Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 218 - 217: Proper Distance Between Men and Women

Chapter 218: Chapter 217: Proper Distance Between Men and Women

The store owner didn’t expect he guessed right.

Last year, he had only caught a glimpse from afar amidst the crowd, not seeing the face clearly, but the heroic figure on horseback left a deep impression.

The moment Qin Yao entered the store, he felt a sudden brightness before his eyes.

Upon closer inspection, the more he looked, the more it seemed like her.

He ventured to ask, and to his surprise, it was indeed her!

Of course, a woman who could stride into a bookstore and calmly glance at those scholars could hardly be an ordinary person.

Perhaps he was a bit nervous or embarrassed; unless Qin Yao asked, the store owner refrained from speaking up again.

He probably thought that someone who could take down bandit leaders must know everything, right?

Qin Yao could sense the store owner looking at her through an all-purpose filter, but she indeed had many things she didn’t understand.

In deciding between maintaining mystique and revealing her true self, Qin Yao hesitated for less than two seconds before decisively choosing the latter.

Pretending can’t fill your stomach, but getting lost is a big issue.

"Can you help me explain what the various symbols on this map mean?" Qin Yao asked.

This action attracted the scholars who had just been watching her. Without noticing, a few people gathered around. Without waiting for the store owner’s response, they began explaining to Qin Yao on their own initiative.

After Qin Yao spent one tael of silver to buy the "Sheng Country Road Map" and left the bookstore, the scholars who had explained things to her ran back to the academy.

"Brother Liu Ji! We saw your wife!"

The scholars were actually Liu Ji’s next-door dormitory mates, shouting excitedly all the way, as this was the first time they had seen the appearance of a female hero up close.

Liu Ji, who was washing shoes and socks instead of taking a nap, paused when he heard the excited yelling of these people: "Who? My wife came?"

What a surprise, why would she come?

Liu Ji subconsciously reviewed his recent actions, reflecting on whether he had done something wrong that got back to Liu Family Village, making Qin Yao come to the city to deal with him.

Turns out, he hadn’t.

This past month, he had stayed at the academy honestly, preparing for exams, studying tirelessly day and night, working as hard as he could! 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

A few classmates came to him, all speaking at once, saying they saw a woman at the bookstore. This was quite a novelty.

When they listened closely, it turned out to be Liu Ji’s wife, which was even more surprising.

But that wasn’t why they were so excited.

What thrilled them was personally teaching the hero who helped defeat bandits how to read a map; at such a close distance, they could feel the chill beneath her gentle gaze—truly exciting!

As Liu Ji listened, his brow furrowed tightly. What close distance? What teaching his wife to read maps personally?

Didn’t they know that men and women should maintain proper distance?

Liu Ji threw the sock in his hand into the basin with an angry splash, rushing out of the academy—Qin Yao, you shameless woman, just wait till I get there!

However, charging mightily to the county government gate and seeing the woman walking out with Liu Dafu, chatting and laughing, he promptly screeched to a halt.

He turned around, looked up at the sky, and retreated.

The whole set of movements was executed seamlessly, quite smooth.

"Liu Ji!"

Qin Yao’s shout made Liu Ji tremble.

He turned his head grinning, all flattery, "Oh dear wife, what a coincidence! What brings you here?"

Liu Dafu was leaving first, and after Qin Yao bid him farewell, she walked briskly toward Liu Ji.

"To handle the land deed," she replied.

Having bought the land she had longed for, Qin Yao touched the deed tucked in the inner pocket by her chest, feeling quite cheerful.

Liu Ji knew Qin Yao had been coveting the land in Liu Dafu’s hands for a long time, and seeing the two just coming out of the side door of the government office, he quickly realized Qin Yao had bought Liu Dafu’s land.

"Our family bought a few acres from Liu Dafu?" He asked excitedly.

Those were first-class arable lands, essential for the survival of ordinary folks; with land in hand, they needn’t worry about their next meal.

Qin Yao hadn’t intended to tell him, but since they met coincidentally, she had to answer, "Just the ten acres currently being farmed."

She didn’t mention how much silver was spent buying it.

But then she said, "I have good news for you: Liu Li will accompany you for the Prefecture exam, and I will personally escort both of you to the Prefecture. I’ve already bought the map."

With that, she waved the "Sheng Country Road Map" she had carefully wrapped in oil paper in front of him.

Liu Ji’s smile froze; so this was your kind of transaction!

With a curled lip, he said, "I thought so, how could penny-pinching Liu Dafu be willing to sell such good land to our family?"

But hearing her say she would personally escort him to the Prefecture, he showed some anticipation and happily said:

"Dear wife, I’ve heard the Prefecture is much bigger than our Kaiyang County, with taverns and restaurants everywhere, and the roast duck at Dengyun Building is a must-try, how about we..."

"We’ll see." Qin Yao raised her hand to interrupt, patting his chest and admonishing, "Come home mid-April to help with the second round of rice planting, I’m leaving now, study well."

Liu Ji was dumbfounded; he had eagerly come to see her but barely uttered a few words, and now she was leaving?

Qin Yao raised a suspicious eyebrow, "Anything else?"

Liu Ji couldn’t maintain his smile, it completely collapsed, and he shook his head, eyes lifeless.

"Then you go back; I’ll go by myself, no need to see me off."

Qin Yao pointed to the academy gate beside her, waved at Liu Ji, showing no reluctance.

After all, seeing him wasn’t part of her city visit plan.

Many tasks awaited her at home.

The seedlings had grown to a plantable height, and the entire village waited for her to teach the first round of rice planting.

There were also plans to expand the livestock sheds and warehouse at home, maintain the water mill, feed the cows and horses, and herb the vegetable garden...

With an additional plan to visit the Prefecture, time was limited.

Qin Yao gently tapped her head—she shouldn’t think more; if she does, she might just slack off entirely!

Liu Ji stood at the academy gate, watching her until she vanished from sight, before realizing with a delayed "Oh."

With a long sigh, he entered the academy, feeling quite depressed.

The spring rain drizzled without end, yet the farmers’ busy steps wouldn’t pause because of it.

The seedlings in the nursery were ready for transplantation, and the morning of the start of planting, Liu Family Village’s residents gathered around the banks of Qin Yao’s field to closely watch her method of planting rice seedlings.

The seedlings shouldn’t be planted too densely or sparsely, and the water level in the field should just cover the roots of the seedlings.

People who had farmed for generations, with Qin Yao’s little pointers, understood the field work easily.

By afternoon, each household collected seedlings from the nursery and began planting in their fields.

Qin Yao responsibly took turns visiting each field to check and guide.

Once this round of seedlings was planted, the farmers, having worked hard for a long time, could finally take a breather.

Qin Yao also found time to go to the town to buy three fat chunks of good meat, purchased some timber from her own factory, and bought a few hundred green tiles from the Lower River Village kiln, inviting Uncle Jiu and Liu Bai and Liu Zhong, the brothers, to help build livestock sheds and warehouse at home.