The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

As he hesitated, his eyes involuntarily turned to Qin for help.

Qin glared at her eldest son fiercely, then slowly fished out ten gleaming copper coins from the depths of her slightly worn-out clothes, and said word by word, "See? We came with money, don't treat us as empty-handed beggars."

Even though it was only ten cents, as light as a feather, in Qin's heart, the weight of every penny was heavy, causing her heart to ache.

She knew that this was not just a matter of money, but also a matter of face and dignity.

"With such a small amount of money, he still has the nerve to bring a group of people to eat for free. He really has no idea of ​​his own highness and shame."

During the dinner, a sarcastic voice rang out, breaking the apparent harmony and making the atmosphere suddenly awkward.

However, Qin seemed to have anticipated these sarcasms. She selectively ignored these idle talks and fixed her eyes firmly on Chen Xi, insisting that he arrange a table.

The table was filled with fragrant meat dishes, and there was a wide variety of chicken, duck, fish and meat. For this family who had not eaten meat for a long time, this was simply a rare feast.

They decided that no matter what people said about them, they would still take advantage of this rare opportunity to feast on the food and enjoy the treat.

Finally, as the first wave of guests left, the Xie family was able to sit down quietly.

As soon as the chicken, duck, fish and meat were placed on the table, they rushed forward like hungry wolves, with chopsticks flying in the air.

Before leaving, Qin and the others were still hoping for a lucky break and tried to take some dishes away for emergency use, but they had never expected that Chen Xi had already cleverly stored the remaining food in a mysterious space, leaving them nowhere to find it, so they could only give up in disappointment.

Qin snorted coldly, and was about to leave with her family in a rage, but was stopped by Chen Xi's casual words.

"Hey, Auntie, have you forgotten something? The gift money hasn't been given yet." Chen Xi said as he spread out his palms. That action made Qin's face instantly gloomy.

All eyes were focused on her, making her feel an indescribable pressure. However, for the sake of her family's reputation, she had to force a smile and pretended to be relaxed in her response: "It's just ten cents. You make it seem like I'm taking advantage of you."

Although there was dissatisfaction in his words, he finally handed the ten cents to Chen Xi very unwillingly.

Chen Xi did not show any dissatisfaction with this. She knew very well that no matter how big or small the amount was, every penny was worth respecting.

She smiled as she sent the Xie family away, then turned around, divided the ten cents into two parts, and gently placed them in the hands of Xiaoyang and Xiaochen.

This brother and sister had their own money for the first time, and their joy and excitement were beyond words.

"Mom, please keep it. We really don't want it." Xiaoyang and Xiaochen spoke almost at the same time.

Chen Xi shook her head, squatted down, and looked the children in the eyes gently: "No, this is for you. From now on, I will give you pocket money every month, and you can use it by yourselves. If it is not enough, you can tell me at any time."

Xie Tianyi watched all this silently from the side, feeling mixed emotions.

He knew that in the county town, it was common for wealthy families to give pocket money to their juniors, but he never thought that Chen Xi would have such an open-minded idea.

This made him curious about Chen Xi's past: "What kind of person was she in the past?"

This question lingered in his mind for a long time.

As Chen Xi no longer went to the town to give acupuncture to Mrs. Fang, the affairs of the Fang family gradually came to an end.

Xiao Hong's true identity was revealed, and the so-called cousin's true colors were also exposed. Chen Xi no longer interfered too much in the Fang family's affairs, and instead devoted more energy to his own family and future plans.

As night fell, Chen Qiangsheng, Liu Xiufen, Chen Jiayi and Chen Jiajia settled down in the blue brick courtyard. The children's dreams finally came true, and the spacious courtyard became their new paradise.

"Xier, your house is really solid. Look at the green bricks and gray tiles. Several generations can live in it safely." Chen Qiangsheng looked around, his eyes full of admiration.

Chen Xi smiled and nodded, feeling quite proud.

Indeed, compared with the adobe houses in the village that need to be renovated every few decades, this courtyard made of blue bricks appears particularly solid and imposing.

"Xiao Xi, how much silver does it cost to build this house with blue bricks? Although our family has saved some money and we have many sons, we should also consider building a new house."

Chen Qiangsheng's words revealed some emotion and yearning, but then he fell into deep thought.

Including the various material costs and labor costs for building the blue brick courtyard, as well as the expenses for entertaining the guests, the total cost was about seventy taels of silver. This figure surprised both Chen Qiangsheng and Liu Xiufen.

You know, this is almost half of their savings over the years.

"Let's wait until our family's financial situation gets better."

Liu Xiufen sighed lightly. She knew in her heart that her family only had about a hundred taels of silver in total, and building this blue brick courtyard had almost used up all of it. Now she could only tighten her belt and save slowly.

As night fell, the last ray of sunset in the sky quietly disappeared. In Xie Tianyi's room, the candlelight swayed gently in the breeze.

"Tell me," Chen Xi's voice was somewhat tentative, gently breaking the silence, "In the county town, how much silver would it cost to buy a decent house?"

Xie Tianyi pondered for a moment, "A single-entrance house would cost at least eight or nine hundred taels of silver, while a double-entrance house would cost around twelve thousand taels."

Hearing this, Chen Xi quickly calculated in his mind.

A single-family house might be affordable if you grit your teeth, but since you are going to settle down, you naturally want to live a more comfortable life.

Although she had some silver coins scraped together from various sources, the total amount was only about a thousand taels, which was still a long way from the standard for a double-entry mansion.

Obviously, it is difficult to realize this wish with the existing savings alone.

Thinking of this, an idea quietly sprouted in her mind - perhaps, she should find another way to increase income through business.

Just as Chen Xi was making plans in his mind, within a few days, Chen Pingan stepped into the door with a look of anxiety and expectation on his face.

"Sister, the small businesses in the town have gradually gotten on track, but I have always had an idea in my mind, which is to open a restaurant. I have discussed it with my parents and eldest brother, and my eldest brother also agreed."

Chen Xi heard this, and a trace of deep thought flashed in his eyes, "Second brother, please tell me your specific plan first."

Chen Pingan paused and said slowly: "My plan is to temporarily hand over Chen's Pastry to my eldest brother and his wife, and hire someone to take care of the fields and pay them monthly. As for me, I will devote myself to the operation of the restaurant in town. In addition to selling the braised food you taught me to make before, I also want to add a few other special dishes."