang thought for a while and nodded with a small answer, saying nothing more.

nAfter breakfast, Qiao Xuan asked them to help dig the gastrodia elatas.

n“Qi, Third Brother and I found a large patch of it, and they are very valuable. Brother, and Sister-in-law, help us in bringing it back. I will pay you 5 liang a day. It will take just a couple of days.”

nShe had asked Ms. Fang about the payment, and Ms. Fang agreed with it. Only Qiao Xuan recognized gastrodia elata and it was she who found this valuable plant, so Ms. Fang even believed that 5 liang for the couple would be a little too much.

n5 liang for one day?

nIf Qiao Xuan was a stingy person, she could have kept it as a secret and sell it on her own.

nShe could have earned all the money by herself.

nBut she exposed this to the family because she treated them well. Also, half of her earnings would need to be handed out to the shared savings.

nShao Dalang and his wife, as well as Shao Sanlang were shocked.

n“Fifth Sister-in-law…” Ms. Xu’s voice was shivering. “Are you saying that we can earn 5 liang a day? Five liang?”

nShao Dalang found that Ms. Xu’s reaction was a little bit improper, but he could not help but turn to Ms. Xu who was gasping. He looked at Qiao Xuan and said, “Fifth Sister-in-law, have you made a mistake?”

nShao Sanlang gasped and had not become normal yet.

n“Brother.” Qiao Xuan smiled. “I have not made a mistake. Five liang for one person per day, ten liang for two days, but… please keep it a secret.”

n“I will, I will absolutely keep it a secret. Fifth Sister-in-law, let’s go now!” Ms. Xu almost jumped in excitement.

nTen liang for two days! They would earn 20 liang for two days together! In a couple of years, they would be able to afford to send Junyan to school, even after handing out the money to the shared savings.

nMs. Fang could not help but throw Ms. Xu a disdainful look. This narrow-minded woman, she acted as if she had never seen any money before!

nBut then she realized that she had really never seen much money before. So she decided to drop any disciplining talks with her.

n“Just listen carefully!” Ms. Fang snorted. “You should tell this to no one else, including your father! If you meet your mother’s family, you should keep it a secret from them as well! Never mention this to anyone ever, understand?”

nMs. Xu was startled and nodded constantly.

nSo did Shao Dalang and the others.

nSoon they set out to do the work.

nShao Yunduan tagged along as well.

nHe was trying to take a walk in his spare time, to balance his time devoted to his studies.

nThey worked fast, and it took them just half a day to finish the work.

nCompared to the digging, transporting was an even more difficult task.

nIt was a long way to go…

nThey were all good at physical labor work, but it took some effort to carry everything out.

nShao Xiaoqi rented a bullock cart and they all gathered at the entrance of the village. Shao Yunduan decided to keep Qiao Xuan company in the town, whilst Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao followed along.

nMs. Xu was very excited. She was nervous too, and did not follow along out of hesitation.

n“Do you think that Fifth Sister-in-law will give us the money?”

nMs. Xu did not believe that it was a reliable thing.

nThat plant looked like cheap stuff. Were they worth a penny?

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