Qiao Xin happily counted her copper coins.

Even with the “buy two, get one free” deal, she still made nearly nine taels of silver, along with ten braised chickens that Manager Liu had packed for her.

That was more than enough. This harvest was worth it!

She wasn’t stingy either.

Generously, she gave five braised chickens to Heng An as a token of gratitude for indirectly gifting her this small fortune.

She didn’t care whether he wanted them or not—she stuffed them all into his arms without hesitation, waved at him with a bright smile, and bid him farewell.

“Thanks, little brother! Until we meet again!”

Heng An had not only lost money but also embarrassed himself. It was the first time in his life that he had lost face so publicly. If this incident reached the ears of his sworn enemies, how could he still hold his head high?

He was furious!

Seeing Qiao Xin’s smug, infuriating expression, he wished he could find a hole to crawl into. Angrily, he threw the braised chickens to his servant and was about to grab Qiao Xin to argue with her when Heng Wen blocked his path.

“Xiao Si, a bet is a bet. Accept your loss. This matter ends here. Remember to think carefully before acting in the future. And don’t forget our true purpose for this trip.”

Heng An had no choice but to back down, though he was still unwilling to accept defeat. “But, Big Brother, how was she so sure that the item was in Liu’s shop and that the farmer wasn’t lying?”

Heng Wen looked at his younger brother with an expression that was hard to describe.

After a long pause, he sighed. “That old farmer was clearly an honest man. If he were trying to extort someone, why would he bring twenty chickens and only ask for the price of one?

Also, did you even pay attention to the layout of Liu’s shop? It has no back door. If the shop assistants had truly kept that one chicken for themselves, they wouldn’t have had time to sneak it out the back. They would’ve had to mix it in with the others inside the shop.

Most importantly, ordinary folks wouldn’t dare to provoke someone more powerful than them so easily—especially not while bringing along their young grandson…”

“But what if the old farmer was feeding his chickens the same feed as Liu’s shop?”

Heng Wen stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at his younger brother.

After a long silence, he sighed again. “You should get out more. If you stay cooped up in the inner residence any longer, people will start laughing at you for not knowing the difference between porridge and minced meat!”

“I…”

“The world is just beginning to settle down. So much farmland has been left abandoned, and harvests are poor. People barely have enough to eat. Which commoner would waste good rice on feeding chickens? Even bran and husks aren’t guaranteed meals for them. Even the servants in our own household might not get to eat coarse rice every day.”

…

On the way back, Qiao Xin explained her reasoning to Qiao Yunting in a similar manner.

“I only made the bet because I was confident. That young master was obviously spoiled—raised in comfort, oblivious to the hardships of the real world. If it had been his older brother instead, he wouldn’t have fallen for it.”

“Fallen for what?”

Qiao Yunqing, who had been waiting at the inn’s entrance, happened to overhear their conversation.

His gaze landed on the four or five paper-wrapped packages in Qiao Xin’s hands.

The scent of meat drifted faintly from them. Instantly, he had a rough idea of what had happened.

So the “woman who proved her point by killing a chicken” that the inn’s guests had been gossiping about… was their mother, after all.

Sure enough, before he could even ask, Qiao Yunting excitedly recounted everything that had just happened.

His eyes were full of admiration and trust in Qiao Xin.

Qiao Yunqing sighed. “Mother, you mustn’t do this again in the future. People like them care deeply about their reputation. If you ever encounter someone who doesn’t follow the rules, you could get into serious trouble.”

“Don’t worry, I knew what I was doing. That man’s surname was Heng, and he had a jade pendant just like your eldest brother’s. We’re bound to cross paths with them sooner or later,” Qiao Xin said meaningfully, her gaze deep with thought.

Qiao Yunqing’s footsteps halted.

The surname Heng, the same jade pendant—could it be the Heng family of the Marquis of Dingbian?

As they walked inside, Qiao Xin explained, “There were only two brothers, accompanied by a few attendants. The elder one is about the same age as your third brother, while the younger one looks around thirteen or fourteen, still inexperienced in the ways of the world.”

