Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 119 - 118: Little Cotton Jacket

Chapter 119: Chapter 118: Little Cotton Jacket
Qin Yao took a comfortable nap, and when she woke up, the sun was already setting in the west, casting a beautiful glow across the sky.
The aroma of rice wafted from the kitchen as Second Lang carefully carried in a bowl of loofah egg soup.
Sanlang and Si Niang acted like faithful guards beside their Second Brother. Although they didn’t personally carry the dishes, their expressions showed they were doing their best.
Seeing Qin Yao awake, Si Niang immediately shifted her attention over, leaning on her Mother’s knee, "Mother, are you thirsty?"
"Hmm, a little."
"Then I’ll go pour you some water."
Si Niang quickly got up and went to the long table behind her, tiptoed to carefully lower a long-spouted ceramic jug onto the dining table, then fetched Qin Yao’s usual bamboo cup, filled it with water, and handed it to her.
Long ago, when they built the water mill, several bamboo segments were left over. Qin Yao picked them up and crafted six water cups.
Each cup had a name carved on it. Hers was inscribed with an abstract "Yao" character.
The ones for the four siblings were marked with numbers one, two, three, and four, easily recognizable.
Qin Yao drank the water while waiting for dinner, and Liu the carpenter arrived.
Before entering, he took a detour to the back of the house to check on Old Huang, who was grazing, and then entered the house with a surprised look.
"Struck it rich?" Liu the carpenter teased.
Due to their cooperation on the waterwheel project, they were on familiar terms. Liu the carpenter treated Qin Yao’s house as his own, effortlessly finding a wooden stool and sitting at the dining table.
Smelling the enticing aroma of meat, he lifted the cover to look at the dishes, his eyes widening instantly.
"What have you been up to?" He seemed a little shocked this time.
Qin Yao replaced the cover without the intention of inviting him for a meal, smiling as she said, "Indeed, I made a small sum of hard-earned money."
Since she would be spending money later and everyone would find out anyway, and given this was the countryside and not the county town, she wasn’t worried about standing out.
In fact, it was necessary to stand out a bit so others wouldn’t think her family was easy to bully.
Qin Yao casually mentioned that she had helped the government eliminate the bandits by taking up the reward notice.
Liu the carpenter was here to inform Qin Yao that the batch of waterwheels was complete and asked her to join him the day after tomorrow to deliver and install them for the customers.
He was a bit thrown off by hearing about the beheading of Xiang Wang and almost forgot to mention the main business to Qin Yao.
After finally wrapping up his story, Qin Yao saw him off out of the house. He wandered in a daze, not even sure when he had reached the open space by the village well.
As a result, after Qin Yao’s family finished a sumptuous, delicious dinner, the courtyard gate was knocked on with loud thuds.
Da Lang was washing dishes with Si Niang, while Second Lang and Sanlang ran to open the door.
As they opened the door, a blinding blaze of torchlight appeared, making the brothers step back several paces in alarm.
The village chief, the clan leader, and members of the Liu Family’s old house, along with many villagers, had all arrived.
Qin Yao raised an eyebrow in surprise, wondering what on earth this was about.
She dared not invite so many people inside and instead stood up, walked to the gate, and asked in puzzlement, "What brings everyone here?"
Old Liu was the first to ask, "Third Lang’s family, Liu the carpenter said the government has taken down the bandits, is that true?"
Qin Yao nodded, "Yes, it’s true. The government’s people should come to announce it to the villages tomorrow."
The village chief asked, "When did this happen?"
"Just this morning, and it’s already spread across the county town."
The dark clouds hanging over the people’s hearts dispersed just like that, and the villagers could hardly believe it.
"That’s wonderful, truly wonderful!" The clan leader was so moved that his eyes turned red.
Some village elders immediately knelt down in the direction of the county town, bowing deeply, "Thank you, Lord, thank you, Lord—"
Others, now sure of the news, grabbed torches and rushed downhill, spreading the word, and the village was filled with joy.
When the crowd dispersed a little, the village chief, the clan leader, and the people from the Liu Family’s old house remained.
They all exchanged glances, and it was up to Old Liu to tentatively ask Qin Yao:
"Liu the carpenter said you took up the reward notice, is that true?"
"It’s true." Qin Yao’s quick admission left Old Liu wide-eyed, stunned for a couple of seconds before asking, "You beheaded Xiang Wang?"
Qin Yao replied, "To be precise, I beheaded Xiang Wang and the three generals by his side."
"Look." She pointed to the back of the house, "The horse I rode back on was a reward from Lord County Magistrate."
The village chief and clan leader gasped in unison, "You even met Lord County Magistrate?"
Qin Yao nodded, "Lord County Magistrate was quite grateful to me."
Immediately, the two old men’s view of her changed completely.
Now, in their eyes, Qin Yao was no longer an ordinary commoner with some martial skills, but a bandit-destroying heroine, acknowledged by the local government, the County Magistrate!
Qin Yao let out a big yawn, "Sorry, I haven’t slept for a day and a night, feeling a bit tired."
The village chief and the clan leader quickly urged her to rest well and wisely took their leave.
At the gate, only Old Liu and his three sons remained, their expressions complicated, unsure of what to say to Qin Yao.
After a moment of odd silence, Liu Bai mentioned that the stone mill had been ground and advised Qin Yao to rest assured. He also reminded her to lock the door and rest, saying any issues could wait until tomorrow.
"Dad, you all wait a moment."
Qin Yao stopped the four, went back into the house, and brought out another unopened oiled paper package to hand to Liu Fei.
The young man’s nose sniffed, and his eyes brightened instantly, "Thank you, Third Sister-in-law!"
"You’re welcome, I just brought you some while I was at it, freshly made by a chef at a county town restaurant."
Qin Yao mentioned that there was no place for her horse to sleep yet, and Old Liu waved a big hand, reassuring her. He promised to come the next day to help build a shelter for Old Huang.
Qin Yao watched the four descend the mountain, then turned and went to the back of the house. She took off the saddle from the horse, brought it inside, fetched a bucket of water for it, locked the house, washed the dirty clothes, the whole family washed up simply, and everyone went back to their rooms to sleep.
She slept deeply and for a long time, dreaming several strange dreams, full of bizarre imagery.
In her dreams, apocalyptic ruined skyscrapers intertwined with prosperous ancient courtyards, Xiang Wang’s head and the County Magistrate’s face appeared repeatedly, until she woke a bit more consciously at dawn, finally ending these dreams.
When she woke up refreshed after a second round of sleep, Liu Bai and Liu Zhong were already busy outside the back door.
In the eyes of the Liu Family Village’s villagers, bamboo was the most convenient and easiest building material to use. When needed, they could cut a few from the bamboo forest, trim the branches a bit, and use them directly.
Bamboo was also easy to drill holes into. Thick hemp ropes passed through the holes, tying two bamboo segments together.
The stable was being built next to the back door, leaning against a courtyard wall, making it more convenient to set up.
Da Lang and Second Lang had already finished their morning exercises and were helping their uncles.
Sanlang and Si Niang sat at the desk in their room, shaking their heads as they recited the morning reading task given by their Second Brother. Their eyes weren’t fully open yet, looking dazed and adorable.
Although Liu Ji, the cook, had gone to the academy, Qin Yao didn’t need to cook.
After getting dressed and coming out to wash, the older children had already kept the breakfast millet porridge warm on the stove.
Having seen many troublesome kids before, Qin Yao felt very comforted in her heart.