The crisp autumn days were wonderful. Besides accompanying their grandfather to the seaside to collect seafood every other day, Qi He and Fu Xin Ci would take a group of children up the mountain to gather firewood.
Seeing the firewood pile in their shed grow, Qi He felt a great sense of accomplishment.
The adults in Wujia Village were also envious and jealous, secretly ordering their own children to go up the mountain and collect firewood.
Most of the children here were obedient. To avoid freezing like in previous years, as their elders had warned, they were happy to go and gather dry branches together.
However, where there were willing, there were unwilling, especially He Xiao Ni, who had been treating herself like a young lady for the past two years.
When He Liu Shi asked her to collect firewood, she was a thousand times unwilling, crying and refusing, "Our family always had people deliver firewood to us before. Why shouldn't they continue this year?"
He Liu Shi also wanted those people to keep delivering. Seeing that there was no firewood left at home, she went over and instructed them herself. But those people declined with various excuses.
He Liu Shi was not foolish; she was rather shrewd. How could she not see the reason? It was because after that little brat Qi He arrived, Qi Yuan Shan no longer favored their family.
The people in the village were all sharp. Seeing that Qi Yuan Shan was ignoring them and instead getting close to the Meng Second Master's family, they no longer cared about their family.
Thinking about it made her angry. That little brat, instead of being close to his own maternal relatives, was so chummy with the Meng family, whom he had no relation to. He called them "Grandpa Meng" one after another, and one would think he was their own grandfather.
What was even more infuriating was that he now lived at the Meng family's residence. How much benefit did Qi Yuan Shan get? It was all given to the Meng family.
The more He Liu Shi thought about it, the more annoyed she became. Her daughter, this girl, had also developed a spoiled appetite over the past two years, her body pampered. She absolutely refused to do the firewood collecting.
Alas, she was so vexed! What should she do!
He Xiao Ni ignored her mother's sighing and stomped angrily towards Meng Second Master's house. She wanted to ask Qi He if he was even human!
He helped strangers he met later instead of his own proper relatives. Was he an idiot?
At this moment, Qi He, who was being called an idiot, was flipping through the seafood drying on the straw mats and talking to Fu Jie Jie.
"So much dried shrimp, squid, and clam meat. When will we ever finish eating it all?"
"If we can't finish it, we'll sell it."
"Sell it to whom? Will anyone buy it?"
"Of course, someone will buy it. We can sell these things to the traveling merchants."
"Alas, if only Uncle Wu and the others were here."
"Uncle Wu and the others have definitely gone back, but it doesn't matter. There are others."
"Yes, Xin Ci is right."
"Dad."
"Uncle Qi."
"Yeah, yeah."
Qi Yuan Shan responded to the two children with his mouth, but his eyes scanned the straw mats. "We don't need to find traveling merchants to sell these things."
"Sell them to whom?" Qi He was most concerned about this question.
"If we have a lot of dried seafood, Dad can go to the Thousand Household Office and ask the Thousand Household Commander, or go to the Cao family in Ningyuan City. Their family does business between the capital and Liaodong. They should like this dried seafood."
"Then Dad, hurry and go ask them."
Hearing his son's words, Qi Yuan Shan frowned slightly and said, "Although our goods are good, the quantity is small. It won't reach their required amount, I'm afraid." Qi Yuan Shan didn't want such good products to be undervalued.
Fu Xin Ci saw that Uncle Qi hesitated and guessed there might be a reason. She comforted Qi Ge, "It's okay. At worst, we'll eat it ourselves. We can have hot pot a few more times in winter, and it will be gone."
Qi He thought Fu Jie Jie was very generous. He absolutely would not admit that Fu Jie Jie was extravagant. "But there's so much! When will we finish eating it? Also, we have to go collect seafood again tomorrow."
"Isn't that simple? If we really can't eat it all, we can take it to the restaurants in the city and ask. Our products are so good, we won't worry about finding buyers."
"Xin Ci is right. We can take them to the restaurants in the city and ask."
He Xiao Ni, stomping over in anger to confront them, happened to see her uncle here and was so frightened that she immediately turned around and ran back.
Qi Yuan Shan had his back to her and didn't see. Both Qi He and Fu Xin Ci saw her.
Thinking of a certain person's annoying temper, Qi He's little face instantly drooped.
Fu Xin Ci, however, was indifferent. She never actively sought trouble, not because she was so good-natured, but because she had her principles.
For those who provoked her, she would not let it slide. She would usually settle it with a good beating. If one beating wasn't enough, she'd give them two.
Afterward, she would cheerfully say: Guaranteed satisfaction.
See, how good is that? This is the unique demeanor of her, Fu Xin Ci, which ordinary people can't imitate.
Qi Yuan Shan thought his son was worried about the dried seafood, so he stepped forward and patted his son's small shoulder to comfort him, "Xiao He, don't worry. In a couple of days, Dad will go to the Thousand Household Office and ask. Our goods are good, the Thousand Household Commander will want them."
Qi Yuan Shan knew that the Thousand Household Commander Lei's relatives were in the capital, and he bought some gifts to send to the capital every year before the snow.
Seeing Uncle Qi and Qi Ge worrying about such a small matter, Fu Xin Ci really wanted to say that if they saw what was in her space, she wondered if they would worry themselves into sleepless nights.
The next day, they got up early again. The boys also came over after breakfast, waiting for Commander Qi to arrive so they could go to the seaside together.
The crisp autumn weather always lifted everyone's spirits.
Especially today, Yu Er insisted on following, and Ke Er couldn't coax him down.
Meng Yu Luo, who had been raised for so many days, also clamored that he could work and insisted on going to the seaside today.
Seeing that both boys wanted to go, Grandpa Meng didn't stop them. "Go, then. But we have to agree, you can't run around at the seaside."
The big and small boys, seeing their grandfather agree, immediately grinned and climbed onto the donkey cart, afraid that if they were too slow, their grandfather would change his mind.
Led by Qi Yuan Shan, the group drove the donkey cart towards the pine forest.
Seeing that the grass on the ground had already been imprinted with cart tracks due to their frequent passing, Qi Yuan Shan began to discuss with Uncle Meng.
"Uncle Meng, our houses on our side are completed. Should we also start building the road from our side to the seaside?"
"Yes, as soon as you're done with your work on your side, bring them over, and we'll start repairing the road."
"Yes, I'll listen to you, Uncle. I can bring them over tomorrow."
"That would be great! I've been waiting for this day."
Fu Xin Ci sat behind her grandfather, listening quietly. As they were about to reach the seaside, Fu Xin Ci suddenly had an idea.
She mulled it over in her mind again and again, and thought it was feasible.