Chapter 18

“Thank you, Brother,” Xu Jiaojiao said, seizing the opportunity immediately.

Qin Zhenglei was momentarily speechless, surprised by Xu Jiaojiao’s audacity.

“By the way, Father, we’re out of firewood for cooking. When would you be able to go up the mountain and help chop some?” Xu Jiaojiao turned her attention to Father Qin.

Men, being less prone to complicated thinking than women, were thoroughly bewildered by Xu Jiaojiao’s sudden politeness and the stark contrast in her demeanor.

Father Qin frowned in conflicted thought. He hadn’t expected Xu Jiaojiao to ask him to chop firewood, and his first instinct was to assert his authority as her father-in-law.

But when he hesitated, Xu Jiaojiao’s smile vanished. She let out a cold snort and immediately moved to slam the courtyard gate shut, giving him no time to react.

“Wait! You’re out of firewood, right? I’ll go home and bring you a load right away!” Father Qin blurted out, suddenly anxious as Xu Jiaojiao moved to close the gate. He couldn’t explain why, but he desperately wanted to stop her.

“Thank you, Dad. Can you hurry home and gather firewood now? I’m about to start dinner,” Xu Jiaojiao said, pausing her hand on the door with a dazzling smile.

“…Alright, I’ll go home and gather some firewood,” Father Qin mumbled, momentarily dazzled by her smile and easily swayed.

Excellent, I’ve got them both wrapped around my finger!

“Then hurry up,” Xu Jiaojiao said with a smile, slamming the courtyard gate shut after making her request.

“…”

Father Qin and Qin Zhenglei stood at the gate, exchanging bewildered glances. Something felt off; it was as if Xu Jiaojiao had been playing them like puppets.

“Zhenglei, should we go home and gather straw and firewood first, then talk to her about the fields?” Father Qin asked, tilting his head.

That’s right! We came to discuss the fields. How did we end up like this?

Qin Zhenglei’s eyes widened in realization, and he slapped his thigh in frustration.

“That wretched woman!” Qin Zhenglei’s chest tightened with the sting of being tricked, his anger nearly making steam rise from his head.

“…” Father Qin stood awkwardly, unsure what to say.

Bang, bang, bang!

Qin Zhenglei turned and pounded on the door, his blows forceful.

“Xu Jiaojiao, get out here!” His voice dripped with anger, abandoning any pretense of calling her “sister-in-law.”

But Xu Jiaojiao ignored them completely, happily planning the location of the sheep pen with Qin Jiashu while playing cat’s cradle with the children in the room.

Xu Jiaojiao had initially expected Father Qin and Qin Zhenglei to be furious once they realized they’d been outsmarted.

To her surprise, after their initial anger, the two men returned home and each brought back a load of firewood and straw.

When Xu Jiaojiao opened the door and saw the firewood and straw, her feelings were complicated.

“Come, come, come! Put the straw and firewood here,” she said warmly, her complicated feelings lasting only a moment as she ushered the two men into the educated youth center.

Father Qin and Qin Zhenglei dropped their loads, panting heavily. Xu Jiaojiao didn’t even offer them a glass of water.

“Thank you for your hard work, Father and Eldest Brother,” she said, forcing herself to be polite.

“Ugh… huff, huff…” Father Qin and Qin Zhenglei continued to pant.

“Aren’t you going to pour me a glass of water?” Father Qin wiped his sweat-streaked face and demanded.

He brought over a shoulder pole laden with firewood, so heavy that Qin Zhenglei, who was carrying rice straw, felt almost effortless by comparison.

“It’s getting late. You don’t need to drink any more water. Why don’t you head back to your own homes for dinner?” Xu Jiaojiao suggested shamelessly, testing the waters.

Qin Zhenglei stared, wondering if he was hallucinating. He even rubbed his ears.

Xu Jiaojiao’s audacity was beyond his wildest expectations. They had just finished hauling firewood and rice straw for her, and she was already kicking them to the curb!

“You… you… you’re utterly shameless!” Father Qin sputtered, his throat dry as he jabbed a finger at Xu Jiaojiao’s nose.

“Sister-in-law,” Qin Zhenglei began, preparing to play the emotional card, “I know you were unhappy about the family split. But think about it—why would Father and I come here today to bring you firewood and rice straw? As the old saying goes, ‘Even broken bones are connected by tendons.’ Though we’ve divided the household, we’re still family. Is this how you should treat us?”

Xu Jiaojiao smiled. “Of course not, Brother. You’re right—we’re family. And family should be united, loving, and supportive of one another.”

“I’m glad you understand,” Qin Zhenglei said, nodding with relief. “We’re family, so there’s no need for formalities.”

“Then, Brother, my family’s out of rice. Could Xiaoshu and I tidy up and stay at your place for a few days?”

Qin Zhenglei was speechless. “…There aren’t enough rooms at home.”

“In that case, Brother, you could just bring a hundred or two jin of rice when you go home. As long as we don’t starve, we don’t mind where we stay,” Xu Jiaojiao said calmly, waving her hand with a nonchalant expression.

Qin Zhenglei ground his teeth in fury.

“Xu Jiaojiao, don’t push your luck!” Qin Zhenglei finally snapped.

Did this woman think that because he hadn’t lost his temper yet, he had no temper at all? He was furious, hearing such nonsense.

A hundred or two jin of rice? Did she have any idea how long that would last or how much it would cost?

“Brother, don’t you believe me? Go check the rice jar in the kitchen yourself. It’s truly empty,” Xu Jiaojiao said firmly, pointing toward the kitchen.

