The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

Chen Xi took the basket and responded with a smile: "Thank you so much for your kindness. I will accept it without hesitation."

In Chen Xi's opinion, since someone brought free snacks to his door, why not accept them happily? As for Xu Jing, let her little scheme die on its own.

Chen Xi's performance as a hostess made Xu Jing's face turn pale and blue. In the end, she could only leave the Xie family angrily but helplessly.

Carrying a basket full of snacks, Chen Xi returned to the dining table. Xie Tianyi immediately greeted him with a concerned look: "Who is visiting? I saw you come in with a basket. Is it a gift from the neighbor?"

The corners of Chen Xi's mouth slightly raised, outlining a slightly playful smile, and he looked directly into the depths of Xie Tianyi's heart.

"Of course it's your old acquaintance who brought some surprises for you." There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

When Xie Tianyi heard this, he couldn't help but let out a series of chuckles from his throat, but this sense of relief was instantly replaced by a sudden embarrassment.

His expression changed slightly, and he quickly reached out to cover the corner of his mouth, saying apologetically: "Sorry, I couldn't control myself."

Xiaoyang and Xiaochen, who were standing by, had their big eyes twinkling. Their childish voices broke the subtlety in the air: "Dad, what does old acquaintance mean?"

After saying this, he tilted his little head.

Xie Tianyi's face became even more embarrassed. He glanced at Chen Xi gently and answered the child unnaturally: "You are still young now. You will understand it naturally when you grow up."

Then, he turned his gaze to the basket placed beside the table. After hesitating for a moment, he whispered to Chen Xi to confirm: "You mean, these were sent by Xu Jing?"

Seeing this, Chen Xi's smile deepened, and he deliberately responded in a light-hearted and teasing tone: "Besides her, do you have any secret friends that I don't know about?"

Xie Tianyi quickly waved his hands to deny it, his brows revealing a bit of seriousness and helplessness: "Don't joke like that, even if you give me ten times the courage, I would never dare to have a secret lover."

Chen Xi pointed to the basket and said in a brisk tone: "She said that these were made by her own hands and wanted you to taste her craftsmanship."

Xie Tianyi refused categorically: "I won't eat it."

Chen Xi pretended to be exaggerated and raised his eyebrows, "Oh, why do you have to do this? It would be such a pity to waste their kindness."

That look made Xie Tianyi feel both funny and uncomfortable, and the atmosphere became subtle.

Afterwards, Chen Xi personally uncovered the basket.

"Come on, come on, everyone come and try it. You will be missing out if you don't try it."

Chen Xi greeted enthusiastically, and took the lead in picking up a piece of snack that looked like a mung bean cake. He took a bite, and his eyes lit up, "You know what, this tastes really good."

Xiaoyang and Xiaochen also picked up a piece each and put it in their mouths, nodding with satisfaction.

He didn't forget to pick up a piece for Xie Tianyi as well, "Daddy, you try it too, it's super delicious."

Chen Xi looked at Xie Tianyi's dilemma, with a smile in his eyes, "I was just teasing you just now, eat it, it would be a waste if you don't eat such delicious food."

As he spoke, he picked up another piece and began to savor it carefully.

During this meal, Xie Tianyi seemed a little restrained due to various concerns, and after the meal he even offered to wash the dishes.

At the Liu family, Yu Qiongying learned from an unknown rumor that the amount of mushrooms picked by Xu Lihong was far more than the reported 50 kilograms, and the excess income was not turned over truthfully. This news ignited her anger.

She was restless at home, waiting for Xu Lihong's return.

Yu Qiongying was so angry today that she didn't even prepare dinner.

As soon as Liu Yong stepped into the house, he was greeted by his mother's gloomy face. He couldn't help but ask with concern: "Mom, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Yu Qiongying was furious when she heard this: "You're still asking me? It was all your good wife's fault. I asked her to go pick mushrooms to make money, but she played tricks on me and refused to give me the extra money. If I hadn't heard the rumor today, I would still be kept in the dark."

Liu Yonggang looked surprised: "Not really, mother, Xu Lihong is usually so docile, she wouldn't dare to do this to me."

Yu Qiongying said with dissatisfaction in her tone: "You don't know, I specifically asked the daughter-in-law of your distant cousin's family, and they said that Xu Lihong was very close to Chen Xi, and judging from the mushrooms she brought back, there must be more than 50 kilograms."

"How dare this woman hide something from us? When she comes back, I will teach her a lesson. Letting her earn money is to supplement the family income, not to let her hide a little money."

When Liu Yonggang heard that Xu Lihong might have hidden money and other valuables, he became furious and vowed to teach her a profound lesson.

On the other hand, Xu Lihong finished a day's work and picked ten kilograms more mushrooms than usual, which meant she could get an extra thirty cents.

She planned to save these thirty cents quietly. Together with her previous small treasury, it would almost reach three hundred cents.

For her, this money means more freedom in her choices in the future.

At first, she was troubled by how to safely hide this extra income, until Chen Xi gave her a suggestion.

If you can't find a suitable place to store it, you might as well keep it with her temporarily. Even if Yu Qiongying finds it, she won't associate it with Chen Xi.

When Xu Lihong opened the door of her home, she immediately felt that the atmosphere was strange.

Yu Qiongying sat in the middle of the main room with a sullen face, while Liu Yonggang stood silently beside her.

In this atmosphere that was so depressing that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it, Xu Lihong was overwhelmed by an ominous premonition in her heart.

"Hey, the pillar of our family, did you have a good harvest of mushrooms today? Don't tell me you picked fifty kilograms of mushrooms again, not a kilogram more or less."

There was a hint of sharpness in Yu Qiongying's words, but her eyes never left Xu Lihong.

Although Xu Lihong had a hint of doubt in her heart, she did not show it on her face, and said calmly, "The rules at Chen Xi's place have always been like this. They only buy a maximum of 50 kilograms a day, and they will not buy anything more than that."

Yu Qiongying smiled meaningfully when she heard this. "Tsk tsk, I've heard a lot of different rumors. It's said that you send more than this every day, and Chen Xi not only accepts it all, but also gives extra silver. How come you haven't handed over a single cent of this silver to your family?"

She pressed on, distrust flashing in her eyes.

Xu Lihong knew it very well. This matter was a secret between her and Chen Xi, and Chen Xi kept it a secret and would never leak it out.

Therefore, she secretly wondered where all this information about Yu Qiongying came from, and a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.

"Mom, who are you listening to behind your back? According to the village rules, everyone strictly follows the 50-jin limit. How can I be treated as an exception?"