Chapter 56: Do Me a Favor

An aunt who was always quiet, raising a niece who was just as silent—just imagining it, one could tell how difficult their lives must have been all these years.

Jing Xi asked, “Did her ex-husband and that cousin end up doing well?”

Zhao Qin paused for a moment before nodding. “It seems so. That woman was quite capable. She took control of the household finances and even managed to keep her younger brother-in-law completely in check. Plus, after the old lady passed away, the old man followed soon after. Without in-laws to interfere, how could she not reign supreme in that house?”

Jing Xi felt a pang of bitterness. People always said that bad people would eventually face retribution, but more often than not, it was the good ones who didn’t live long, while the wicked seemed to linger forever.

Seeing Jing Xi sitting there in deep thought, silent and solemn, Zhao Qin decided to break the silence again. “When your aunt passed away, that man actually came to take a look in secret. He took something—a small metal box. You were still little at the time, so you might not have noticed. But I’ve been wondering… Could it have contained the land lease documents?”

Jing Xi asked, “Do you know his last name? Or what he was called?”

Zhao Qin nodded. “Your aunt mentioned it once. I think his surname was Kong, but I don’t remember his full name.”

“Do you remember what he looked like?”

“Let me think… He wasn’t very tall, had double eyelids, thick eyebrows, and was on the skinny side. His height was about the same as your Uncle Zhou’s—just over 1.7 meters.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

Jing Xi carefully recalled her memories. Ever since she could remember, Yuzhu had never farmed any land.

Based on Zhao Qin’s story, it was very likely that Yuzhu had leased out her land when she first entered that informal marriage.

The land belonged to the government, and farmers only had the right to cultivate it. That meant Yuzhu had essentially rented out her land-use rights.

Jing Xi knew that Yuzhu was not a careless person. In her memories, her aunt always kept the house neat and orderly.

If she had really leased out the land, there must have been some kind of proof.

It was very likely that this proof had been taken away by someone—who then continued to collect the rent under Yuzhu’s name.

If that was the case, then in the past five years, a considerable amount of money had been involved!

Jing Xi quickly did some mental calculations. Even if the annual rent was only 100 yuan, over five years, that was 500 yuan!

If she found out which bastard had taken it, she would demand interest on top of it!

As she walked home, two possibilities ran through her mind.

First, the village land registry had been tampered with, and someone had illegally taken over Yuzhu’s land.

Second, someone had taken Yuzhu’s lease documents and was collecting the rent for themselves.

Either way, she wasn’t going to let it slide.

She just hoped that her aunt’s idiot ex-husband wasn’t the culprit. Otherwise, she would stir up enough trouble to make sure he and his wife got divorced!

On her way back, Jing Xi noticed Xiao Jie’s car again.

He was back in the village?

As she walked, she saw Xiao Jie heading toward the fields alongside several village officials. Among them was a middle-aged man she didn’t recognize.

He was dressed formally—could he be the so-called agricultural expert for “radish planting”?

She started walking toward them. Xiao Jie spotted her from a distance and walked over alone. “Jing Xi! Fancy meeting you here!”

Jing Xi nodded. “Why are you back today?”

Xiao Jie smiled. “The higher-ups were still worried, so they sent an expert to oversee the farming. I came along to escort him and also to bring you last month’s salary.”

Hearing that there was money involved, Jing Xi brightened up. “That’s great! I didn’t expect you to personally bring it over.”

Xiao Jie chuckled. “It’s no trouble. Oh, by the way, that family from last time—did they give you any more trouble?”

Jing Xi shook her head. “No, the village chief stepped in and resolved it.”

Xiao Jie nodded. “That’s good. Alright, I won’t keep you. I need to take the expert over now.”

“Okay.”

As she watched Xiao Jie turn to leave, Jing Xi suddenly remembered the man named Kong.

She called out to him.

“When are you leaving today? Last time, you said I could come to you if I needed help. Does that still stand?”

“Of course! What do you need?”

“When you’re done with your work, if you have time, I’d like to talk to you in detail. I need your help finding someone.”

“Finding someone? Sure! Wait at home—I’ll come find you when I’m finished!”

Jing Xi agreed.

With the Long family’s capabilities, finding someone should be quite easy.

After returning home, she stood by the window, taking another look at her two acres of land. She planned to grow some green onions, cilantro, tomatoes, and cucumbers—crops that weren’t too difficult to cultivate.

With the support of her special space, once the seeds were soaked in the spring water, they would surely be different from ordinary seeds.

Previously, the plants she had moved from her space had thrived, bearing large, robust fruits with great flavor. This undoubtedly boosted her confidence.

As the weather grew hotter, she decided to visit town after receiving this month’s salary from the Long family.

She planned to buy fabric for new clothes, as well as some seeds and seasonings.

Just as she was lost in thought, making plans, she saw Xiao Jie coming up from the lower dam.

Jing Xi quickly opened the door to welcome him in. He wasn’t alone—he had brought an expert with him.

“Jing Xi, this is Comrade Jin Fu, the specialist for this task,” Xiao Jie introduced.

Jing Xi politely shook hands with him.

Why did Xiao Jie bring someone else along? How were they supposed to have a private conversation now?

Seeing her thoughts, Xiao Jie reassured her as he led Jin Fu inside. “He’s one of us. Don’t worry.”

Only then did Jing Xi relax.

She poured water for the two of them and brought out some snacks for Xiao Jie. Xiao Jie, without hesitation, started eating and even shared some with Jin Fu.

“Brother Jin, try this. Jing Xi made it herself.”

Jin Fu picked up a piece and tasted it.

“So, tell me, who are you looking for?” he asked.

Jing Xi sat down. “I want to find my grandaunt’s ex-husband. He’s from Nan Town and, from what I’ve heard, works at a mine. He’s a little over 1.7 meters tall, has thick eyebrows, and double eyelids.”

Xiao Jie listened and commented, “Your grandaunt’s ex-husband… wouldn’t that make him your grandaunt’s former husband? You’ve never met him?”

“No. They divorced before I was even born.”

“No wonder. Alright, finding him won’t be difficult.”

Xiao Jie agreed so readily that Jing Xi once again couldn’t understand why the Long family kept helping her.

“You agreed so quickly?”

Xiao Jie grinned. “Why not? But you’ll have to do me a small favor in return.”

Of course.

“What is it?” she asked.

Xiao Jie smirked. “I heard your village allocated you two acres of land.”

Hah, well-informed as always.

Jing Xi raised an eyebrow. “That’s right. But how did you know?”

Xiao Jie spread his hands. “Your village chief told me this morning. I don’t even know why he bothered to tell me, but he even mentioned the exact location. I went to take a look—it’s a good plot of land!”

“It is. So, what you need me to do has something to do with my land?”

Xiao Jie snapped his fingers. “Talking to smart people is so effortless. Yes, I hope you can use your land to grow something for us.”

Jing Xi was puzzled. “What exactly?”

Xiao Jie smiled and turned to Jin Fu.

Jin Fu finally spoke. “The soil here may not be the best black soil, but our surveys show that it’s still of high quality. Plus, the climate is favorable—making it ideal for growing a particular medicinal herb.”