Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 88 - 87: Don’t Make Me Slap You

Chapter 88: Chapter 87: Don’t Make Me Slap You
Qin Yao was worrying about how to carry the purchased items back when she encountered people from Lower River Village, who were also out shopping with an ox cart.
Qin Yao gave them ten cents, and they agreed to take her to Liu Family Village.
Having a cart was indeed convenient. The items of both families were placed on the cart, and there was still space. Qin Yao sat in it all the way to her doorstep.
Being away from home for a month felt neither long nor short, and it seemed like nothing changed in the small mountain village. Everyone greeted Qin Yao warmly upon seeing her.
The rice in the fields had grown tall and green. The mountain breeze stirred up waves of lush greenery, making one feel relaxed and delighted.
From afar, Qin Yao’s heart flew over upon seeing the small courtyard on the hillside across the river.
At the water mill below the hill, Da Lang and his siblings were sitting on stone blocks, holding branches and practicing writing in a wooden tray filled with sand, while also keeping an eye on those sly characters trying to grind their grain for free.
During the month Qin Yao was away, Liu Ji had already caught those freeloaders and led several brothers from home to teach them a lesson.
Now, those with little tricks up their sleeves were much more restrained, but they still had to be cautious at home.
Liu. Money-grabbing. Ji: One cent is still money!
Tall aquatic grasses grew around the water mill, which made Da Lang and his siblings, seated there, unaware of Qin Yao’s arrival.
Instead, it was Liu Ji, who, from the perfect vantage point of the hill, first spotted the approaching ox cart carrying someone toward their home.
Upon closer look—well, what a surprise—Qin Yao is back!
And she’s even riding an ox cart; surely those are all the things she bought.
She has such a good appetite, there’s bound to be some meaty dishes tonight!
Liu Ji, in his excitement, nearly stumbled while stepping out of the latrine, grabbing onto the door for support to steady himself.
Dusting off his clothes, he tidied his hair with a charming smile he thought dashing, and raced down the hill.
Waving his hands, he shouted, "Wife! Wife!"
The whole riverside echoed with his calls, causing Qin Yao in the cart to frown and think of him as such an embarrassing fool!
The cart driver looked over with an ambiguous expression, "Miss Qin, you and your husband are so loving, just look at how happy he is."
All Qin Yao could manage was an awkward yet polite smile.
With Liu Ji’s shout, the siblings in the water mill sprang up in surprise and delight, seeing the ox cart and its occupants on the bridge, they yelled and rushed forward.
Sanlang and Si Niang: "Mother!"
Da Lang and Second Lang: "Auntie!"
Qin Yao responded to each in turn, waving them aside to clear the way, then jumped off the cart. Together, the five of them escorted the ox cart to their door.
Liu Ji first flashed a diligent smile at Qin Yao, took her mocking eye-roll without offense, and helped the cart driver unload everything and move it inside.
He even politely thanked the driver, inviting him in for water, but the driver was hurrying back to Lower River Village, so Qin Yao didn’t insist he stay.
Once the driver left, Qin Yao held the hands of two kids, laughing as she led them inside amid their eager inquiries.
"Are all the things put away?"
Liu Ji replied, "The grains are stored in the pantry, and I hung the meat up. We’ll cook a meat dish for lunch, and I’ll render the rest into lard for longer storage."
The hot weather made storing meat and vegetables difficult.
Still, Qin Yao hadn’t bought too much, "We can make soup with two pounds of ribs tonight; fresh makes the best broth."
Liu Ji nodded in agreement.
While Qin Yao wasn’t home, the five of them only prepared breakfast and dinner, casually handling lunch, but now that Qin Yao was back, they could keep half a pound of meat aside to cook a dish for lunch.
Naturally, Liu Ji lit the fire, first setting the rice to cook. It was around 11:30 in the morning, still early enough to wash the vegetables and cut the meat to have everything ready for later.
Had he not feared Qin Yao’s displeasure, he could barely wait this long.
Finished with the prep, he immediately headed to the hall, fondly touching the linen fabric, "Did you buy so much cloth to make summer clothes?"
Qin Yao had put down her weapons and returned with the bag full of books, nodding, "After lunch, take the cloth to the old house with a pound of meat, and ask the two sisters-in-law to make a set for each of us."
"There should be quite a bit of cloth left over, right?"
Although Liu Ji couldn’t make clothes, he had seen it done; two adults and four kids wouldn’t take a whole bolt of cloth.
Qin Yao scoffed, "If you could sew clothes yourself, we wouldn’t have this extra expense."
Liu Ji chuckled awkwardly, "Oh wife, you’re joking again; how many men ever sew clothes? I’d be the laughingstock!"
Yet he was reluctant to gift both meat and cloth, stalling, "Perhaps skip the meat; we’re close relatives, surely they wouldn’t mind."
Qin Yao set down the heavy package of cloth, noticing Da Lang and his siblings eagerly waiting around the two bags of snacks, she helped open the paper packages for them.
"Oh, snacks too? These aren’t sold in town, are they?" Liu Ji skeptically looked at Qin Yao.
There were eight pieces in each flavor; Qin Yao picked six of each, leaving the rest for Jinbao, Jinhua, and the two elders, instructing Liu Ji to take them to the old house too.
"These were extra from Mr. Ding," Qin Yao explained.
Liu Ji gave a knowing nod and took over the snack distribution, first stuffing a piece of mung bean cake into his mouth—the sandy texture and perfect sweetness made for a very refreshing treat.
Eyeing the four pieces Qin Yao set aside, he reached out to draw them nearer to himself.
"Jinbao and Jinhua have everything they want, Big Brother and Second Brother dote on their kids; ours have never had such fine snacks, let’s keep them at home..."
Before he could finish, Qin Yao took the four snacks away, placing them with the linen, "I heard Da Lang say you teamed up with Big Brother, Second Brother, and Little Brother to beat someone up?"
He is diligent when asking for help but stingy when it comes to sharing rewards, isn’t he afraid of upsetting people?
"Da Lang, you spoke too quickly!" Liu Ji tapped his eldest son’s head. Da Lang, enjoying his snack, nearly bit his tongue at this.
"Auntie~" Da Lang looked at his stepmother with a wronged expression.
Qin Yao raised her hand and gave Liu Ji’s head a slap, "The moment I get home, you’re asking for trouble, aren’t you?"
Liu Ji’s head rang with stars, yet he bore it, not wanting to lose face in front of the kids, inhaling through his teeth, "Wife, I’m only thinking of our family..."
"I know what you’re thinking." Qin Yao glared at Liu Ji, "Have some foresight, okay?"
While munching on the snack, Liu Ji muttered to himself about having foresight, wondering if it was edible.
The sweetness in his mouth contrasted with the bitterness inside, covering his heart as he stared at the cloth, meat, and snacks soon to be given away, unsure if his head or heart hurt more. It hurt all over.
"Why did you buy so much paper?"
After a brief quiet, with the snacks gone, curiosity crept back into Liu Ji.
The odd vibe since he saw Qin Yao during the Dragon Boat Festival in town returned, giving him a nagging feeling something wasn’t right.