Chapter 179: You’re Not Capable

“Will there be a reward from the Emperor?”

Ye Xin Ran hadn’t thought about this at all.

She didn’t expect such a small thing to reach the Emperor’s ears.

“Yes!”

The village head was also quite pleased.

He hadn’t expected such a big response.

Receiving a reward from the Emperor would be an enormous honor!

Now, he somewhat regretted not having included Xiao Huai’an and Ye Xin Ran in the village’s family register earlier.

If he had included them, the ancestors’ graves would have been filled with pride!

“I wonder what kind of reward the Emperor will give?”

The Emperor’s reward must be something extraordinary, and Ye Xin Ran started to feel curious.

The news of the Xiao family receiving the magistrate’s reward spread quickly throughout the village.

Everyone came over to congratulate them.

“Madam Ye, this is great! Now that the Emperor knows about our threshing machine, if they reward you with a title, you’ll become nobility!”

“Ah! I’m so old now, just hearing the word ‘Emperor’ makes my legs shake. Surely the Emperor will give something generous, right? Maybe rough rice or white rice? Or maybe… one hundred bushels?”

Old Lady Zhang hesitated and, gathering courage, threw out the largest number she could think of.

Everyone laughed at her lack of experience.

“Aunt, that’s the Emperor! I heard that the Emperor’s pillows are made of gold.”

“With all that wealth, do you think the Emperor would only give rice? He must give gold and silver treasures! At least a hundred taels!” said Er Dan’s mother, suggesting an even higher number.

Zhang Feng Cai, who often worked outside the village, sneered at both their ideas.

“Enough! I heard the scholars say that when the Emperor rewards someone, it’s thousands of acres of land and tens of thousands of taels of gold and silver… And if he’s really pleased, he might even grant a title, making you a princess!”

“Tens of thousands of taels of gold and silver?”

The villagers gasped.

“How much would that be?”

“Yeah, what kind of house would fit all that?”

“Luckily, the Xiao family’s yard is big, but all that gold and silver can’t just be piled up outside!”

As their conversation became more ridiculous, the village head finally couldn’t listen anymore.

“You people really haven’t seen much of the world. If the Emperor rewards someone, it’s always something invaluable that money can’t buy!”

“And who says the gold and silver has to be piled up in the yard? You can just deposit it in the bank, or exchange it for silver bills, and no one will even see it!”

After hearing the village head’s explanation, everyone paused, reflecting on their exaggerated imaginations.

The Village Has a Famous Person Now, and Everyone is Happy

Ye Xin Ran saw more and more people coming to congratulate her. She took out some melon seeds and candy to treat everyone, so they could share in the joy.

These items were still from the warehouse of Ye Da Cheng’s family.

The fresh fruits and vegetables had already been eaten, and only some dried fruits and candies remained. She didn’t expect they would come in handy at this moment.

After the celebration and chatter had subsided, the villagers slowly dispersed. When Chen Shi noticed there was no one else around, she took Ye Xin Ran by the arm and led her to her house.

Her demeanor was mysterious, and when Ye Xin Ran asked what she was doing, she just smiled and wouldn’t say anything.

It wasn’t until she lifted a large basin, revealing the tightly packed eel fish inside, that she spoke up:

“This is something your Brother Zhang caught with the kids. People say eel fish are the best for nourishing the body. These are especially for you.”

Ye Xin Ran quickly waved her hand when she heard this.

“It’s not easy for Brother Zhang to catch these fish, you all should keep them and enjoy them yourselves!”

Chen Shi seemed a little embarrassed when Ye Xin Ran refused, “Although they’re not anything valuable, they’re fresh. I just wanted you to try something new. Please take them, don’t be polite.”

Seeing the eager look in Chen Shi’s eyes, Ye Xin Ran finally relented and said, “Well, I’ll accept them. Thank you so much!”

“Ah, no need to thank me!” Chen Shi said with a relieved smile.

She continued, “These past few days, our family has benefited so much from being around you! Every time my husband goes up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs, you pay him, and over these last couple of months, we’ve gotten quite a bit from your family. And that medicine you gave me has really worked. I’m feeling much better now, and I can take on some sewing work to help out at home.

We really owe you two for the life we’re able to live now!”

“That’s good!”

Ye Xin Ran was a little embarrassed by the praise. Looking at the Zhang family’s yard, she changed the topic and asked, “Where are the kids? Why aren’t they at home?”

“They’ve all gone to school!”

Chen Shi proudly said this.

“My husband said that since Mr. Xie is here, and the tuition is affordable, if they don’t study now, when else will they? Although Tao Hua and Xiao Hua are girls, the more they learn, the better. Knowing how to read, do sums, and such will give them more confidence when they marry into other families.”

At this point, Chen Shi looked at Ye Xin Ran and shyly added, “To be honest, we didn’t understand these things before. But after seeing how capable you are, we thought we should let our kids study as well. We don’t ask for wealth or nobility, just that our children live a better life than we did!”

Ye Xin Ran was surprised by the perspective of Zhang Da Li and his wife.

Their family had once struggled, not even having enough to eat and even having to sell children.

But now, with a little money in hand, they were able to send all their kids to school, which was truly rare.

“It’s good for the children to study more. Once my processing factory is up and running, I’ll need people to help, and if the children can read, they can come and help with the counting.”

When Chen Shi heard this, she was even more delighted and immediately agreed.

“Ah, that’s wonderful! Once the factory is open, we’ll all come over to help.”

As she spoke, Chen Shi began to take the fish out of the basin.

Worried that Ye Xin Ran might not know how to handle them, she quickly cleaned everything up and handed the fish over to her.

“Just cook them into a soup or something, it’s very nourishing! Let your husband drink more of it.”

Ye Xin Ran nodded and accepted the fish.

Suddenly, she sensed something was off.

She looked up at Chen Shi with a confused expression. Chen Shi gave her a slight smile and a look that said, “You know what I mean.”

Ye Xin Ran, feeling somewhat confused, mumbled, “Oh.”

What did she mean by that?

What was she trying to say?

As Ye Xin Ran walked home, she kept thinking about it.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice someone coming toward her and ended up bumping into Xiao Huai’an.

Before Ye Xin Ran could react, Xiao Huai’an reached out and steadied her.

“Why aren’t you looking where you’re going? So careless?”

Ye Xin Ran regained her balance and quickly retorted, “You could have looked where you were going too! Why didn’t you move and avoid me?”

Seeing her puffed-up expression, Xiao Huai’an found it cute. He reached out and ruffled her head. “If I had moved, what would you have done when you bumped into a wall later?”

Ye Xin Ran: …

“If this happens again, you better speak up and remind me.”

Xiao Huai’an took the grass bag from her hand. “If I reminded you, then you wouldn’t have bumped into me!”

Ye Xin Ran…

Why is he acting so flirty today?

She looked up at Xiao Huai’an, who appeared no different from usual.

Xiao Huai’an, meeting her inquisitive gaze, lifted the grass bag a little higher and asked, “Did Brother Zhang send this?”

Ye Xin Ran nodded.

She then remembered what Chen Shi had said earlier and smiled mischievously. “Aunt Zhang said this is to help you strengthen your health! I’ll cook it for you when we get home.”

“Help me strengthen my health? I’m perfectly fine, though.”

Xiao Huai’an was a bit startled.

Ye Xin Ran smirked. “I don’t know, maybe they noticed you’re not doing so well?”