Chapter 29: Heart Palpitations and Fainting

Ji Jingze, who had been chopping firewood, and Ji Jinglan, who was hanging quilts out to dry, immediately dropped what they were doing and dashed into the main room the moment they heard the words “pocket money.”

“Here—20 copper coins for Xiaolan, 30 for Xiao Ze,” Chu Xiaoqi said, handing them out.

“Big Sis-in-law, why does Second Brother get 10 more coins than me?” Ji Jinglan asked, puzzled.

“The charcoal used for the pens all came from your second brother chopping wood on the mountain. Naturally, he earns a little more,” Chu Xiaoqi explained.

Hearing this, Ji Jingze felt proud—his hard work was being acknowledged, and he was overjoyed. Ji Jinglan accepted the explanation and, smiling, tucked the money carefully into her pouch.

Chu Xiaoqi then handed 50 copper coins to Ji Jingxuan. “Your big brother here was responsible for transporting goods into town, handling all the sales and marketing—so of course, he gets the most.”

The Ji siblings each received a bit of money. Though it wasn’t a huge amount, they were thrilled. These were things they’d never even dared dream about before, and now they came regularly—it filled them with happiness.

Even Ji Father quietly shuffled into the room, looking a bit awkward.

“Xiaoqi, is there something I can do too? Maybe arrange a bit of work for me?”

The house had already been repaired, and Ji Father didn’t have much to do now. Seeing even the kids earning pocket money left him a little envious.

“We’ll be needing a lot of firewood soon, so how about you go chop wood with Xiao Ze?”

“Yes, yes… okay!” he replied, happy to be included.

With everything assigned, everyone returned to their tasks.

Chu Xiaoqi thought, It’s a waste to keep the oven burning just for charcoal. She asked Ji Father to modify the oven—adding a new layer on the side specifically for charcoal roasting. The upper oven would now be used to bake pastries. Tomorrow, she planned to have Ji Jinglan and Ji Jingze carry some into town and try selling them on the streets to test the market.

If the snacks sold well, it could be another source of income.

She made several flavors: scallion-scented, priced at 3 coins each or 2 for 5. Sweet sesame, salty pepper—same price. Chestnut pastries were 6 coins each or 2 for 10.

The oven was large enough to bake 50–60 at a time.

The scallion pastries were so crispy they crumbled in the mouth, while the chestnut ones had flaky crusts and soft, rich fillings.

As soon as they came out of the oven, each Ji family member got one. Everyone was full of praise.

Over at the village chief’s house, the chief’s wife had heard about everything and came to snoop around at Ji family’s second household. Even before stepping through the gate, she could smell the rich aroma of scallion oil.

“Oh my, what are you cooking that smells so delicious?”

“Sister Yu, you’re here! Come in, come in!” Ji Mother quickly got up to welcome her inside.

Once seated, Ji Jinglan brought a cup of tea and a small plate with two pastries.

“Auntie, these just came out of the oven. My sister-in-law made them—try one!”

The village chief’s wife used to turn up her nose at Ji family’s second house, thinking they were too poor and too dirty to even drink their tea.

But looking at the clean cup of green-tinted tea and the nicely presented pastries, she couldn’t resist trying it.

She lifted the tea and took a small sip.

Huh? It wasn’t ordinary tea.

But it tasted even better—she couldn’t describe the flavor, but it had a gentle sweetness and a refreshing aftertaste.

“What kind of tea is this? It’s so fragrant and lightly sweet!”

“This is a blend my sister-in-law made herself,” Ji Jinglan proudly said. “It’s got licorice root, Solomon’s seal, clove… a bunch of herbs.

She says it’s good for digestion and even helps with beauty and skincare!

Our whole family drinks it.”

“Oh? Beauty benefits too? And your sister-in-law made these pastries as well?” she asked, intrigued.

Ji Jinglan nodded proudly. “Yes, she did!”

“Auntie, try this,”

The village chief’s wife picked up a piece and took a small bite.

“Mmm, this tastes really good—savory, crispy, and fragrant.”

Ji Jinglan leaned on the table with both hands, blinking her big glittery eyes at the village chief’s wife. “How is it? Isn’t it super delicious?”

The village chief’s wife smiled and nodded, giving a big thumbs-up.

“I told you! The snacks my sister-in-law makes are absolutely top-notch. My second brother and I are going to sell them in town tomorrow!”

Outside, Chu Xiaoqi was still baking biscuits when she heard Ji Jinglan’s boastful tone, and she wiped the sweat from her forehead, feeling a little awkward.

This girl really doesn’t understand the concept of not revealing wealth. She spills everything…

Sigh, forget it. She’s only thirteen or fourteen and no one’s taught her. She’ll learn in time.

“Xiaolan, come help your sister-in-law bake biscuits…” Ji Jingxuan’s voice came from the side room.

“Okay, coming!” Ji Jinglan bounced off toward the kitchen.

The village chief’s wife had originally wanted to ask about the price of the biscuits after hearing that they’d be selling them in town, but she thought better of it and changed her approach.

“Little sister…

Tomorrow, I’m sending Qingqing to town to deliver something to her older brother. But it’ll still be dark early in the morning, and I don’t feel comfortable letting a young girl travel alone.

I came to talk to Jingxuan—tomorrow, since he’s going to school in town, I’d like him to wait and walk with Qingqing so he can look after her along the way.

Since Xiaolan and her brothers are also going to town to sell biscuits, why not have Qingqing go with them and return together? That way, they’ll all have company.”

Ji’s mother, being a gentle and softhearted woman, didn’t even ask for her son or daughter-in-law’s opinion and agreed immediately.

Ji Jingze and his siblings, being young and clueless, just nodded along and even patted their chests in promise, swearing to protect Zhou Qingqing.

