After speaking, Qiao Xin suddenly realized—this wasn’t her own son!

Her actions had been a little too affectionate.

Feeling awkward, she touched her nose and quickly changed the topic, “There’s a Taoist temple on Xishan in Weizhou Prefecture. Later, let’s all go and pray to Lord Wenchang for a good luck charm to bless you with success in your exams!”

Qiao Yunqing immediately agreed and started talking about the progress of land reclamation at home.

When he heard that Qiao Xin had led a group of people to reclaim nearly a thousand acres of land in just two months, essentially taking over all the wasteland in Laohu Town, his hands trembled so much that he almost dropped his teacup.

“So much? How is that possible? That’s wasteland, not fertile farmland!”

“I got some new farming tools that are much more efficient. As for manpower, I really have to thank Hengwen for sending so many people to help me. These young men are full of energy and very hardworking. Plus, I hired over twenty more workers myself, and the villagers also lent a hand, With all of that combined, we managed to reclaim this much land.” Qiao Xin smiled.

“If it weren’t for the fact that a few hundred acres in the south had to be reserved for other villagers, our family would own all the wasteland in Laohu Town. I came today to register the land contracts with the local administrator.”

Qiao Xin calmly recounted the past two months, “With this land, plus the hundred acres of fertile farmland in the south of the city, our family now has a small fortune.”

The others were puzzled. “Why would the villagers help you?”

“I lent them extra farming tools for free. In return, for every five acres they reclaimed, they had to clear one acre for me.”

A win-win cooperation—this never goes out of style!

Qiao Yunqing was a little worried. “Mother, with so much land, how will we manage it all?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already planned it out. We’ll plant cotton, soybeans, and hemp in the reclaimed fields, while the fertile land will be used for grain. This year, the main goal is to improve the soil, so we don’t need to worry too much about the yield.”

With the system’s high-quality seeds, the harvest wouldn’t be bad no matter what.

But there was no need to tell them that!

“Cotton seeds aren’t easy to find. Hardly anyone grows them because they’re not very useful. Even wealthy families only plant a few for decoration. The cloth made from cotton isn’t as soft as silk, and its yield isn’t as high as linen.”

“I know the full potential of cotton, which is why I’m planting it on a large scale. Don’t worry.”

Qiao Xin took out a thick stack of blueprints and handed them over. “Brother Niu Dabo, you and your brother will be busy for at least six months with this work. These parts will take too long for them to make alone. See if you can hire more craftsmen. I’ve broken everything down into separate components so different carpenters can work on them without realizing what the final product is.”

The blueprints she gave him were none other than designs for a hand-cranked spinning wheel, winding machine, warp and weft looms, large weaving machines, and cotton processing tools.

“This much?” Qiao Yunqing was shocked. Where had Qiao Xin gotten such valuable knowledge?

These designs alone could bring a lifetime of wealth and glory.

“These are just basic designs. In Jiangnan, where silk is produced, these machines are common. They’re just rare here. I simply don’t want to pay high prices to import them.” Qiao Xin explained.

“Got it! I’ll keep an eye out and send workers your way.”

Just as Qiao Xin was feeling pleased that she could finally take a break, she realized her plan might not go as smoothly as she had hoped…

The next morning, the entire Qiao family, young and old, rode two ox carts to the Taoist temple on Xishan.

During spring, the temple was bustling with worshippers praying for academic success, marriage, wealth, family peace, and good health.

Qiao Xin’s group first visited the Hall of Lord Wenchang, where they spent a tael of silver to get a “Top Scholar” charm for Qiao Yunqing, hoping to bring him good luck in his exams. In the past, the Qiao family would have been too frugal for such an expense, but now that Qiao Xin had a small fortune, she didn’t mind spending a little more.

To be fair, they also got peace charms for Qiao Yunxin and Qiao Yunting, planning to send them along with the next family letter.

When they passed by the Guanyin Hall, Xu Shi and Zhang Shi were eager to pray, so Qiao Xin generously let them go while she took the children to admire the peach blossoms in a side garden.

Just as they entered the grove, a sharp and bitter voice rang out, accompanied by sobbing.

“Crying, crying, all you do is cry! Our Zhou family must be cursed to have taken in a jinx like you! You’ve been married for four years and still haven’t given birth to a son—only worthless daughters! You’re nothing but a burden!”

The Qiao siblings exchanged glances and looked at Qiao Xin, unsure whether they should continue forward.

Qiao Xin, who had been in the mood to admire flowers, quickly changed her mind.

She put a finger to her lips, signaling them to leave quietly.

She had no interest in meddling in someone else’s family affairs.

But the harsh voice continued, growing even sharper.

“Stop crying! What, are you mourning? You unlucky thing! Wipe your tears and go pray to the Fertility Goddess. Maybe this time you won’t give birth to another useless girl!”

“Grandmother, what’s a ‘jinx’ and a ‘worthless daughter’? Is Third Sister one too?”

Little Sanlang was at the age where she asked endless questions and had yet to learn when to hold her tongue.

Seeing the children’s curious faces, Qiao Xin decided to turn this into a teaching moment.

“A ‘worthless daughter’ is like buying something that isn’t worth the money you spent. But My little grand-daughter is a person, not an object. You and your siblings are all treasures to your parents. When you pray to the Fertility Goddess, don’t ever say things like ‘worthless daughter’—it’ll make her unhappy.”

“Why?”

Now all the children were listening intently.

“Big Brother, do you think the Fertility Goddess is male or female?”

“In the opera stories, she’s always a woman! So she must be female, since only women can give birth.” Qiao Dalang answered seriously.

Qiao Xin raised her voice, “Exactly! So if you go around saying ‘daughters are worthless,’ aren’t you insulting the Fertility Goddess herself? Why would she grant your wishes if you insult her? That would be downright foolish!”

Everyone was stunned—this logic made perfect sense!

Behind the rockery, the scolding and crying abruptly stopped, as if someone had choked a duck mid-quack.

“Never believe nonsense about daughters being worthless. Every single person in this world was born from a woman. Women deserve the utmost respect. And you boys—since you study and understand filial piety, you should respect your mothers and grandmothers. Then, in the future, you must also cherish the mother of your own children. Don’t act as if carrying on the family line is only a man’s duty while women have no role. Yin and yang must be in harmony—that’s the natural order of things.”

“Grandma, Little Sanlang doesn’t understand!”

Qiao Xin: Uh…

Nanny Qin and Qiao Yunqing lowered their heads, their shoulders shaking as they tried to stifle their laughter.