Which couple doesn’t know each other?

As soon as Liu Ji glimpsed that sneaky look in Qin Yao’s eyes, he knew she was eyeing an even bigger benefit.

But it was clearly because he went to the county to inquire that she had the chance to earn this favor, and in the end, she didn’t even think about sharing it with him!

How outrageous!

The more Liu Ji thought about it, the angrier he got, biting his teeth with a grinding sound, and when he saw Qin Yao turning around to stride ahead, he immediately raised his fist and swung it a few times behind her back in pretend anger.

He didn’t dare to actually hit her, and even if he could, it wouldn’t land; if it did, the same day next year would be his death anniversary, so he could only pretend to hit the air to vent his frustration.

However, once they returned to the back hall of the county government and received ten taels of reward silver from the County Magistrate, Liu Ji’s pent-up anger dissipated in an instant, and he was over the moon—simply because his wife threw the ten taels of silver directly into his arms.

What does this mean?

It means this ten taels of silver is his!

If not for the fear of getting a beating, Liu Ji would have wanted to burst into laughter three times, looking up to the sky.

When the couple walked out of the government office, it started to drizzle, but luckily there was a carriage to shield them, so it didn’t affect their journey.

Qin Yao instructed, "First, go to the butcher’s and buy a few pounds of fresh pork belly to take back, then to the pastry shop and buy a few boxes of sweets. I just saw someone carrying a green fruit in hand that I’ve never tried, buy some to taste."

Finally, she added, "You pay."

Liu Ji drew in a sharp breath; the ten taels of silver he just got hadn’t even warmed up in his hands, and now he had to spend it all on this wicked woman.

No matter how many complaints he had in his heart, he still wore a willing smile on his face, taking her to the butcher to buy meat, then into the pastry shop to buy the green fruit.

They bought and ate, and he even packed some separately as a gift for the elders in the old house, which cost him three taels of silver.

Liu Ji was so pained by the expenditure he could barely breathe; all he could do was chew on a mugwort dumpling while driving the carriage back to the village, as if avenging an enemy to comfort himself.

After not sleeping well last night, Qin Yao napped in the carriage, and as the drizzle gradually stopped, the carriage arrived at Liu Family Village. She opened the curtain to take a deep breath of the fresh mountain air, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

The carriage stopped at the gate of the old house, and Qin Yao handed the packed sweets and five pounds of meat that she had separated to Liu Ji, signaling for him to take them inside, while she waited outside.

Reluctantly taking the items, Liu Ji was just about to enter when suddenly he heard an excited shout from behind: "Third Sister-in-law!"

The couple looked in the direction of the voice, seeing a young man dressed in a green robe, leading a group of their children, rushing down from the yard in front of their house.

As he ran, he waved his hands, shouting excitedly, "Third Sister-in-law! I’m back, Third Sister-in-law!"

Liu Ji and Qin Yao exchanged a surprised glance, "Isn’t that Fourth?"

Qin Yao nodded, it was indeed Liu Fei.

The kid actually returned from the Capital without a word.

Liu Fei had arrived home at dusk the previous day, bringing back a whole cart of stuff, and without even setting foot on the ground, had gone straight to the Third Sister-in-law’s house.

Unexpectedly, he found the house empty; both Third Sister-in-law and Third Brother were out, so he had to wait patiently, playing with the kids at home first.

On this trip to the Capital, Liu Fei greatly broadened his horizons and accomplished quite a few things, becoming much more composed.

Liu Ji couldn’t believe that the robed and crowned young man before him was that bratty, mouthy brother of his.

The children at home hadn’t gone to school today; all were tagging along behind their Fourth Uncle, spouting sweet compliments, calling him "Little Uncle" with sugary voices.

Liu Ji curiously asked, "All of you with honeyed mouths? You don’t even call out when you see Third Uncle, just focused on your Little Uncle. Did you receive some favor from him?"

Jinbao and Jinhua cheekily smiled, replying in unison, "Third Uncle, you’re right! Little Uncle brought us gifts from the Capital City~"

Not just from the county or the Prefecture, but from beneath the Emperor’s feet in the Capital City.

