Heavenly Blessed Baby: Fleeing Famine, Busy to Prosper!-Chapter 221: Building Houses for Outsiders

Just when Qi Quanjin was so embarrassed for the County Magistrate that his toes nearly poked through his shoes, Hu Kaicheng finally got to the point.

"I see that in Taiping Village the land is vast and the people sparse, and when spring planting comes there’s hardly anyone to lend a hand. So Quanjin, do you have any thoughts about recruiting more villagers?"

Hu Kaicheng squinted in a smile, practically broadcasting his true intentions.

Qi Quanjin was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

Finally, the main topic was at hand.

Qi Quanjin quickly clasped his hands and nodded, "Lord County Magistrate, you are astute. I do have such thoughts. But as a newcomer to Concord City, I am truly unfamiliar, and if I rashly go recruiting from other villages, I’m afraid it could cause disputes. Sir, I really don’t have a good plan and humbly ask for your guidance."

After all, the County Magistrate was their paternal figure, and Qi Quanjin couldn’t disregard his honor.

Hu Kaicheng was even more pleased and clapped the table twice, "Good, good, if you have such an idea, I will certainly offer my full support!"

"Here’s the thing, quite a few refugees arrived last year. After a year of hard work, they’re not exactly refugees anymore, just living a bit harshly."

"They can’t buy much land, and other villages don’t want to fuss over a little piece here or there. If you’re willing, why not let these people be integrated into your Yongping Village, how about that?"

Hu Kaicheng spoke of course in a way not as direct as Liu Qinghe.

Qi Quanjin silently thanked Brother Liu for telling him the truth beforehand, otherwise, he might have been blindsided by Lord County Magistrate now.

However, Qi Quanjin also knew he couldn’t possibly refuse this.

If he refused, whether their village could develop wasn’t the main issue; the primary concern was displeasing the County Magistrate. How could their village fare well then?

Qi Quanjin pretended to be happily agreeing, then before the other could speak, put on a troubled expression, "Sir, your suggestion is good, but..."

"But what? If there’s a problem, just say so, within my power, I’ll certainly negotiate for you."

Hu Kaicheng was in a good mood.

Qi Quanjin hesitated for a moment, then mentioned the housing problem.

This was indeed a problem, and Hu Kaicheng didn’t have a good solution at the moment.

Meanwhile, in Yongping Village, at the Qi Family.

Qi Manman sat on the kang, with a plain wooden abacus in front of her.

Qi Zheng sat opposite her, leaning against a pile of bedding, chuckling, "Manbao, this is an abacus. How about Grandpa teaches you how to use it?"

Though Qi Zheng was a farmer, he learned abacus in his youth.

However, he seldom used it daily, and now could only slowly fiddle, completely incomparable to the shopkeeper and accountant in stores.

Qi Manman stretched out her chubby little hands, pinched at the abacus beads, but couldn’t grasp them.

After two failed attempts, Qi Manman pursed her lips, kicked the abacus away, and turned to crawl towards her grandma.

Mrs. Qi was sewing clothes at the edge of the kang, glancing up occasionally.

Upon seeing her little granddaughter crawling towards her, the old lady quickly put her needlework into the sewing basket and scooped her granddaughter into her arms.

"Manbao, what’s wrong? Not learning to flick the abacus beads anymore?"

Mrs. Qi said, while tidying the little girl’s fluffy hair.

Qi Manman pouted, "The abacus isn’t fun. Grandma, let’s chop wood to build a house!"

"Build a house? What house? We can’t even live in all our houses now," Mrs. Qi said, playfully tapping the little girl’s nose.

Qi Manman wrinkled her nose, thoroughly displeased, "Grandma, the new house is for others, not us."

"Others? Your Grandpa Zhou and their families all have houses too," Mrs. Qi remained unfazed.

But Qi Zheng, having just hung the abacus on the wall, froze for a moment before asking, "Manbao, who are the others you’re talking about?"

"Uh..."

Qi Manman put her index finger on her lips, shook her head a few times, before saying, "They’re the many uncles and brothers, and little brothers and sisters."

Qi Zheng and Mrs. Qi exchanged glances, each feeling their scalp tingle.

Manbao rarely spoke like this, but once she did, it meant something was about to happen.

Could it be that strangers were coming to the village to stay temporarily?

"Wife, I’ll watch Manbao, you go call Meng Niang over," Qi Zheng hurried over, taking Qi Manman, and directed Mrs. Qi to go.

Mrs. Qi responded, slipped on her shoes, and went out. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

At that time, Yi Meng was in their fourth room sketching.

If she was to keep accounts, she needed the demeanor of an accountant.

Hearing a knock, Yi Meng said, "Come in," without getting up.

Whoever came would likely be one of the sisters-in-law; their relationships were good, so there weren’t many formalities.

"Meng Niang."

Mrs. Qi called after entering the room, giving Yi Meng a little startle.

Seeing it was her mother-in-law, Yi Meng quickly got off the kang, "Mom, what brings you here?"

Then noticing the old lady wore just a jacket, not properly dressed, and slippers on her feet, Yi Meng was immediately startled, "Mom, what’s happened?"

"No problem, don’t worry."

Mrs. Qi quickly reassured Yi Meng, seeing her face changed, "It’s just your dad asked me to call you over, and I was in a hurry to see Manbao, so I didn’t put on my shoes properly."

"Mom, you..."

Yi Meng couldn’t help but laugh, "It’s cold outside, what if you catch a cold? Sit down; wear the jacket and shoes properly first."

Knowing nothing was wrong, Yi Meng calmed down.

She helped her mother-in-law sit by the kang, crouched down, and personally put her shoes on, and then carefully draped the jacket over her.

Only then the mother and daughter-in-law returned to the old lady’s room.

Passing Qi Ercai’s room, hearing no sounds, Mrs. Qi said, "Your second sister-in-law is probably chatting in your first sister-in-law’s room again."

"Anyway, there’s nothing happening at home now; being alone in a room is boring too," Yi Meng spoke in defense of Qu Laodi.

Mrs. Qi snorted, "How could there be nothing? The front rooms are all being planted. They need attention."

"Yes, mom, don’t worry! We’ve got everything arranged. There won’t be any issues."

Yi Meng wouldn’t speak ill of her sisters-in-law in front of her mother-in-law.

Although her mother-in-law sometimes showed annoyance towards a particular daughter-in-law, in truth, she treated them all fairly.

If any daughter-in-law ever complained about another in front of her, she would surely scold the tattler first.

So having such an open-minded mother-in-law ensured that, even if the Qi family daughters-in-law had their own motives, it never affected the family’s unity.