As Yang Haiyan stepped down from the carriage, she saw Niu Da greeting her with a bow. “Greetings, Madam.”

Yang Haiyan replied, “No need for formalities. Uncle Hong mentioned that you’ve taken good care of the crops. You’ve worked hard.”

Niu Da humbly responded, “It’s my duty.” Still, being recognized by the master’s family made him happy. “Madam, please come inside. It’s hot outside.”

The sixth month of the lunar calendar was indeed the hottest time of the year.

Entering the manor, Yang Haiyan saw the place brimming with life.

Due to the scorching sun, Niu Da had even set up straw shelters to protect some of the crops.

Although Niu Da wasn’t familiar with some of the plants, like broccoli and cauliflower, his years of farming experience had allowed him to gradually figure out how to grow these unfamiliar crops.

Niu Da invited Yang Haiyan to sit. “Madam, please rest here for a moment. I’ll go fetch my wife to serve you.”

Yang Haiyan said, “Alright, I’ll take a look around.”

After sitting in the carriage for a while, and since the manor was close to the town, she wasn’t feeling too tired.

Niu Da left to find his wife, while Yang Haiyan, accompanied by Uncle Hong, began to stroll through the manor.

The five acres of land that had been transformed into the estate was vast, over 3,000 square meters in total.

The fruit tree saplings were still small and not very noticeable, having only been growing for two months.

It was normal that they hadn’t grown much yet.

The most promising crop at a glance was the potatoes, which would be ready for harvest at the end of the month.

Aside from the potatoes, the corn and broccoli were growing well too.

However, Yang Haiyan was most interested in the watermelons. “Let’s go check on the watermelons.”

The half-acre of watermelon plants made her curious about how many there would be after harvest.

Uncle Hong led the way. “The watermelons are over here.”

Upon reaching the watermelon field, Yang Haiyan was surprised. “The watermelons have already started to fruit.”

Though the fruits were small, about the size of a fist, they were definitely there.

Uncle Hong explained, “They just started to fruit in the last couple of days. Although we don’t know much about this fruit, Niu Da says from his experience that these watermelons should ripen around mid-July.”

Yang Haiyan nodded.

If they ripened by mid-July, by the end of August, there wouldn’t be any left.

Since watermelons don’t store well, about a month and a half of enjoying them was about right.

After that, they’d have to wait until next year to eat them again.

Just then, Niu Da arrived with his wife in tow.

Yang Haiyan said, “Let’s go take a look at the pigsty.”

Niu Da’s wife offered, “I’ll lead the way for Madam.”

The pigsty, chicken coop, and duck pen were all meticulously cleaned by Niu Da’s wife.

When they started raising livestock, Yang Haiyan had instructed Uncle Hong to remind them to keep the enclosures clean.

Though she had never raised livestock herself, she had read enough novels to know that a clean environment was crucial for animals.

Niu Da’s wife informed her, “By early July, those dozen hens should start laying eggs.”

Generally, hens start laying eggs after about three months, while ducks take about four months.

Out of the 20 chickens and 20 ducks, 15 were hens and ducks, and the remaining five roosters and drakes were kept for breeding, as only fertilized eggs could hatch chicks and ducklings.

Yang Haiyan said, “That’s great. Once the hens start laying eggs, deliver them to the pastry shop in town every three days.”

Niu Da’s wife nodded, “Yes, Madam.”

Afterward, the group prepared to inspect the rest of the crops.

As Yang Haiyan walked along, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her foot and let out a scream. “Ah!”

The sound was enough to startle everyone.

Chen Dashi hurriedly asked, “Madam, what’s wrong?”

Yang Haiyan exclaimed, “I think something bit me!”

Niu Da quickly stepped forward and grabbed a snake. “Madam, don’t worry. It’s just a harmless green snake.”

Yang Haiyan glanced at the vibrant green snake and felt a chill run through her body.

She didn’t dare move. “Are you sure it’s harmless?”

Before Niu Da could answer, Qin Fang came riding in on horseback, trampling over several crops in his rush.

As soon as he saw Yang Haiyan, he leapt off his horse and asked urgently, “What happened? I heard you scream just now, and your face looks so pale!”

Yang Haiyan saw it was Qin Fang and immediately rushed over: “I was bitten by a snake.”

She buried her face in his chest, “You have to check and see if it was a poisonous snake; I’m so scared.”

Her voice was trembling, and her whole body was shaking.

Qin Fang held her tightly and glanced at the snake in Niu Da’s hand. “It’s fine; it’s not poisonous.”

Someone like him, who grew up in the countryside, could tell at a glance whether a snake was venomous.

Moreover, even if it were a poisonous snake, he could catch it bare-handed.

Yang Haiyan still didn’t dare to look.

She clutched Qin Fang’s clothes. “My legs are weak.” She knew that there were snakes in summer, especially in rural areas near the mountains, but she never imagined she would be unlucky enough to encounter one.

Yang Haiyan swore she would never come back here again.

No, if she did come back, she would have to bring Qin Fang with her.

Unless he carried her, she would never set foot here again.

Thinking about the soft yet dangerous snake made her feel uncomfortable all over.

