Qiao Shu was quite happy about running into Qiao Xia Hua while shopping in the County Town today.
After all, ever since she had handed the melon seed recipes to Qiao Xia Hua, she had rarely seen this third cousin at the Qiao Family.
With no entertainment in her daily life, she slept early and rose late every day, living a thoroughly decadent routine.
Meanwhile, Qiao Xia Hua went out early and returned late, not even eating at home as she hustled with her business, her proactive energy making the utterly lazy Qiao Shu feel a bit guilty.
But in her heart, she had grown more and more admiring of this cousin.
Now, seeing that the other girl had sold almost all those melon seeds in just one morning, she admired her even more.
“Hehe, actually, business wasn’t that great today. If it were the weekend, I could sell out these two big baskets before noon!”
Qiao Xia Hua scratched her head with a hehe laugh, her sun-darkened face full of satisfaction.
“Wow! The melon seeds sell that well?”
Hearing this, Qiao Shu’s eyes widened instantly. When she had given the melon seed recipes to Qiao Xia Hua, she had guessed they would sell well, but she hadn’t imagined they would sell quite this well.
“Yeah, Shushu, our melon seeds have a one-of-a-kind flavor. Lots of people love them—hooked on our taste!”
As soon as she started talking about her little business, Qiao Xia Hua’s eyes lit up, her tone brimming with confidence.
Watching Qiao Xia Hua like this, a smile crept onto Qiao Shu’s face unbidden.
Although she believed the melon seed recipes she provided had a truly unique taste, she didn’t think Qiao Xia Hua’s great business was entirely due to those recipes.
She felt it was mostly because of Qiao Xia Hua’s diligence, willingness to work hard, business savvy, and strong execution.
“Xia Hua Jie, your business is great mostly because you’re amazing.”
Qiao Shu said sincerely, though in truth, half the reason was indeed thanks to Qiao Xia Hua.
Although Qiao Xia Hua hadn’t had much schooling, she did have a knack for business and was honest and reliable. While some vendors shorted the weight, Qiao Xia Hua always gave full measure and enthusiastically tossed in an extra handful of other flavors for customers to try.
Even if it was just a small handful of melon seeds, it left buyers with a great impression.
So many who bought from Qiao Xia Hua became repeat customers, seeking her out specifically and recommending her to friends and family.
With word-of-mouth spreading, her business naturally boomed more and more.
Seeing her pretty little cousin gazing at her with worship and admiration, those beautiful watery eyes sparkling, Qiao Xia Hua felt herself floating on air.
“No, no, it’s Shushu’s recipes that are amazing~”
In the midst of Qiao Shu and Qiao Xia Hua praising each other back and forth, the previously puzzled He Meijun finally understood. It turned out the second house’s little girl was selling melon seeds because her own daughter had given her the recipes.
And the business was booming…
“Shushu, Third Aunt, I’m off to sell more melon seeds!”
After chatting with Qiao Shu for a bit, Qiao Xia Hua waved at her and He Meijun with a grin, shouldered her carrying pole again, and continued hawking her wares door-to-door.
But as she left, taking advantage of a moment when neither noticed, she stuffed a wad of cash into Qiao Shu’s hand.
“Sister Shushu is so pretty; you gotta buy more nice clothes~!”
Watching Qiao Xia Hua’s figure hurry away, Qiao Shu blinked in a bit of bewilderment, staring at the stack of one- and two-mao bills, feeling warmth flood her heart.
When she had given the melon seed recipes to Qiao Xia Hua, she hadn’t expected any return from it.
Even when Qiao Xia Hua said she’d split the earnings fifty-fifty, she hadn’t paid it much mind.
Yet Qiao Xia Hua had taken it to heart for real…
“Shushu, where did you get those melon seed recipes from?”
Seeing her daughter lost in thought over the wad of money, He Meijun asked puzzledly, interrupting her reverie.
She was utterly baffled. Not only where had her daughter gotten the melon seed recipes, but why give them to second house’s Qiao Xia Hua instead of their own family?
Especially since her precious daughter and Qiao Xia Hua didn’t have much interaction.
“Oh, I saw them by chance in a book at the County Town library and thought they were interesting, so I jotted them down. I didn’t know Xia Hua Jie could actually fry the melon seeds according to the recipes.”
