Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Seeds? I do have some honeysuckle seeds. I collect them year-round for medicinal purposes. The ones I've gathered recently haven't been processed yet, so they should still sprout. I'll give you a small amount; they're difficult to grow and won't yield much. Giving you more would just be wasteful."

With that, Old Zhang went into his small room and fetched some seeds.

He gathered about a dozen.

Bai Xiuxiu took the seeds, her heart filled with joy.

As she prepared to pay, Old Zhang declined: "We don't engage in private transactions here; it wouldn't look good if word got out. Besides, no one would notice a few missing seeds. You..."

Bai Xiuxiu thought for a moment and then pulled two candies from her pocket. "Uncle Zhang, I understand. But I can't take your things without giving something in return. These two candies are for Little Zhu to enjoy."

Old Zhang had led a hard life. His son passed away early, and his daughter-in-law was taken back by her family to be remarried just two months after his son's death, leaving behind only a young grandson whom he doted on dearly.

Candies were not easy to come by in those days, even with money, as ration coupons were required.

Old Zhang accepted the candies without refusal and returned with another packet of honeysuckle seeds, this time more than what he had given Bai Xiuxiu initially. "There's plenty of these. Take them all."

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang."

After thanking him, Bai Xiuxiu left with the two children.

"Mama, Mingming wants candy too." Wang Nianming tugged at her sleeve, looking up at her with hopeful eyes.

The twins shared a striking resemblance, about seventy percent alike. Bai Xiuxiu could be tough with others, but she couldn't resist her precious children. She gave each of them a candy. "You may only have one today. Eating too many will make your teeth hurt. And remember, don't tell anyone about what Mama discussed with Grandpa Zhang here today, okay?"

Bai Xiuxiu comforted them.

The children nodded in unison.

When she arrived home, the Wang family had not yet returned.

Bai Xiuxiu closed the front gate securely. "Stay in our room or play in the courtyard. Don't wander off!"

"Okay, I'll watch over Brother!" Yueyue, speaking with a slight lisp, acted like a little adult.

Her words made Bai Xiuxiu smile.

Back inside, Bai Xiuxiu silently invoked the space. Yesterday, when she discovered the space, she also realized that it appeared whenever she willed it to.

Soon, the water curtain materialized before her.

She placed the honeysuckle seeds she had brought back into the box on the left side of the water curtain.

There were about a hundred tiny seeds.

Once the seeds were inside, the box automatically closed.

The water curtain changed: Medicinal Field Space - Owner Updated. New Owner: Bai Xiuxiu.

Seeds Invested: Honeysuckle Seeds, Total: One Hundred Seventy-Six.

Estimated Harvest Time: In Three Days. Please Collect Timely.

How long?

Bai Xiuxiu stared at the water curtain, her eyes wide.

Mature in three days? What kind of incredible ability was this! In her previous life, Zhou Jiaojiao and Old Fifth nearly suffered greatly because of Wang Qinghe. Was it due to her husband's exceptional skills, or were they simply too foolish?

This was more than a windfall!

At noon, Zhao Guifen returned with the third son's wife.

Upon entering the courtyard and seeing the eldest son's children, Zhao Guifen's expression soured. "Third's wife, let your child play outside sometimes instead of always carrying him to the fields. Look how comfortable these two brats are at home?"

"Grandma." Mingming and Yueyue both called out upon seeing their grandmother.

Zhao Guifen snorted coldly. "Scram!"

And with that, she headed to the kitchen.

Yueyue immediately burst into tears.

Inside, Bai Xiuxiu heard her child crying and rushed out.

Seeing her daughter sobbing, she picked her up with an unhappy expression. "What happened?"

"Mama, Grandma told us to scram," the little girl said, her voice muffled by Bai Xiuxiu's chest.

Zhao Guifen was truly unreasonable!

Bai Xiuxiu sneered in anger. It baffled her why her husband, Wang Qinghe, seemed to be treated as if he were raised by a stepmother compared to Zhao Guifen's other sons. Even her own children were not favored!

Not only Zhao Guifen, but her father-in-law felt the same way.

"Yueyue, don't cry. Mingming, don't be afraid. Grandma wouldn't really want you to leave. If you did, wouldn't your father have to go too? She wouldn't bear that. Come on, let's go inside." Bai Xiuxiu took both children into the room.

Old Third's wife, Zhao Cuihua, watched as her eldest sister-in-law brought the children into the house, her eyes changing.

She followed them in.

As Bai Xiuxiu was about to close the door, she saw Zhao Cuihua coming in.

Zhao Cuihua gave an awkward smile. "Eldest Sister-in-Law, can I come in and talk to you?"

Zhao Cuihua had a pleasant appearance, and her smile looked warm and kind.

Bai Xiuxiu noticed that everyone in Old Wang's family was good-looking, whether it was the sons or the daughters-in-law. Among Old Wang's sons, apart from her husband, Wang Qinghe, who didn't resemble anyone in particular, the other four all looked like their father.

They were all quite attractive.

Zhao Cuihua coming to see her wasn't surprising at all!

Bai Xiuxiu let her into the house, placed the two children on the kang, and then attended to Zhao Cuihua.

Looking around the room, Zhao Cuihua couldn't hide her envy!

This was now the best room in Old Wang's household!

"Old Third's wife, what do you want to talk about?" Bai Xiuxiu asked first.

Hearing this, Zhao Cuihua quickly reined in her envious gaze and got down to business. "Eldest Sister-in-Law, I came here because of the house repairs. You know, Second Brother and Fifth Brother both need to either repair or expand their houses this year. They also have to buy jobs.

How are we supposed to manage with the family finances?"

As she spoke, Zhao Cuihua kept her eyes fixed on Bai Xiuxiu.

She wanted to split the household! She had a son, and her husband was relatively obedient. If they could split the household, their lives would improve.

However, she couldn't be the one to propose it! Her mother-in-law treated Old Third well, and she, as his wife, was also treated decently. As for her son, he was even more favored. Although the eldest grandson belonged to the eldest family, her mother-in-law actually favored her son more.

If she offended her mother-in-law and failed to split the household, her life would become difficult.

Therefore, it would be best if Bai Xiuxiu proposed the split.

Firstly, Bai Xiuxiu's older sister had married someone successful and had moved away to join the military.

Secondly, the eldest brother did the most work but was the least liked. Their mother-in-law already disliked them enough; how much more could she possibly dislike them?

Moreover, the eldest brother and sister-in-law were the ones who suffered the most and were the most disadvantaged!

Zhao Cuihua's intentions were almost written all over her face.

Bai Xiuxiu didn't expose her, only sighing heavily. "Old Third's wife, your words echo my thoughts. I'm worried too, but what can worry do? Our mother favors Second and Fifth. As a daughter-in-law, what can I say?

Speaking of money, there's only so much. If we give it to them, our share will definitely decrease.

There might not even be enough left for a few meals when we eventually split the household."

Zhao Cuihua was startled. "How could that be? With so many people working in our family...there shouldn't be no money, right?"

"The jobs Mother mentioned cost five hundred each, so for two people, that's a thousand yuan. Who has a thousand yuan these days?"