She was actually telling the truth—the rice jar was indeed empty.

Qin Zhenglei ran a hand through his hair, feeling increasingly frustrated. Xu Jiaojiao was clearly skilled at changing the subject.

“Sister-in-law, our family’s rice supplies are running low too!”

“Oh, so you’re just paying lip service to being family, like empty slogans. I understand now,” Xu Jiaojiao said, her expression shifting abruptly.

“…”

Qin Zhenglei watched her change of demeanor, a wave of nausea rising in his throat. He clenched his jaw. “Sister-in-law, let me be blunt. The brigade distributed land to individual households today, and I know you received three mu of fertile fields. Zhengye is away in the army, and you’re a woman alone who doesn’t know how to farm. We were worried you’d struggle, so we came to help. Don’t worry about the farming—Father and I can handle it. Just tell us where your three mu are located.”

Qin Zhenglei had decided to lay his cards on the table, likely concluding that Xu Jiaojiao was too difficult to deal with through polite maneuvering.

Xu Jiaojiao nodded slowly, feigning sudden realization. “So you came for the fields! Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Qin Zhenglei choked, his tone strained. “It’s the same as saying it now.”

Father Qin chimed in, nodding eagerly. “Exactly! What difference does it make? Where are your fields? Are they in Qiaotouyang or Xinan?”

Xu Jiaojiao shot Father Qin a cold glance, thoroughly disgusted by his spineless eagerness to help his stepson grab what wasn’t his.

“Oh, didn’t I mention it? I’ve already leased the three mu of fields to Qin Jiu’er’s family. Didn’t you know?”

“What? You leased the fields out?” Qin Zhenglei’s voice rose, his agitation palpable.

Xu Jiaojiao took a step back. Qin Zhenglei was plain-looking, with slightly buck teeth, and his spittle-flecked speech made her feel queasy.

“Yes, I leased the fields out,” Xu Jiaojiao replied, raising her voice considerately.

Qin Zhenglei hadn’t expected Xu Jiaojiao to act so swiftly and fell silent.

Father Qin froze for a moment, then erupted in fury. “Xu Jiaojiao! You’ve gone too far! How could you make such a major decision without consulting your father-in-law? You acted entirely on your own!” He paced the main room, his voice trembling with rage.

“I didn’t know you and Elder Brother would be willing to help our family farm the fields,” Xu Jiaojiao said innocently. “If I had, I wouldn’t have leased them out.”

Father Qin nearly choked with fury. “You… I’m telling you, go to Qin Jiu’er’s family immediately and tell them we’re taking the fields back. Our own family will farm them.”

“What kind of housewife are you?” Father Qin scolded. “With able-bodied men in the family, you act like some capitalist landlord, leasing out the fields? Don’t you fear the villagers laughing you out of town?”

“That won’t work,” Xu Jiaojiao retorted, throwing caution to the wind. “The lease agreement was written and sealed with thumbprints when I rented out the land.”

She had anticipated their scheme, and thankfully, she had acted first.

“You…” Father Qin sputtered, his face reddening with anger, his posture stiffening as if about to explode.

Qin Zhenglei was equally stunned. They had rushed over to claim the fields on the very same day, yet Xu Jiaojiao had already leased them out. How could she have moved so quickly, as if she had read their minds?

“I don’t care about your documents or thumbprints!” Father Qin roared, waving his sleeve dismissively. “That’s Qin family land! Go and get it back!”

Xu Jiaojiao ignored them, glancing at the darkening sky. “The land is leased. It’s a done deal,” she declared firmly. “If you’ve rested enough, go home. I need to start dinner.”

Turning, she walked into the house. “Xiaoshu, come out and watch the fire for your aunt.”

Qin Jiashu, who had been hiding inside, immediately emerged.

“Okay,” the boy replied. He had followed Xu Jiaojiao’s instructions to stay hidden, but he had been pressed against the door, eavesdropping on the conversation outside.

Father Qin and Qin Zhenglei stood there, utterly disregarded. The two grown men had come prepared for a confrontation, but they never expected this outcome.

They never imagined Xu Jiaojiao would lease out the fields, let alone to Qin Jiu’er’s family.

If it had been a verbal agreement, they could have backed out. But she had even written a contract and pressed her thumbprint on it.

Qin Zhenglei’s head throbbed with fury. Gripping a carrying pole, he shoved open the wood shed with a ferocious push. “Dad, take all the straw and firewood home. We won’t let her profit from this!”

“…Alright,” Father Qin nodded.

Xu Jiaojiao couldn’t help but snort. She hadn’t expected Qin Zhenglei to actually haul the straw and firewood back.

But it wasn’t anything valuable anyway. If Qin Zhenglei didn’t mind the extra work or looking foolish, she couldn’t care less.

After all, she wasn’t the one who would be exhausted from all this back-and-forth hauling!

Qin Zhenglei shrewdly chose to carry two bundles of straw himself, leaving Father Qin with two massive bundles of firewood.

Though Father Qin was still strong for his age, he couldn’t possibly match the strength of young Qin Zhenglei.

Yet Qin Zhenglei showed no sympathy, hoisting the straw onto his shoulder and striding out.

Father Qin’s face flushed with awkwardness. He glanced at Xu Jiaojiao, wanting to suggest they switch loads, but couldn’t bring himself to speak.

With a grimace, Father Qin hoisted the firewood onto his shoulder. The two men hauled the straw and firewood back exactly as they had brought it.