The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 706 Daughter is Unique (3)_1

Chapter 706: Chapter 706 Daughter is Unique (3)_1

"What is this?" Xiao Guangbi asked, looking over.

"Dung Beetle!" Jiujiu said, reaching out to catch the beetle trying to crawl away.

Xiao Guangbi’s face changed colors, "Your daughter, she really is..."

Mo Heng came over to take his daughter away, "We have disturbed Prince Qing."

"Ha ha ha! Your daughter is truly unique!" Xiao Guangbi laughed in praise, but then he choked, coughing violently and spitting out blood.

Mo Heng hurriedly apologized. The guard at his side also helped him catch his breath, bringing over mouthwash and ginseng soup.

Jiujiu, frightened, watched with two big, shiny black eyes, holding one insect in each of her small hands—one dung beetle, one beetle.

After collecting himself, Xiao Guangbi looked at Jiujiu, who strongly resembled Mo Heng, one insect in each hand, and found it hard to imagine that Mo Jiu, known for his startling talent and elegant demeanor, had a daughter who liked playing with insects. And then there was... the dung beetle...

Pei Qin also apologized, pulling her daughter aside to explain, "This isn’t a dung beetle, it’s a beetle. They’re not the same kind!"

"The nursemaid said it’s a dung beetle," Jiujiu insisted, looking at the shiny black beetle in her hand.

"Dung beetles don’t have horns on their heads; those with horns are beetles! The ones with a single horn are called One-horned Beetles!" Pei Qin taught her, the corners of her mouth twitching.

Jiujiu nodded as if she understood, "Beetle, beetle!"

Pei Qin led her away to wash their hands.

Xiao Guangbi shifted his gaze, "Your wife and Jiujiu are quite amusing." A girl being taught to play with insects? Given to them, even a phoenix could be turned into a wild chicken.

Mo Heng humbly responded with a word, attributing his daughter’s interests to her young age and her association with boys who liked insects.

Seeing Mo Heng’s content look, Xiao Guangbi’s eyes flickered thoughtfully.

Outside, Pei Yuan wanted to go home, and Pei Qian also returned to town. She wanted to take Jiujiu with her. Staying here, with Prince He Qing around, was dangerous!

Jiujiu, following her parents, didn’t want to go back with her. She had insects to play with here too.

"Ungrateful little brat!" Pei Qian smacked her little bottom twice, then gave Pei Qin a few reminders before she left for home. It wasn’t as if the world at home had grown distant—she had just started a batch of fermented soybean paste not long ago, which needed checking, and it would soon be time to make the pine-patterned eggs for Mid-Autumn Festival. Since the reputation of the pine-patterned eggs had spread, there wouldn’t be enough to sell if they made too few for the festival.

With a few people gone, the small courtyard quieted down considerably. Pei Qin was too lazy to stay home watching over Xiao Guangbi. When Old Lady Chang invited them, she took Jiujiu with her to the Chang Residence to play—though they couldn’t bring the insects with them.

Old Lady Chang took out the toys that Chang Yonglin had played with when he was young, and she had someone buy new toys like the spinning drum, flowered mallets, pecking chickens, cloth tigers, and more. These should keep Jiujiu entertained for a few days.

While Pei Qin was staying in the county city, Qian Wanxiu figured she was just waiting to see her make a fool of herself. After Zhao Liniang entered the household, she was waited on hand and foot, living comfortably. Yet at Pei Zongli’s place, Zhao Liniang was said to be from Qinghe Town. Pei Yuan married into Qinghe Town, and when Zhao Liniang came to visit them, Pei Qin and the others rushed to the county city for amusement, presumably out of some scheme they had designed against Zhao Liniang.

Pei Zongli also harbored suspicions and tested the waters a couple of times. Zhao Liniang hadn’t ever met Pei Qin, nor had she spoken to Pei Yuan, so he was half-skeptical. But with Zhao Liniang being pregnant and soon due, he said no more, simply instructing her to heed his wife and be a proper concubine, not to overstep her bounds above his wife.

Zhao Liniang readily agreed, yet couldn’t help but flaunt her pregnancy, aspiring for the status of a concubine. She couldn’t order Mother Qian and Shu Hua around, but she didn’t hesitate to boss the little maids and the women in the kitchen.

Pei Wenchen, being older, didn’t say much, but Pei Wensheng couldn’t tolerate it. Each time he saw Zhao Liniang flaunting her big belly in front of Pei Zongli, his eyes brimmed with venom.

For Qian Wanxiu, the days of coquetry and affectation were over.