“Where did you get so much money?”

Qiao Yunqing replied, “Mother, have you forgotten that you asked me to sell the candles?”

“You sold them all?”

Qiao Yunqing explained, “Our candles are affordable, come in large quantities, and don’t produce black smoke. They’re far superior to other products on the market. The shopkeeper bought them for two taels of silver each. I earned 160 taels in total, spent 50 taels to buy two cows to send home, purchased some farming tools, and the rest is all here.”

He hadn’t expected that the candles Qiao Xin had made would be so popular.

Compared to the ordinary candles of the time, which produced black smoke and had a strong, pungent odor, Qiao Xin’s smokeless candles had a light, pleasant plant fragrance.

The only pity was that there weren’t enough of them.

Qiao Xin looked at the silver notes in her hand, pondering what else she could make. Raiding bandit dens wasn’t a long-term solution!

Bandits: Ancestor, please spare us!

Enough—once was already too much.

Both the eldest and third brother held official positions.

In the past, what they did could be justified as self-defense, but doing it again now would only cause trouble for them!

She pulled out ten taels and handed them back. “You’ll need to buy things at the academy. You can’t be without money.”

Qiao Yunqing didn’t refuse and accepted it directly.

Then he brought up the issue of personnel arrangements.

“The dozen or so people Heng Wen sent over are here to guard our home. He was worried that Mother might not have enough hands to help.”

Qiao Xin snorted and laughed, “Do you take me for a fool? Do I look like I need help? Just say it straight—what does he want? He’s already gone to the battlefield. Wouldn’t he need his men there? Is he sending them here to sit around and rot? A house and guards—clearly, he feels guilty!”

Seeing that Qiao Xin had hit the nail on the head, Qiao Yunqing had no choice but to confess. “Our family suffered because of him, so it’s only fair to receive some compensation. He and his adoptive mother can’t completely sever ties at this time, but he’s worried he can’t watch over us while at the border, so he sent his guards to protect us.

Mother, our family currently doesn’t have the power to confront the Marchioness directly. With Heng Wen’s people here as our guards, I think she’ll hesitate to act. After all, breaking ties with her adoptive son over an unrelated family would be a foolish move.”

“I understand. But this is the last time!” Qiao Xin took a deep breath to suppress her anger.

Qiao Yunqing let out a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want Qiao Xin to take revenge freely—it was just that killing was easy, but getting themselves into trouble over it wasn’t worth it.

They were still too weak. Keeping these people around wasn’t all bad—at least now they had enough hands for errands and labor.

As expected of mother and son, they immediately put everyone to use.

The once-mighty warriors, skilled in swords and blades, were now rolling up their sleeves to clear trees, cut grass, and dig up land.

They were miserable—farming was no easier than training in martial arts!

Zhang Yun watched from a distance, utterly shocked.

The strict, rule-abiding nanny from the Marquis’ household, who always taught etiquette with a stern face, was now completely disregarding her image, carrying a basket and digging up tree roots in the fields.

And then there was Qiao Xin, effortlessly uprooting willow trees as if she were pulling scallions.

The warriors had no face to complain anymore—after all, they had volunteered for this themselves!

With the addition of these new laborers, the Qiao family’s land reclamation efforts in Laohu Town were unmatched, far ahead of anyone else.

While others toiled with hoes, struggling to turn over an acre of land in a day, Qiao Xin had three strong men wielding iron forks in unison.

With a single stomp, they overturned a meter-wide section of soil.

Their efficiency was multiple times higher.

Once the soil was loosened, five oxen plowed it again using curved plows.

After this step, the land was considered reclaimed. Next, they would apply manure, break up the large clumps with iron rakes, and add the right amount of water.

Then, they would wait for the planting season.

The villagers were dumbfounded by Qiao Xin’s meticulous farming process—it was as delicate as embroidery!

In the Great Jing Kingdom, land was abundant but labor was scarce.

Most people farmed using rough methods—scattering seeds in the spring and relying on luck for the harvest in autumn.

Despite families having seven or eight members working year-round, they could barely cultivate 40 to 50 acres.

With an average yield of 200 to 300 jin per acre, paying taxes left them with just enough to survive.

When Qiao Xin first heard these numbers, she was stunned for several seconds.

She couldn’t help but sigh at how difficult life was for farmers.

So, when Li Zhong hesitantly approached her to ask why she was doing all this, she patiently explained, “It’s all for higher yields!”

“Qiao Dame, where did you buy that iron fork? It looks really useful for tilling the land!” Li Zhong hesitated for a long time before finally asking.

“At the blacksmith’s. But I designed the blueprint. You can have one made too—it’s just a bit expensive, 500 wen each!”

“Five hundred wen?! That’s too expensive!” Li Zhong winced in pain. That was more than most families could afford. His own family certainly couldn’t.

Qiao Xin thought, Of course it’s expensive! It’s made entirely of iron and weighs over 30 jin!

Although the government had relaxed restrictions on iron tools, they weren’t something every commoner could easily afford—like how not everyone could buy a luxury car just because it wasn’t restricted.

With regret, Li Zhong walked away.

If just one iron fork cost 500 wen, then the other tools must be even more expensive.

He didn’t dare to ask anymore. He’d stick to his hoe and shovel, which were still an improvement over last year.

At least he no longer had to worry about wild animals ruining his reclaimed land.

The Qiao family worked tirelessly for over 20 days, reclaiming 1,000 acres of wasteland.

Apart from some scattered areas, almost all of Laohu Town’s land was taken by them.

It wasn’t that others didn’t want to reclaim land, but the Qiao family’s strength was overwhelming.

Every time they went out, a group of 30 to 40 young, strong men accompanied them, armed with the best tools and aided by water buffalo. While others turned over one shovelful of dirt, the Qiao family had already cleared half an acre.

There was no comparison!

Seeing this, the villagers realized they couldn’t compete.

However, Qiao Xin wasn’t completely ruthless—she deliberately chose difficult land near the official road and Beishan, leaving the flatter southern fields untouched for the other villagers.

At first, Li Zhong worried that Qiao Xin would take everything.

But when he saw she had deliberately left several hundred acres of good land untouched, he immediately understood her intentions and felt grateful.

To prevent the villagers from misunderstanding and causing trouble, Li Zhong gathered them for a meeting to explain everything in detail.

This finally brought peace to Laohu Town’s land reclamation efforts.

Qiao Xin didn’t care what Li Zhong was up to.

Even if she knew, she wouldn’t mind.

Qiao Yunqing was preparing for the spring examination, and she planned to go to the city tomorrow to check out the situation—while also giving everyone a well-earned break.