Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 236 - 235: Tiebreaker

Qin Yao stared coldly at Liu Ji.

She wondered why he had suddenly said he wanted to watch the dragon boat race last night—so this was what he was waiting for!

In just those few seconds, the situation on the stands changed.

Lord Prefect announced the White Flag as first place, but those who bet on the Yellow Flag did not agree, nor did those who bet on both flags and took first place.

However, if the Yellow Flag was declared first, those who bet on the White Flag and those who bet on both flags would not agree either.

Lord Prefect thought, well, no one agrees, then let’s have another race.

This should satisfy everyone, right?

No! 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The competitors all voiced in unison that they were too exhausted and couldn’t possibly compete again today.

"What to do? We can’t possibly hold it again tomorrow, right? The Dragon King Banquet at Dengyun Building is already being held today!" came a loud voice of discontent from across the river.

"Then let’s stick with the original decision!" Those who bet on the White Flag shouted excitedly.

"No way!" Miss He shouted loudly, causing all the people across the river to quiet down.

Well, it seems there’s no choice but to start over again.

The audience could accept this, at least the results would be clear, and no matter who took first place, those who lost would be convinced.

Compared to the excited spectators, the members of the Yellow and White teams weren’t so insistent; after all, another race would be physically unbearable for them.

Getting first place was less important than their own lives.

At this moment, a steady voice with a childlike tone spoke up.

The child prodigy Qi Xian, who had been seated next to the Prefect’s Wife, stood up and said loudly:

"Everyone, stop arguing! Since no one is satisfied with any ruling and the two teams aren’t willing to race again, why not find others to replace the teams and race again?"

This suggestion quieted the noisy crowd—right, they could simply find others to race again!

The drummers and captains of both the Yellow and White teams nodded in agreement to continue leading their teams and steering the dragons.

Prefect He looked admiringly at Qi Xian who suggested the solution, then helplessly at his noisy and active daughter, thinking to himself how truly maddening it is to compare people.

"In that case, why not have Mr. Qi and Miss He each form a team and settle the outcome with another race?" a nearby official suddenly suggested.

The people were even more satisfied with this, agreeing enthusiastically that this would be interesting.

Prefect He: "..."

Miss He immediately stepped forward, not waiting for her father to speak, and waved to her maid behind her, who then loudly announced:

"Anyone willing to join the Yellow team to help us win first place will receive one tael of silver as a reward, regardless of the outcome!"

"If our Yellow team takes first place, my lady will give everyone an additional silver tael as a reward!"

"There’s silver as a reward?" Qin Yao, who had moved from the tree to the stone bridge, raised an eyebrow—this was a job she could do!

Just moments ago, when everyone was arguing about whether the Yellow or White team took first place, the stone bridge, once crowded, had cleared out.

Children staying so high in the treetops was dangerous, so Qin Yao quickly moved her entire family and the Liu master’s servant duo to the stone bridge.

Now, everyone realized there would be an additional race, but when they wanted to return to the prime spots they had on the stone bridge, it was too late.

Thanks to their quick positioning, Qin Yao’s family took up the central spot on the stone bridge.

Qin Yao pushed Sanlang and Si Niang in front of Liu Ji, then immediately raised her hand and jumped off the stone bridge, saying, "I’m in!"

Miss He, seeing the woman leaping directly onto the Yellow team’s dragon boat from the bridge, exchanged a delighted glance with her maid, saying, "A martial arts-trained woman!"

The maid also nodded excitedly and continued recruiting people.

Back on Qi Xian’s side, he began writing poems on the spot, gifting them to any paddler willing to help the White team win.

These were written by the renowned child prodigy Qi Xian himself, and many people were willing to pay a high price to collect them.

Immediately, some who couldn’t even paddle vied to get on the dragon boat just to get a piece of Qi Xian’s writing.

The guards quickly guided the White team’s captain to screen the participants, only keeping the tall and sturdy ones.

Watching from the stone bridge, Liu Ji saw Qin Yao successfully join the Yellow team, and panicked. He panicked!

If the Yellow team won, he could kiss his private savings goodbye.

So, gritting his teeth, he pushed the Da Lang siblings in front of the eager Liu Li and said, "Liu Li, my brother, I’m counting on you!"

"Hey!" Liu Li was stunned and wanted to call out to him, but Liu Ji was already rushing onto the White team’s dragon boat.

Liu Li was furious; he still wanted something from Qi Xian!

"I, I, I can paddle and even took first place in our county!" Liu Ji lied effortlessly.

Determined to save his private savings, he threw caution to the wind!

The Qi family’s guards pointed at Liu Ji, "The one who took first place, come on up!"

All the paddlers turned their heads towards Liu Ji, expecting the county champion to at least be a brawny man; little did they expect someone with an even prettier face than a woman’s, momentarily stunned.

Liu Ji didn’t care about them, as long as he could get on the boat, there was hope for his private savings.

Qin Yao might just rely on brute strength, but dragon boat racing wasn’t a competition won by individual strength alone; it required teamwork, and personal advantages would be continuously diminished by the team.

So Liu Ji believed his team’s chances of winning were very high.

Yes, they were definitely going to win! Liu Ji silently brainwashed himself, brimming with confidence.

Seeing Liu Ji onto the dragon boat from afar, Qin Yao’s first reaction was to check if any of the children were watching, and seeing Liu Li and Da Zhuang nearby, she relaxed slightly.

However, when she looked at Liu Ji again, her eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Taking on the title of Kaiyang County’s top paddler, Liu Ji moved to this crucial position at the back of the boat, and as soon as he sat down, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

He instinctively turned around to see Qin Yao standing on the Yellow team’s dragon boat nearby, pointing at him and then drawing her finger menacingly across her neck.

Liu Ji’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly turned his head back, his heart pounding like a drum.

As the captain handed him the oar, he held it tightly, thinking that either way, he’d rather win her once, even if it meant facing death afterward.

The paddlers of both teams were in position, and the dragon boats paddled under the stone bridge, waiting for the signal.

The White team’s captain saw that there were seven or eight female paddlers on the Yellow team’s dragon boat and smirked, feeling confident in this round.

Women’s arm strength couldn’t match men’s, and paddling required a lot of strength, hence the need for so many strong men.

Now, with the Yellow team having seven or eight female paddlers, they were significantly weaker in terms of strength, and their speed couldn’t match theirs.

On the stands, Qi Xian couldn’t help but glance at his confident cousin, thinking she would surely cry if she lost and gently reminded her:

"Cousin Zhanghua, you still have time to switch people; we can wait for you to be ready before starting."

He Zhanghua shook her head, "No need, my Yellow team members are perfectly fine."

"After all, women aren’t as strong as men." Qi Xian thought she didn’t understand his reminder and directly clarified.

But how could He Zhanghua not know this? She had selected all the team members herself, and she had confidence in them, regardless of their gender.