“Does Mother know where they went?” Qiao Yunqing asked, his eyes filled with urgency.

Qiao Xin shook her head. “As soon as the bet was over, both sides went their separate ways. It was just a fleeting encounter. How could I possibly pry into their private matters? The two brothers were clearly traveling in secret for some business. I had no reason to be curious.”

“Is there something wrong?” Qiao Xin noticed that her second brother’s reaction was unusual.

Qiao Yunqing opened his mouth but didn’t know where to begin.

How could he explain that in his previous life, this was exactly when something terrible happened to the two sons of the Marquis of Dingbian? The elder son, Heng Wen, lost his life, while the younger one, Heng An, returned home severely injured. Upon hearing the tragic news, the old marquis, who had been suffering from old wounds, fell gravely ill and passed away within a month.

The direct bloodline of the Heng family had already suffered heavy losses in war.

These two brothers were the last remaining heirs of the marquis household.

They had been summoned back to the capital to celebrate the old marquis’s birthday while their father, the Marquis of Dingbian, continued guarding the northwest border.

But due to one misstep, their return ended in tragedy—their father and elder brother dead, and the younger brother bedridden.

The once mighty warrior, who had spent decades riding into battle, was utterly crushed by the loss. Overnight, his hair turned white.

And just at that time…

Qiao Yunqing’s eldest brother had returned to the marquis’s estate.

..

“What are you thinking about? I called you several times!”

Qiao Xin’s voice snapped Qiao Yunqing out of his thoughts. “You and your brothers should tidy up the carriage again. I’m heading to the kitchen to check on things so we can set off early.”

Qiao Xin was already used to Qiao Yunqing’s tendency to drift into deep thought.

She never understood why he had so much on his mind. In her opinion, things would work themselves out. If obstacles came, they would face them as they came.

Life should be lived as it is! She certainly wasn’t complaining about her sons.

Before leaving in the morning, Qiao Xin had given the innkeeper an extra fifty copper coins to borrow a stove.

That way, her daughters-in-law could knead more dough and bake extra flatbreads for the journey.

Xu Shi and Zhang Shi, both accustomed to farm work, worked quickly with their husbands helping out.

They had already finished two-thirds of the hundred pounds of flour.

Nearby, baskets were filling up with freshly cooked flatbreads.

Qiao Yunxin carefully loaded the baskets onto the carriage and covered them with burlap to keep them from turning hard.

When Qiao Xin entered the kitchen, she took the dough from Xu Shi’s hands and instructed, “You two, go inside and get the children ready. Leave this to me and the third son.”

Xu Shi had already grown familiar with her mother-in-law’s personality over the past few days.

Without hesitation, she pulled Zhang Shi along and left.

Zhang Shi, however, was still worried. But just as she turned back, she was stunned—Qiao Xin’s hands moved swiftly, expertly kneading the dough.

She stacked four or five dough rounds together and wielded the rolling pin with incredible speed.

In just the blink of an eye, four or five large flatbreads, each a foot wide, were ready to go.

Zhang Shi’s mouth slightly opened in surprise. When did Mother-in-law become such an amazing cook?

Xu Shi dusted off the flour from her sleeves and urged, “Hurry up and pack our things, or we’ll run out of time.”

Zhang Shi hesitated before asking, “Big Sister, when did Mother-in-law get so good at cooking?”

“I don’t know. But why ask? Isn’t this a good thing?” Xu Shi responded casually. “Besides, have you ever seen a mother-in-law helping her daughters-in-law with chores?”

Zhang Shi looked at her sister-in-law in surprise. Is she truly naive or just pretending to be?

Watching Xu Shi walk upstairs, Zhang Shi shook off her doubts and quickly followed.

Maybe her sister-in-law was simply wise in a different way.

She had always thought herself clever, but perhaps, sometimes, it was better to let things be.

After all, life was going well—why ruin it by overthinking?