Qiao Shu explained very naturally to He Meijun’s confusion.
After all, she had prepared her story when she first brought out the melon seed recipes.
“Mom, are you upset I didn’t tell you and Dad about the melon seed recipes?”
Qiao Shu glanced guiltily at He Meijun. Back then, she had felt sorry for Qiao Xia Hua having such unreliable parents, so she just wanted to help her and completely forgot to give her own parents a money-making secret too.
Though, even if she had thought of it, she wouldn’t have dared take it out.
After all, if the family had too many money-making secrets, that reborn girl Qiao Hui would surely notice something off about her.
“What are you saying, child? Mom was just a bit curious. You and Xia Hua don’t usually interact much—why be so good to her all of a sudden?”
Seeing her precious daughter’s guilty look, He Meijun shook her head with a chuckle.
“Your dad and I have all that land to tend; where would we find time to sell melon seeds like Xia Hua?”
Seeing her mother truly didn’t mind, Qiao Shu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Mom, I just think Xia Hua Jie has it really tough. Second Aunt… she’s a bit too unreliable. I don’t want Xia Hua Jie to end up like Chunhua Jie, married off without a clue by Second Aunt, only for her to take their bride price and secretly give it to her nephew…”
Speaking of this, Qiao Shu found it unbelievable—prioritizing her nephew over her own daughters just because he was a boy.
If she hadn’t seen it in the original host’s memories as real, she wouldn’t have believed such extreme favoritism toward boys existed in the world.
Hearing her daughter say this, He Meijun nodded in understanding.
“Xia Hua really does have it tough, stuck with a headache like Xu Laidi for a mom. It’s only right you help her more…”
“Then Mom, when you get home, can you not tell anyone that Xia Hua Jie is selling melon seeds in the County Town and that business is booming?”
“Got it. I won’t say a word.”
…
The mother and daughter pair chatted in whispers as they carried their full load onto the donkey cart and headed home.
When villagers saw He Meijun and her daughter with so much fabric, they were shocked.
But upon hearing the fabric was good quality and cheap, they were full of envy.
Amid everyone’s envious and jealous gazes along the way, He Meijun returned home with her vanity greatly satisfied.
Once home, after setting down the items, He Meijun hurried to the village’s only seamstress with a sewing machine to make new clothes for Qiao Shu.
Since Qiao Shu didn’t want her mother using all the fabric on clothes just for her, she followed along to the village tailor.
After much persuasion, she finally stopped He Meijun from turning all the fabric into new clothes for her.
“Then we won’t make so many. City clothes are nicer anyway. When the time comes, let the Feng Family buy them for you!”
Seeing her mother finally change her mind and not waste all the fabric on her, Qiao Shu let out a huge sigh of relief.
After all, she was picky—not just about fabric, but also styles.
Better to save the fabric and make clothes for the Qiao Family to wear than let them gather dust at the bottom of her trunk.
Thus, under Qiao Shu’s barrage of arguments like ‘she was the Feng Family’s daughter-in-law-to-be, so they should spend their money on nice city clothes, repaying her life-saving grace with a gushing spring,’ He Meijun ultimately had the village tailor make Qiao Shu just three outfits: two skirts and one set of top and pants.
She even urged the tailor to finish quickly, since the Feng Family might come pick up her daughter any time…
“Mom, when exactly are the Feng Family coming to pick me up? It’s been so long without a word…”
Mentioning the Feng Family made Qiao Shu worry.
It had been a while since she transmigrated, and the Feng Family who were supposed to fetch her to the city to fulfill the engagement hadn’t shown up.
This made her wonder if changing the bride had caused a butterfly effect, altering the plot…
“Don’t worry. I don’t know about the others in the Feng Family, but we trust Elder Feng’s character. Since the engagement is set, someone from the Feng Family will definitely come get you to the city!”
He Meijun had no worries at all and spoke with firm assurance.
Of course, personally, she hoped the marriage would fall through.
And at this moment, she wasn’t the only one with such thoughts—there was another…
—In a certain Military Family Courtyard—
“What?! Regiment Leader Feng is getting married soon?! How is that possible? Hasn’t he been fighting on the battlefield? Where did he find a partner? And Qi Guang and little Yue don’t even know about this. If Regiment Leader Feng were marrying, it’d need the kids’ approval, right? Since she’d become their mother…”