Even Da Lang’s brothers and sisters vigorously nodded towards their mother, indicating that they had also received gifts. Judging by their delighted expressions, it wasn’t just some cheap trinkets.

Liu Ji raised his eyebrows with curiosity, quickly grabbing Liu Fei, who was heading towards Qin Yao, and asked, "Fourth, Third Brother treats you well on ordinary days, doesn’t he? Did you bring anything back for your brother?"

"I did, I did." Liu Fei, eager to see Qin Yao, replied perfunctorily before pushing past Third Brother, coming up to Qin Yao, "Third Sister-in-law, you’re finally back."

The young man’s eyes were full of excitement as if he had a lot to tell her.

The people inside the old house, hearing the commotion at the gate, came outside, crowding around. Those who didn’t know might have thought something had happened at home, so they hurried Qin Yao and the others inside to talk. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Thus, everyone parked the carriage by the door and moved into the courtyard of the old house.

Liu Fei was drafted by Liu Ji to move items, and as soon as Qin Yao was free, she was immediately surrounded by a few kids, each eager to show her the gifts they had received.

Jinhua happily shook her wrist, "Look, Third Aunt, Little Uncle got me a bell bracelet from the Beijing Silver Building. It jingles so beautifully when it moves~"

Si Niang, not to be outdone, chimed in, "Mother, Little Uncle got me a seven-stringed zither, saying that all the little girls in the Capital are learning it, and I should too. He even brought the piano score for me."

Qin Yao looked back in surprise, realizing that a zither was not a small gift; it was a big one.

Liu Fei scratched his head with a simple smile, "Third Sister-in-law, don’t look at me like that, it didn’t cost much silver, just some fun stuff for amusement; it’s not like I really want Si Niang to learn seriously, just a toy to entertain the child."

Not knowing what went on, Liu Ji entered later and asked, "What’s going on? Who bought a zither? We’re just a mud-legged family; I’m the only one who can read and hasn’t even learned a few tunes, who can play the zither?"

Si Niang hopped up, raising her hand, "Me, Father. Little Uncle got me a seven-stringed zither!"

"What?" Liu Ji, astonished, put his arm around Liu Fei’s shoulder, "So you’re saying, going to the Capital this time, you gained quite a bit!"

Liu Fei brushed off Third Brother’s hand, trying to be modest but couldn’t help but smile, "It wasn’t that much, not as exaggerated as you say, Third Brother."

Da Lang, Sanlang, and Jinbao gathered around Qin Yao to show off their treasures too.

Da Lang had a small iron sword; as soon as he got it, he loved it, already hanging it at his waist, looking very gallant.

Second Lang received a set of comic books, illustrated with ancient mythical creatures, paired with text stories, very interesting; he planned to carry it around for some time, pulling it out to read whenever he had a spare moment.

Sanlang got a set of Nine Linked Rings; the little guy was drawn to the colorful jade materials and had no real interest in solving the puzzle, continuously chasing Si Niang to ask how many candies he could exchange for it.

Jinbao received a wooden puppet. The puppet was intricately crafted with all sorts of mechanisms that could change into various shapes. Pulling a rope from its foot, it could even spin in circles on the ground. Da Mao loved it the most, immediately tossing away the silver lock his Little Uncle had given him to chase after Jinbao, wanting to see the puppet spin.

Jinbao wasn’t willing to let his younger brother mishandle it since he was fascinated by the puppet’s mechanisms, and losing it would be a shame.

Having admired the children’s gifts, Liu Ji expectantly stretched out his hand to Liu Fei, "Where’s mine?"

Liu Fei, with disdain, glanced at him and strode back into his room, bringing out a palm-sized wooden abacus, which he tossed into Liu Ji’s embrace with a "bang." Amid Liu Ji’s ecstatic shouts of "Fourth Brother, you’re always my brother!" he put his hands behind his back, barely containing his pride, and led Qin Yao inside.

The children and Liu Laosan dispersed, leaving the adults to discuss serious matters.