The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 870 - 188: Timed Bomb_2

Chapter 870: Chapter 188: Timed Bomb_2

Fang Liuyang and Fang Xin both sized him up and, seeing his sullen little face and unfriendly eyes, kept their distance, only taking Jiujiu out to play.

Jiujiu had been snatched away before, and Fang Liuyang had taken her and Fang Xin all over the village for visits, even to the grocery store to buy treats, but now they dared not go there, and stayed at home to play instead.

Plenty of people came by to say hello, as the villagers from Fang Family Village had helped look for Jiujiu as well, so they all wanted to ask about her well-being and show their faces.

It was a lively half day at Fang Family Village before Pei Qin finally took the little radishes home.

The next day, they stirred up excitement in Qinghe Town for a day, which had Pei Yuan worried sick, to the point where the previously discussed plan of opening a ready-to-wear clothing shop was cast aside amid the urgency, and Madam Zhao, afraid that she would distress herself into harming the baby, kept her from running about. Seeing that Pei Qin took Xiao Yi wherever she went, Pei Yuan also felt it would be better to send him back. This noble prince, a dragon’s descendant, was like a bomb without a ring in their home, unpredictable as to when it might explode, and one could not fathom the extent of the damage it could cause.

When Zhao Xiaochen returned for the holiday, he took Pei Yuan to visit relatives in Liu’er Alley, staying for a day, and even went to Fang Family Village together, where Fang Hui’s family from the Feng Family Estate also sent festival gifts.

Fang Hui complained about her visits to her maternal home, criticizing Pei Qin for not coming during Dragon Boat Festival and now Mid-Autumn Festival, sending only a servant with two pounds of mooncakes and teaching Pei Yuan to do the same—just send two pounds of mooncakes.

Pei Qin had already forgiven them for past issues and taught them how to open a noodle shop to sell sesame paste and baked buns. Now, the noodle shop’s business was booming. Grandma Fang suggested Pei Qin shouldn’t be so demanding, "...If we’d kept in touch like this earlier, could we have made it this far!?"

Now, Fang Hui had no expectations that her sister would speak up for her or help out; after venting, she left shortly after the meal. On the way, she complained to Li Hualing, "Today we only had a few dishes to eat; if they had come, your granny and elder aunt would have had a whole table piled high! Even if it’s left over, it’s still piled up!"

Li Hualing said nothing; after all, Pei Qin was different—she was Madam Yuanyang and adding a few more dishes was not a big deal. Moreover, Pei Qian was engaged to Fang Liuming, so their grandfather’s house was naturally closer to them.

When it was time to deliver the mooncakes, Fang Hui didn’t come; instead, Feng Chun came with his nephew Feng Xiaolang.

Pei Qin hosted them with a spread of dishes.

Feng Xiaolang, upon seeing Jiujiu’s toys, insisted on taking some with him.

Back home, Fang Hui grimaced and snorted, "They send us the good-for-nothing broken toys they don’t want!"

Jiujiu had plenty of toys, and she played with them less often. With bugs to play with, she ignored the toys, which were all fairly new.

The Mid-Autumn Festival came around in the blink of an eye, and Jiang Benxin stopped by again in casual clothes, bringing a pile of mooncakes and treats.

Shen Songming also had half a cart of southern fruits and local specialties sent over.

Fang Liuming reported back about the goods from Chuandi brought by outsiders and relayed that Fang Li had taken Fang Zhi to the Baoning Residence; he had privately accepted bribes and promised to help others with their work, despite not knowing the value of the goods. Especially Fang Zhi—taking after Fang Li, he learned bad habits instead of good. Liuming was so angered he planned to find a way to bring him back.

Pei Qian, whenever she thought of Fang Li, would scowl; with Fang Zhi advising him, there was only trouble. She wrote back, telling him to leave Fang Zhi there.

After reading Old Scholar Fang’s letter, she was so furious she threw it down on the table. Fang Li had sworn not to let Pei Qian into the Door of the Fang’s house and was currently in Baoning County, arranging for Fang Liuming to take a concubine. If it weren’t for the sworn marriage contract, he feared Old Scholar Fang would actually slaughter him, and he truly despised the daughters of the poor area of Baoning County—whenever they spoke, there was a twang. He was considering finding someone in Capital Jingcheng and taking it upon himself to bring back a wife for Fang Liuming.

He figured that once Fang Liuming had a pampered young lady to serve him, over time he would grow distant from the brash and caustic Pei Qian. If it didn’t work out, even if she did marry into their family, he wouldn’t let her have easy days, nor could he let her hold sway!

Lady Yu saw the letter and was so frustrated she felt a pain in her chest, "Let him find someone else there then! Anyway, I’ve gone deaf and can’t match him, the grand lord!"

It was Fang Li who had caused her deafness, and although he felt somewhat guilty, he had no immediate thought of remarrying, instead focusing solely on his eldest son’s career.

Pei Qin had long expected that if he went there, he would stir up trouble for Fang Liuming, "Don’t pay too much attention to it; if he can’t handle even this little matter, he might as well come back home and grow sweet potatoes!" She directed for more of the red dates, walnuts, caterpillar fungus, bird’s nest, dried meat, and dried shrimp that Mo Heng had sent back, to be delivered to Pei Yuan.

Pei Qian was fed up, lacking any of the virtues of a maternal uncle, always looking to take advantage of them and turn Fang Liuming against them after having raised him to be an official. If it weren’t for her impending marriage into their family, she wouldn’t have bothered to ask. Muttering, she picked out some items to be sent to Pei Yuan.