“We apologize for the intrusion. We’ll leave first,” Bai Yiqiao said.

  Ning Shu: →_→


  Bai Yiqiao’s sudden change in attitude made her seem like a nutjob. She changed her attitude way too quickly. Even Ning Shu was shocked until she realized that Bai Yiqiao was doing this for Fang Yong.

  Ning Shu laughed inwardly. This was why she said Bai Yiqiao couldn’t get rid of the small-minded attitude of a concubine. She was still using the methods she learned as a concubine to deal with men.

  A real husband and wife would talk things through and respect each other equally. But in ancient times, this was obviously impossible.

  However, this method was very rewarding for Bai Yiqiao. The numerous men who had amorous feelings towards her were all men in high positions which increased Bai Yiqiao’s value and attractiveness. When people fought over an object, the object increased in value. In this way, Fang Yong would dote on her all his life, never taking in a concubine.

  Fang Yong stood up, handed the two pheasants in his hand to Chen Li, and said, “This is the game I caught today. Here, try some. It’s been a little tense between us recently but we’re neighbors and we’ll cross paths often. As neighbors, we’ll often need to help each other out. If we’re in the wrong, I hope you don’t take it to heart.”


  Chen Li looked at the two pheasants, not knowing whether he should pick them up. He couldn’t help but look at Ning Shu. Ning Shu lightly nodded.

  Fang Yong obtained so much money for doing nothing. It was letting him off easily to just eat his two pheasants.

  Chen Li took the pheasants with a smile and said, “It’s okay. It’s normal for neighbors to have disputes from time to time. Thank you for the pheasants.”


  Ning Shu: …


  Even if Fang Yong could hunt and sell all the pheasants on the mountain, he would still not be able to earn eighty taels. Fang Yong could really handle matters neatly.

  He knew when to advance and when to retreat. It didn’t matter whether he got more money by coming to their house or not. He could handle the situation either way.

  Sure enough, his success was not accidental. Fang Yong was able to smoothly rise to officialdom in the end. In addition to his excellent physical skills, a sharp mind was also indispensable for success.

  To be honest, Fang Yong was a man who could be entrusted with a woman’s life. That’s why Bai Yiqiao tried to deal with Chen Ermei in this way.

  Father Chen knocked his pipe on the table and said to Fang Yong, “Fang Yong, only our families know about this matter. Make sure it doesn’t get out.”


  Fang Yong nodded. “Uncle Chen, I know. Don’t worry. ”


  After Fang Yong and Bai Yiqiao left, Ning Shu sighed. In her opinion, Fang Yong didn’t deserve to get a single share of the money. But since he showed up at the time, a share of the money had to go to him, otherwise a disaster might occur.

  Damned deceitful heavens, they used her hands to give Fang Yong money. The autumn harvest would be coming soon and riots were getting more frequent everywhere.

  With this money, Fang Yong could pave his way easily once he joined the army.

  Ning Shu recalled that in their previous lives, Fang Yong caught a white tiger before joining the army. That tiger’s skin and bones made him a lot of money.

  Forget it. Although the loss gnawed at Ning Shu, the money she received could be considered her payment for painstakingly digging up the ginseng.

  “Ermei, do you think we should stew or braise these pheasants?” Chen Li asked Ning Shu, carrying the two pheasants.

  Ning Shu rolled her eyes. Look at how stupid he looked, it was only two pheasants, but he looked so delighted.

  “Braise one and stew the other,” Ning Shu said.

  Lady Li said, “Let’s stew both. Your father’s teeth aren’t very good.”


  “Alright, both of them will be stewed in soup.” Chen Li went to kill the pheasants.

  ?Chapter 1741: Food Was in Short Supply

  The weather was getting hotter and the sky remained cloudless. Father Chen was still hoping for it to rain on the fields, but the soil in the fields was almost completely cracked from the drought.

  Father Chen stopped hoping for a miracle. He took some money and went to buy food. By this time, the price of the food was 10% higher than it used to be. Due to the riots, food was in short supply.

  Father Chen felt a little regretful.

  It wasn’t that Father Chen, who has lived a long life, was stupid, but poor people were reluctant to spend any of the money in their hands, let alone spend it on buying food.