Only Chu Xiaoqi and Ji Jingxuan caught on to the village chief’s wife’s true intention.

Chu Xiaoqi didn’t mind. Even if the village chief’s family found out she was doing business, so what?

It’s not like she was obligated to share profits with them, right?

She had dealt with the village chief before—he had his own little calculations but wasn’t a petty or vile person.

The chief’s wife, however, was a bit shrewd. But even so, there was likely little harm she could cause.

Once the charcoal baking was done, Chu Xiaoqi left everything to Ji Jingze and Ji Jinglan and focused solely on making more biscuits.

After dinner, Chu Xiaoqi washed up and quickly returned to her room to lie on the heated brick bed.

She had mentioned in the morning that she wanted it heated at night, so the family had gotten it ready—it was nice and warm in the room.

“Ji Jingxuan, tomorrow take 100 charcoal pencils to the carpenter shop and give them to Manager Lin. Ask him to make some whiteboards and put them in the store for sale.

If anyone comes to buy, have him sell the pencils for 5 copper coins each.

For every pencil sold, I’ll give him 1 coin commission. For every whiteboard sold, after deducting the cost, I’ll give him a 10-coin commission per board.

As for you, spread the word around the academy—subtly mention that these boards and pencils are available at Lin’s Carpenter Shop.”

Ji Jingxuan nodded, mentally crunching numbers. When it came to business, his wife was definitely the brains of the operation.

That night, after blowing out the kerosene lamp, Ji Jingxuan waited a long time, but Chu Xiaoqi never cuddled up to him.

Not only did she not, she even kept a distance.

He tiptoed out of bed, opened the door, circled to the back of the house, opened the stove door, and scooped out all the charcoal inside. Then he returned to bed.

He forced himself to stay awake until the heat from the brick bed cooled down, and only then did Chu Xiaoqi roll into his arms. He stole a quick kiss on her little cheek, finally content enough to fall asleep.

The next morning, Chu Xiaoqi was awakened by the rooster crowing in the village…

Rubbing her eyes in a daze, Chu Xiaoqi suddenly bumped into what felt like a wall of muscle. Instinctively, she reached out to touch it.

A pair of large hands immediately grabbed hers. “Qiqi, you can’t keep touching me like that.”

Chu Xiaoqi recoiled like she’d seen a ghost, yanked her hand back, and sat up on the heated bed to get dressed. “I-I-I didn’t do it on purpose…”

“Mm, you did do it on purpose…”

Chu Xiaoqi’s hands froze mid-motion. She turned her head to look at Ji Jingxuan suspiciously.

Wait a second… did this guy transmigrate too?

“We’re husband and wife. Even if you meant to do it, it’s nothing,” Ji Jingxuan said, turning his back to her in a low, muffled voice.

A nerve snapped in Chu Xiaoqi’s brain. What kind of creepy, underworld nonsense was this guy saying? It was downright scary!

She leapt off the bed, shoved her feet into her shoes, and fled like a ghost was chasing her.

Once the side room door closed, Ji Jingxuan pulled back the blanket and peeked underneath, letting out a long sigh. Then he got up and changed into a fresh set of underclothes.

Chu Xiaoqi ran into the kitchen, dragged over a small stool, and sat beside the stove to feed firewood into it, feeling utterly flustered.

She had a strange feeling—like Ji Jingxuan had been deliberately teasing her lately, subtly or otherwise.

What exactly was this guy up to?

“Sis-in-law, what are you spacing out for? You’re about to choke the fire,” Ji Jinglan said, noticing how absentminded she looked.

Chu Xiaoqi snapped out of it and looked at the stove—she had stuffed it so full of firewood that the flame was nearly suffocated. She quickly pulled out the excess logs.

It was still dark out, so they had to eat breakfast by the light of a kerosene lamp.

Chu Xiaoqi couldn’t stop thinking about that firm wall of muscle she’d touched earlier. Her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Ji Jingxuan.

Ever since she’d “woken up,” the meals in the Ji family’s second household had improved a lot.

Ji Jingxuan’s face had started to fill out—his features looked fuller and had gained some color. He was becoming more and more handsome by the day.

He really was a fine-looking man.

Ji Jingxuan could feel a hot gaze locked on him.

He looked up—just in time to catch Chu Xiaoqi sneaking a peek at him.

Busted.

Caught in the act, Chu Xiaoqi instantly looked guilty and buried her face in her bowl, sipping her porridge furiously.

After a long while, she suddenly realized something.

Wait a minute…

She was Ji Jingxuan’s lawful wife! It was perfectly reasonable for a wife to admire her husband!

Why the heck was she feeling guilty?

She abruptly lifted her head, looked straight at Ji Jingxuan, and beamed at him with a big, sunny smile.

Then, as if something short-circuited in her brain, she puckered her lips and blew him a playful kiss from across the table—“mwah!”

Everyone else at the table had their heads down eating and didn’t notice her little stunt.

But Ji Jingxuan was utterly shaken by the sudden boldness.

His entire face flushed red, and he choked on his porridge, coughing hard as it got stuck in his throat.

Chu Xiaoqi quickly set her bowl down and reached over to pat his back. “Husband, are you okay? Slow down, no one’s stealing your food…”

The rest of the Ji family didn’t react to the word “husband,” but Ji Jingxuan… the moment he heard those two syllables, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.

The household instantly erupted in chaos as they hurriedly carried him to the bed.

Chu Xiaoqi checked his pulse. After a while, she looked at the flushed man lying on the heated brick bed with an expression that could only be described as—speechless.

Seriously?

Just from a blown kiss… he got so flustered he fainted from a rapid heartbeat?

And this guy still had the nerve to constantly flirt with her like it was nothing?

But… he really did look ridiculously cute with that blushing face.