Qin Fang picked her up effortlessly. “Don’t be afraid; I’m here.”

He didn’t expect his usually strategic wife to be so afraid of snakes.

It was Yang Haiyan’s first time being princess-carried, but she felt no surprise, excitement, or shyness; her whole body still felt chilly, as if the snake were crawling on her feet. “Let’s go back; I don’t want to stay here anymore.”

Qin Fang replied, “…Alright.”

Yang Haiyan suddenly remembered something. “Niu Da, we should put some snake repellent powder here; there can’t be any snakes in the estate, absolutely not.”

Niu Da didn’t expect city folks to be so timid, but this snake was an accident.

He used to walk several rounds in the estate and fields every day without spotting any snakes. “Don’t worry, madam; there definitely won’t be any snakes next time you come.”

Yang Haiyan said, “I don’t think I’ll be coming back for years.”

Qin Fang chuckled softly at this.

Yang Haiyan wasn’t pleased. “What are you laughing at?”

Qin Fang replied, “You really look like a child.”

Yang Haiyan felt insulted by this comment. She defended herself, “No woman isn’t afraid of snakes.”

Qin Fang wanted to say that the women in their countryside were generally not afraid of snakes, but they still had a survival instinct.

He decided to keep that thought to himself. “I was wrong.”

Yang Haiyan raised her chin. “Hmm.” That was more like it.

Seeing her little expression, Qin Fang could only shake his head.

Once they reached the carriage, Qin Fang set her down, then took off her shoes and her handmade socks.

He noticed two clear bite marks on her pale ankle, and they were still bleeding.

Qin Fang bent down, took her ankle in his mouth, and sucked hard.

Yang Haiyan was taken aback. “Don’t suck! What are you doing?”

Qin Fang spat out a mouthful of blood and explained, “The snake might not be venomous, but a bite can still get infected because snakes are dirty and unclean.” According to modern knowledge, it meant a possible bacterial infection.

Yang Haiyan replied, “But you can’t suck it with your mouth! What if you get infected?”

Then she added, “Stop sucking; rinse your mouth out. I have a solution.”

Soap can disinfect, and without alcohol or other disinfectants, using soap is the most straightforward method.

She called to the outside, “Granny Lian, wet the soap for me and give me some soap solution.”

Granny Lian replied, “Coming!”

She quickly took out her water bottle, poured a little water on the soap, and lathered it. “Madam…”

Yang Haiyan applied the soap solution to her foot and rubbed it for quite a while before rinsing it off.

Qin Fang looked on anxiously. “Is this effective?”

Yang Haiyan replied, “Let’s go to the clinic and take a look.”

Before long, the carriage arrived at the clinic.

Qin Fang carried her down directly, and one of her feet was exposed, attracting the curiosity of passersby.

“Looks like something bit her.”

“It must have been a snake at this time.”

“Dr. Wang… Dr. Wang…” Qin Fang entered the inner room with Yang Haiyan in his arms and saw Dr. Wang. “Dr. Wang, my wife was bitten by a snake; please take a look.”

Qin Fang was a frequent visitor to Dr. Wang since he often prepared medicinal baths for him, so they had become friends over time.

As soon as Dr. Wang heard that Yang Haiyan was bitten, he hurried over to check. “Not poisonous.”

Qin Fang said, “It was a rat snake.”

Dr. Wang examined the wound and noted, “There’s no sign of infection; it was treated beforehand, right? I’ll prescribe two doses of medicine for a couple of days; there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

Hearing this, Qin Fang sighed in relief. “Thank you, Dr. Wang.”

At that moment, Yang Haiyan spoke up: “Dr. Wang, my husband sucked blood from my wound; should he also get two doses of medicine?”

Dr. Wang replied, “…Sure.”

Why would he suck blood from a non-venomous snake bite?

Qin Fang wanted to say he didn’t need it, but to put his wife’s mind at ease, he kept quiet.

When they returned to the Qianfu residence, Qin Fang carried Yang Haiyan all the way from the carriage to the main courtyard.

It was almost lunchtime, and Qin Siya and Qin Shoucheng were also preparing for lunch, so they were waiting in the courtyard when they saw their brother carrying their sister-in-law back.

Qin Shoucheng, being twelve years old and having studied, knew it was improper to stare, so he quickly turned his back.

But Qin Siya, seeing her sister-in-law without shoes, hurriedly asked, “Sister-in-law, what happened? Did you get hurt on your foot?”

Qin Shoucheng turned back, worried when he heard Qin Siya’s question.

Yang Haiyan replied, “It’s nothing serious; I was bitten by a snake when we went to the countryside.”

Qin Siya exclaimed, “That bad snake needs to be killed and made into snake soup!”

Yang Haiyan was shocked by Qin Siya’s heavy taste. “…”

She would never eat snake soup in her life.

She just didn’t know that in the countryside, snakes were also considered meat.

If someone could catch them, they would eat them.

Even children as young as seven or eight would chase after snakes to catch them.

Qin Fang set Yang Haiyan down on the wooden couch and handed her slippers.

Just as he squatted down, he heard Yang Haiyan ask, “What are you hiding in your arms? I wanted to ask earlier; my forehead hurts from rubbing.”