  As for Ning Shu, she would occasionally go to town. The ginseng incident gave Ning Shu a bit of say in the house. Generally, Father Chen would grant any request Ning Shu made that wasn’t unreasonable.

  Occasionally, Ning Shu would meet Bai Yiqiao who was also going to town. When Bai Yiqiao saw Ning Shu, her expression remained indifferent and she wouldn’t speak. She was extremely cold towards Ning Shu.

  Ning Shu didn’t care about Bai Yiqiao at all. She just did whatever she had to do.

  Ning Shu would also go to Li Gouzi’s house at night every once in a while. Li Gouzi was never at home though and there was no clue as to where he was. Ning Shu even started suspecting that Li Gouzi had been dealt with by a third party.

  Ning Shu surreptitiously glanced at Bai Yiqiao who was sitting in the same carriage. Was it Bai Yiqiao who got rid of Li Gouzi? Bai Yiqiao had been trying to force her to get together with Li Gouzi.

  Bai Yiqiao looked at Chen Ermei who was sitting opposite her. When Bai Yiqiao saw Chen Ermei’s calm look, a sense of dread filled her.

  Bai Yiqiao glanced at the clothes Chen Ermei was wearing. They were mediocre without any bright colors, the fabric was worn out, she didn’t wear any jewelry on her body or in her hair, and her skin was tanned. Bai Yiqiao was unquestionably prettier than her.

  What made Fang Yong cherish Chen Ermei so much in her previous life?

  She remembered the Chen Ermei she saw in her previous life. She wore magnificent official attire with numerous hairpins in a complex hair bun. It was indescribably luxurious.

  That image haunted Bai Yiqiao. She wouldn’t be able to rest until she exorcized it.

  The two reached town without speaking the entire time and parted ways.

  Ning Shu went to the pharmacy in town and bought some medicine and some acupuncture needles. After the disaster, there would be a major epidemic. If she prepared medicine, she wouldn’t panic if something happened.

  Since this task was a counterattack, she had to be careful. She couldn’t lose her life in this troubled world.

  Ning Shu exchanged the silver in her hand for some materials like cotton, cloth, and some grain. After the rebellion started spreading, an ingot of gold might not be able to buy even a steamed bun.

  Even though Chen Ermei enjoyed high status and wealth in the latter half of her life, that didn’t mean that she didn’t experience her fair share of suffering.

  Originally, when Fang Yong went to join the army, it wasn’t just any army but a revolutionary army. To the imperial court, it was a rebellious army full of traitors. There were definitely officials who wanted to capture the family members of any traitors.

  While Chen Ermei was pregnant, she took Fang Yong’s old and poor-sighted mother and fled to find Fang Yong. But Fang Yong’s mother died on the way.

  To give Fang Yong’s mother a proper resting site, Chen Ermei cremated Fang Yong’s mother and traveled all the way to find Fang Yong with his mother’s ashes.

  During troubled times, in order to survive and in order to fill one’s stomach, anything could be done. A woman with a child was practically a moving granary. She could get killed by a deranged person who would eat her and drink her blood.

  Chen Ermei wanted to protect herself and her child, as well as her chastity. The hardships Chen Ermei went through were unimaginable. Bai Yiqiao only saw Chen Ermei when Chen Ermei was enjoying prosperity and wealth because of Fang Yong. It never occurred to her how much suffering Chen Ermei must have gone through.

  Even Chen Ermei’s paternal family was implicated and the issue was only solved by paying double the grain tax. However, the Chen family became extremely poor and they couldn’t even afford their next meal.

  If one desired to wear a crown, one must bear its weight.

  In contrast, Bai Yiqiao originally broke her engagement with Fang Yong because Fang Yong’s family conditions weren’t good and he was only a hunter who wasn’t worthy of her.

  When Fang Yong became famous, she saw Chen Ermei wearing exquisite brocade and felt that Chen Ermei had stolen something that belonged to her, that Chen Ermei only picked up what she had thrown away.

  But when Bai Yiqiao was reborn and became Fang Yong’s wife, she had never experienced the hardship or the suffering of being a fugitive.