Chapter 273

Chapter 273

These days, whenever Xiao Zhang had something to report, unless it was extremely urgent, he wouldn't go directly to Wang Qinghe's factory. Instead, he would come to the house and tell Old Lady Wei, who would then pass on the message.

To avoid disrupting work.

"This child came in a hurry and left a bag of hawthorns before he went. We still have plenty of sugar at home, so I'll make some preserves for you all later," the old lady said as she took out the hawthorns Xiao Zhang had brought.

It was a large bag, enough to fill a big basin if poured into one.

"He said his relatives found them in the mountains and gave him some. He can't eat them all by himself, so he brought them to us.

Once I've made the preserves, you can give some back to Xiao Zhang."

The old lady's impression of Xiao Zhang was as good as if it were filtered through rose-tinted glasses.

"Alright, I'll have Qinghe send some over to Xiao Zhang later."

After dinner, Bai Xiuxiu and Wang Qinghe finally had a rare chance to rest early.

Upon returning to their room, Bai Xiuxiu first harvested the balloon flower roots from her space. She had accumulated quite a bit over this period. Most importantly, the ginseng had started to age.

Although it still looked small, it had indeed grown, and the number displayed in the space had changed to three years.

"Qinghe, how much of these balloon flower roots should we save before giving them to Yu Cheng? Or should we sell them ourselves?" Bai Xiuxiu asked, sitting on the kang bed and taking the red sugar water he handed her.

Wang Qinghe was preparing foot-washing water for his wife. Hearing her question, he explained his plan: "We'll still let Yu Cheng handle the selling. In the future, if we go to the provincial capital, it's best that we appear not to know each other publicly.

The black market is being more strictly regulated now, and our activities are uncertain.

Moreover, we can't clearly explain the source of our herbs.

Let Yu Cheng handle everything, and choose more discreet meeting places in the future.

As long as Yu Cheng doesn't act too high-profile and draw attention, there shouldn't be any problems.

Once we go to the provincial capital, I'll investigate all the pharmacies, find out how many there are, and see if they know each other."

Wang Qinghe was concerned about Yu Cheng, fearing he might overlook important details.

It was better for him to handle such matters himself.

"Alright, this arrangement is good for both us and Yu Cheng," Bai Xiuxiu agreed.

As long as Yu Cheng didn't mess up, she wouldn't have any issues.

Once she and Qinghe saved enough money, they would stop.

Wang Qinghe brought the foot-washing water to his wife and then went out to help his mother-in-law with the dishes.

The household chores couldn't be left to the old lady alone.

In the courtyard, Mingming and Yueyue were playing happily with the candle lanterns they had made, casting light on the snow.

The family was enjoying a harmonious evening.

On the other side, the provincial capital was far from such happiness.

In the large courtyard where the He family lived, every house was brightly lit.

The same was true for the He family.

However, the atmosphere inside the house was far from cheerful.

Inside, He Zhifei sat on the sofa, frowning as he held a teacup and looked at his son and his current girlfriend, who were kneeling before him.

His head was pounding!

Beside him, Qi Yingying's expression was also not pleasant.

She opened her mouth awkwardly but couldn't find the right words to say.

Old man He Quan sat there, hiding his schadenfreude behind a mask of frustration, sighing, "Son, when you got married, there weren't so many issues. Why is it that with Xiaocheng, there are so many complications? First, it's an 800-yuan dowry, and then there's the baby already in her belly.

Why is everything so chaotic?"

He Zhifei also felt frustrated. When Xu Niandi first visited, she seemed like a decent young woman.

Later, he worried it might just be a facade, so he had Yingying check. Yingying had said she was fine. A few days ago, when they mentioned the dowry, the price seemed reasonable.

But now, just a few days later, it had jumped to 800 yuan?

Their family wasn't poor, but they didn't usually keep much money around.

Yingying had already laid everything out for him.

He didn't blame her for the right or wrong of the matter. After all, she managed the household and spent the money on the family, so he didn't need to question her.

The reality was that if they had to pay another large sum for He Cheng, it would strain their finances, especially since they had just bought a house for the eldest son.

Moreover...

While it was all He Cheng's fault, he still felt uneasy.

Something didn't seem right, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

What a scoundrel He Cheng is! How can he dare to do anything?

Now that it's come to this, there's no choice but to agree.

If we don't agree, the young girl will sue He Cheng, and his life will be ruined, bringing shame to our family.

"Yingying, what do you think we should do? You've spoiled He Cheng all these years, pampering him to the point of lawlessness. Look at him now," He Zhifei said, feeling a headache, hoping their eldest son would return soon.

He wanted to see his children succeed, not to see He Cheng causing trouble.

Qi Yingying was also very upset. Everything had been going well.

They had started discussing marriage, and the dowry they agreed upon wasn't high. She thought that although the Xu family's conditions were modest, they were genuinely good people.

Who knew that Xu Niandi would get pregnant? As soon as she did, the Xu family seemed to change completely, doubling the dowry and even demanding a job for their son in the old Xu family. Otherwise, they wouldn't let Xu Niandi marry He Cheng.

And they threatened to sue He Cheng.

How could this be allowed?

"Mom, please help me and Niandi. Her life has been so hard. Her parents treat her terribly. Now that she's carrying my child, if I don't marry her, how will she survive? What if she ends up marrying some divorced man with a bunch of kids?"

The thought terrified He Cheng.

What kind of good match could the Xu family find for her?

She was his beloved, and if she didn't have a good future...

Qi Yingying realized that each of these children could make her speechless.

At a time like this, when it's clear that Xu Niandi isn't being honest, he's still thinking about her.

He's even concerned about her future.

Why doesn't he think about himself first!

"Mom, Niandi's marriage isn't up to her. If it were, she wouldn't ask for anything. Mom, please help us. I really don't want anything to happen to her or the baby." As He Cheng spoke, tears streamed down his face.

Qi Yingying felt like crying too.

Looking at Xu Niandi, who was kneeling silently, and then at her son,

Qi Yingying could only nod. "Alright, get up. You said there's a baby in your belly. What if the baby is harmed by kneeling?"