Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 232 - 231: Flying a Kite

As long as you don’t try to take advantage of small gains, you generally won’t be cheated.

Before leaving, Qin Yao tugged at Liu Ji’s ear, warning him not to hide any private money, or else he would be dead if things went wrong.

Liu Ji widened his eyes in horror: She actually knew he was hiding money? Impossible!

However, the reality was that nothing he did could escape Qin Yao’s eyes. It was just a matter of whether she wanted to bother with it or chose to turn a blind eye.

Terrified, Liu Ji didn’t dare to mess up again. He found a proper agent honestly and arranged to meet the next morning to handle the paperwork.

"The people in this Prefecture are really nice." Returning to the inn, Liu Ji cheerfully told the five family members,

"The agent personally took us for a look around first, and then we felt comfortable handing things over to them. They’ll handle the entry permits and even deliver them to us at the inn, so I don’t have to worry about a thing."

Finally, he smugly added, "Money talks, doesn’t it?"

"Of course," Qin Yao smirked, "The money I earn, isn’t it powerful?"

Liu Ji quickly replied, "Yes, yes, yes," turning his head to vent towards the air with a few punches.

"What’s for dinner tonight?" Qin Yao asked.

The inn wasn’t spacious either. The family of six still had to share one room, but fortunately, the shopkeeper was an understanding person, allowing them to sleep on the floor in the guest room and even had an attendant bring an extra thin quilt.

Of course, the daily cost of the room was twenty cents more.

But since Qin Yao planned to stay long-term, as they needed to wait until the Prefecture exam results were out, at least until the end of the month, she bargained with the shopkeeper and paid three taels of silver for the room until the end of the month.

Upon paying the rent, Qin Yao felt a bit of a sting.

Initially, she planned to find a short-term rental house here, only to find out that houses were hard to rent.

Places that were clean and safe were for long-term rentals, and they didn’t even consider short-term tenants like them.

The rest, Qin Yao wasn’t even interested in. Staying in an inn was safer and more secure.

The inn was surrounded by well-off city dwellers, so she didn’t have to worry about any unsavory characters while the children were at the inn.

It was a bit more expensive, but this expense couldn’t be saved.

From the seven taels of silver scavenged from the bandits, only three taels were left. Supporting the six of them, along with Qin Yao’s large appetite, would be tight until the end of the month unless they cooked their own meals.

So, they rented the inn’s kitchen stove, planning to buy ingredients and cook for themselves.

It was completely dark outside, and since this street was mostly inns, it was brightly lit and very lively.

Liu Ji glanced outside several times, seeing people drinking, composing poetry, and discussing elegance in groups, his heart itching.

Yet, Qin Yao’s question shattered those fantasies of poetry and romance with the harsh reality of daily necessities.

"Alas," Liu Ji sighed, saying, "I’ll go check what’s in the kitchen. It’s late today, so let’s just have something simple. I’ll find out where the market is, and we can have something better after I buy groceries in the morning."

After speaking, he naturally extended his hand to Qin Yao for money.

Qin Yao handed him one tael of silver.

One tael! Liu Ji felt flattered, hardly daring to believe it, but he quickly took the money, tucked the silver into his clothes, and flashed an ingratiating smile at her before heading to the kitchen with light footsteps.

Second Lang asked suspiciously, "Mother, why did you give Dad so much money?"

"This is called flying a kite," Qin Yao sat down and poured herself a cup of tea. The tea at the inn was served all day and free of charge. While it wasn’t good tea, it was refreshing in the summer heat.

Second Lang scratched his head, confused, "What is flying a kite?"

Qin Yao patted the bench beside her, inviting Second Lang to sit down, and explained, "Your father is like a kite. When the wind is strong, if you pull hard, the line might break, and it will fly away uncontrollably. But if you let the line out at the right time, everything stays under control."

With so many temptations in the city, Liu Ji wasn’t a steadfast person. If she managed him too tightly, it might backfire and cause him to surprise her.

Instead, she decided to give him a wider boundary to bounce around.

After Qin Yao’s explanation, Second Lang nodded seriously, showing he had learned something new.

Liu Ji was quick and returned soon with six bowls of dough drop soup and a basket of coarse corn buns.

The soup was made with bone broth, with a sprinkle of fresh green onions floating on the surface, sending out a tempting aroma.

Though the buns were made from coarse grains, they were finely milled and freshly baked, soft and fluffy.

"Not bad," Qin Yao praised.

Hastily, she called over the four Da Lang siblings, who were busy finishing their unfinished reading reflections, to come and eat first. Once they’re full, they could continue.

Seeing that Qin Yao was satisfied with her meal and had praised him, Liu Ji thought of the lively scene in the front hall, and tentatively asked,

"Wife, can I go out for a while after dinner?"

Qin Yao: "Up to you."

Liu Ji’s heart instantly lifted with joy, and he quickly promised to clean up the dishes before he left. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

But when all four children’s expectant eyes turned to him, Liu Ji felt the pressure mount.

Finally, using the excuse that they hadn’t finished their work, he sneaked out on his own.

Si Niang stomped her foot angrily, "Mother! Why don’t you do something about him!"

Qin Yao, amused, promised to take them out shopping tomorrow, which made the little girl smile again, happily returning to writing her reading reflections.

Qin Yao instructed the four siblings to stay in the room while she went to ask an attendant for two buckets of hot water.

After traveling for so long, they were finally settled down and could wash up properly before having a good night’s sleep.

While the mother and her four children were washing up, Liu Ji suddenly returned in high spirits.

Si Niang’s first reaction was to ask in surprise, "Dad, are you done playing already?"

Liu Ji playfully scratched his daughter’s upturned chin, "Stop being sarcastic with your old man. Let me tell you something fun."

He roamed the room for a chair. There were only four chairs for the siblings sitting around the basin washing their feet, and Qin Yao was sitting on the bed adjusting arrows.

After hesitating for two seconds, Liu Ji decisively lifted Sanlang from the foot basin and placed him on the bed, pulling the chair in between the bed and the basin, excitedly saying,

"Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, right? There’s a dragon boat race in the city. Let’s go together. They say it’s a lively event, and in the evening, there will be riddles to guess. If you guess right, there’s a prize."

Sanlang, thrown onto the bed, rolled into a ball in the quilt. He barely scrambled out and was about to complain to his mother that Dad was bullying him, but then heard Liu Ji’s words, and his attention was immediately captured. He asked with wide eyes,

"What’s a dragon boat race?"

Liu Ji awkwardly explained, "It’s a boat race to see who can row the fastest."

"Is there a prize?" Second Lang asked excitedly.

Liu Ji nodded enthusiastically, "Of course there is. The first prize not only includes a hundred taels of reward silver but also an invitation to the top floor of the largest restaurant for a free meal. That restaurant is called Dengyun Building, and the feast is called, oh right, the Dragon King Banquet!"