Chapter 250: 243: Noble _1
Chapter 250: Chapter 243: Noble _1
Late at night, Qin Niu’s origins were unclear, and if he were to commit an indecent act, it would disgrace the mistress of the house.
Soon, the mistress brought out two boiled purse-shaped eggs.
“Brother Qin, our family is poor and we don’t have much to offer you. These two eggs, please don’t disdain them, just make do and fill your stomach. If you would like to eat this cornbread, I’ll take it back to the kitchen and warm it up for you.”
The cornbread was generally made from coarse grains.
Rich families never ate this.
It was only for the servants to eat.
To offer it to a guest was indeed a bit shabby, but for some poor families, even cornbread was not enough to satisfy their hunger.
The saying goes that the full man does not understand the plight of the hungry,
and it originates from this kind of situation.
The rich get tired of eating meat and fish every day and think of changing tastes constantly.
The poor can’t even get enough rice to eat.
“Sister-in-law, please have a seat and rest. The fact that you can offer eggs to treat me is already the greatest kindness to me. Being able to meet such kind- hearted people as you in a foreign land is my fortune.”
Qin Niu saw a clean bowl on the table and picked up an egg.
He pushed it towards the mistress of the house.
“Can the child eat solid food now?”
He didn’t ask if the child was still nursing, as it might seem a bit frivolous.
“Yes, he can.”
“Let the child have this egg. Is it a boy or a girl?”
“It’s a boy.”
“I’ve heard about some of your affairs from your elder brother. Do you regret moving here?”
din Niu started to chat with her.
“There’s no such thing as regret in marriage. When I married the child’s father, although it was a bit impulsive, I had also considered the worst possible outcome.”
She took the chopsticks and began feeding the child the egg.
Qin Niu also started eating with his chopsticks.
One must always be on guard.
In front of others, to check for poison with a silver needle? That would very
likely offend them.
If she dared to feed it to the child, it meant the eggs were definitely safe.
Qin Niu wasn’t actually hungry, but he accepted their kind intentions graciously.
“Your elder brother said you’re a person with a lot of ideas. Do you have any plans for the future?”
“Hehe! My elder brother just knows how to praise me!” the woman said, revealing a happy smile.
She looked quite pretty when she smiled.
“I plan to wait until the child is a bit older and then try to make a living in Mai
City. It’s got to be better than staying here.”
“Does the child’s father have a job?”
“Him? He’s just lazy! There’s never a job he can stick with for more than three months; he’s always complaining and quitting after just a few days.”
When mentioning the child’s father, she seemed somewhat helpless.
“Forgive me for asking a rather abrupt question, but does he treat you well?” Upon hearing Qin Niu’s question, the mistress’s expression became serious, and she looked into Qin Niu’s eyes, ascertaining that he had no ulterior motives before replying, “He treats me and the child quite well, but he can’t make enough money. We can’t even get enough to eat; what’s the use of just being sweet-talked? I’ve thought it through. In future, I’ll go out and workhard to earn money, and let him stay home to look after the child.”
“That’s a good thought. I think most men would be very happy to have a wife like you. When I came in earlier, I saw a jujube tree by your door; is it yours?
“Yes! It started bearing fruit just last year, and it’s still a young tree.
“When it bears fruit this year, you can eat a few and then sell the rest.
Qin Niu said to her.
“Is there a problem with it?”
The woman was a little confused, like a monk who couldn’t make sense of it.
“Didn’t you used to work with identifying medicinal herbs? When the time comes, examine it carefully; you might find something unexpected!”
Qin Niu said lightly.
“May I use your latrine?”
“Sure, go through there. Just carry the oil lamp with you. Be careful with the stepping board, as it’s easy to miss your step.”
The woman’s home had only one oil lamp.
The dim yellow light shone on this impoverished home.
After Qin Niu took the lamp away, the room was plunged into darkness.
He went to use the bathroom.
After coming out, he chatted with the woman for a while. Some hostesses would hide in their rooms to avoid strangers.
She had roamed the outside world and was much more gracious than ordinary
women.
It wasn’t long before He Zhizhou returned.
But his brother-in-law, Lu Zhong, had not.
“Brother Qin Niu, the boat is ready, I’ll take you there now,” he said.
“Good!”
Qin Niu stood up and hoisted his basket on his back.
The hostess, holding her child, also stood up to see him off.
“Thankyou for your generous hospitality and the assistance. I don’t have much to offer in return, but here is a small gift for your child.” Qin Niu stuffed a neatly folded small paper packet into the child’s hand.
The child was a bit shy, just mechanically grasping it.
After exiting the house, he walked to a jujube tree only as thick as a knife handle and touched its trunk with his hand.
“Quite a sturdy jujube tree, sister-in-law, remember to try the fruit when it’s ripe before selling it.”
When he touched the jujube tree just now, he had already channeled a sliver of the Everlasting Spring Technique into it.
According to his experience, it should help the tree evolve to some extent.
The degree of its evolution would depend on its destiny.
He followed He Zhizhou down the path to the Tianshui River.
“Is it big brother?”
A voice came from the darkness.
“It’s me!”
After responding, Lu Zhong emerged from the bushes.
“Brother Qin Niu, hurry onto the boat!”
Lu Zhong’s clothes were dripping wet; fetching the boat must have been quite an effort.
The boat was not large and crossing the river would require skilled boatmanship.
” Aren’t you afraid the authorities will trouble you after you ferry me across the river?”
“No worries, I might not be doing well, but I have many friends. Plus, I wouldn’t be foolish enough to let others know,” said Lu Zhong before waving at He Zhizhou. “Big brother, you go back first! It will be more troublesome if you get caught later.”
“Alright, take care!”
After He Zhizhou gave his warning, he turned his gaze to Qin Niu.
“Brother Qin, don’t wander around outside during this period; it’s dangerous.
“Got it, thank you Uncle He!”
Qin Niu felt very warm inside.
Between people, kindness is the light that most easily warms the heart.
His impression of the Nine Insect Gang for their attempt to get the Green Demon’s treasure was bad, yet the subjects of the Shennong Sect left him with a very good impression.
That wasn’t to say that all of the Shennong Sect’s people were good.
For example, the boatman who reported him to the authorities had a very bad heart.
He Zhizhou and his wife, Lu Zhong, treated him with kindness, which directly made him feel favorable towards the subjects of the Shennong Sect.
In the future, when he became a person of influence, even the entire Shennong Sect’s community might benefit.
The Tianshui River was a large river that traversed lands belonging to many sects within the Hundred-Tempering Immortal Sect.
Its width was about a thousand meters or so.
As it was summer and the flooding season, the water on the river was turbulent.
Lu Zhong might not be good at many jobs, but his skill in steering a boat was exceptional.
This man should have been a fisherman on the river; at least he could make a living for his family.
It wouldn’t come to his wife and child having to eat rough cornbread every day. “Brother Lu, I see your boating skills are quite impressive!”
“Heh, I grew up by the river, it’s alright! When I was ten, I could row a bamboo raft across the river,” he said.
“Do you have any plans for the future? I chatted with your sister-in-law for a bit and she said you treat her and the child very well. She also mentioned that she wants to go work to earn money to support the family when the child is a little older. I could tell she loves you very much.”