Chapter 17

As time went on, wherever she dug with her hoe, bamboo shoots would inevitably spring up. In no time at all, there was a heap of winter bamboo shoots at her feet.

When she called Qin Feng over to help carry them, Qin Feng was amazed: “How did you find so many?”

Tao Hua herself was even more surprised than Qin Feng. “I don’t know; it’s just my lucky day! These are enough for us to eat for several meals. But with so many, how are we going to carry them home?”

“I’ll handle it,” Qin Feng said, quickly weaving a simple basket out of fine bamboo sticks.

He placed the smaller bamboo shoots into the basket, while the larger ones he tied up with vine and carried in his hand, not letting Tao Hua do any heavy lifting at all.

Tao Hua wanted to help lighten his load. “It’s fine, Brother Qin, I can carry some!”

Qin Feng glanced at her. “You’re still young; how much strength do you have? Just help me by holding the hatchet.”

The hatchet wasn’t heavy at all, and Tao Hua felt quite pleased. Her Brother Qin was really too good to her.

She was already planning to make something delicious for him when they got back.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much rice left at home, so today they could only have porridge. But they still had some meat, which should fill their stomachs.

Before long, the two returned home through the back door.

Tao Hua followed behind Qin Feng, and as she was about to close the door, Qin Feng suddenly turned around and said to her, “It sounds like someone is calling for you.”

“Ah?” Tao Hua was a bit confused. “Who is calling me? There are only the two of us here.”

“It’s coming from the front door—a woman’s voice.”

“Really? I didn’t hear anything.”

Despite saying that, Tao Hua quickened her pace towards the front yard.

As she walked, she soon heard the voice that Qin Feng mentioned; it was Sun Xiaolan.

Tao Hua couldn’t help but exclaim, “Brother Qin, your hearing is really good! It’s my friend coming to look for me. I’ll go open the door now!”

Qin Feng responded with an “mm” and reached out his hand. “Give me the hatchet and hoe; your clothes are covered in dirt.”

Tao Hua obediently handed the hatchet and hoe to Qin Feng, then bent down to wipe off the dirt from her clothes before speeding up to the front.

“Xiao lan, you’re here!” As soon as she saw Sun Xiaolan, a bright smile blossomed on her face.

Sun Xiaolan peered behind Tao Hua and asked, “Where’s your man? Isn’t he at home?”

“He is. He went to the storage room to put something away. I found a lot of winter bamboo shoots on the back mountain just now; I’ll bring some for you later since I remember you like them.”

Sun Xiaolan’s expression became serious. “That’s not urgent; I have something to discuss with you.”

“Then let’s go inside and talk. Don’t just stand out here,” Tao Hua said as she welcomed Sun Xiaolan into the house.

As they entered, Sun Xiaolan looked around and remarked, “Your yard is quite spacious, but why is the house so small? There’s only one room? The sleeping area and the main room are combined; it must be inconvenient when guests come over.”

“That’s true,” Tao Hua replied with a smile. “We can talk about it when the weather warms up next year. Actually, this yard is new; when I got married, there wasn’t even a fence.”

“Really? It’s clear that having a woman around really makes a difference in managing the household. But I didn’t come here to chat about that; I wanted to ask you…”

Sun Xiaolan frowned. “Did that old Wang woman’s two sons come to your house to cause trouble today?”

“Yes, how did you know?” Tao Hua quickly reacted, feeling anxious. “Did those two go to the village chief to report us?”

“Yes, those two rascals came in with bruises all over, claiming you and your husband beat them up. They were crying and demanding that my grandpa arbitrate for them. Is that true?”

“Yes, we did teach them a lesson, but they were the ones who kicked down my gate and barged in.

If they had talked nicely, we wouldn’t have laid a hand on them.

They really are the first to complain like villains! How can they be so malicious?!”

“Calm down,” Sun Xiaolan said hurriedly as she saw Tao Hua fuming. “I hadn’t finished speaking. I’m just trying to understand the situation first.

I’ll tell you, my grandpa is sharp and definitely won’t be fooled by them. Those two brothers are no good; my grandpa gets a headache whenever they come to complain.

They claimed you and your husband hit them, so my grandpa asked them why they went to your house, what they were doing there, and how they got in. As soon as he pressed them with questions, they exposed themselves.

My grandpa knew they had no good intentions, gave them a scolding, and kicked the two brothers out.

But they left cursing, and while they won’t report to my grandpa anymore, I’m worried they’ll still come to cause trouble for you, so I came to give you a heads-up.”

“They shouldn’t dare come back, right?” Tao Hua frowned. “Brother Qin subdued them easily; if they come again, they’ll just get beaten again.”

“That may be true, but you can’t be with your man all day long. What if he goes hunting in the mountains and doesn’t come back for a couple of days? You need to be careful.”

Tao Hua nodded. “Okay, I will. Thank you, Xiaolan. Why don’t you stay for lunch at my place? I’ll make you rabbit stew with bamboo shoots.”