Farming with kids: My deceased husband returns and I spoil him rotten.

Lao Zong said coldly from the side, "What does your debt have to do with our family? You should figure out how to pay your own money!"

Shang Qing wanted to ignore her, but Jiang Yingyue was ultimately a member of the Gu family, and the Gu family…

"Giving you a chance won't help. Go to Nie Niang's house this afternoon and give it a try. If you pass the review, you can take on jobs. If you don't, there's nothing I can do. Good luck."

After Shang Qing finished speaking, she turned and went into the house. Jiang Yingyue wanted to ask her for special treatment, but Lao Zong stopped her.

"A despicable person like you only thinks of my sister when you need her. Have you forgotten the vicious things you said before? Get out of here right now, or I really won't be polite to you!"

Jiang Yingyue was afraid and had no choice but to leave.

Although many people saw her kneeling before Shang Qing and she lost face, she couldn't care less about that right now; saving her life was the priority.

By that afternoon, quite a few people had gathered in Nie Niang's courtyard.

Today's test was very simple. It involved carving a finished product using the tools at hand, and then deciding whether to pass the review based on the quality of the finished product.

Gu Wangshi and Jiang Yingyue both came over, and although Nie Niang didn't like them, she still let them stay.

She had initially thought the two of them were definitely not going to work out, but to her surprise, the carpenter said the finished product was acceptable.

When Shang Qing arrived, he found Nie Niang and the carpenter arguing.

"I think neither of them did a good job at all, how could you let them pass?"

"In terms of appearance, it's not great, quite a bit off, but the technique is still pretty good, much better than most newcomers. You know that the most important thing in our line of work is technique. If you use the right technique, the appearance will only get better and better."

"No, I don't think it will work!"

Shang Qing understood, and stepped forward to Nie Niang, saying, "Alright, Nie Niang, since Big Brother thinks they're both suitable, let's let them pass."

Nie Niang was a little worried: "But aren't you afraid? You know what kind of person Jiang Yingyue is. Who knows if she will do something else sneaky or despicable again?"

Shang Qing comforted her, "Isn't there you? Besides, this is a woodworking job, what loopholes can she find? Since they passed it, let's give them a chance and just keep a close eye on them."

Since that was the case, Nie Niang didn't object anymore and agreed.

Nie Niang spent two days selecting suitable candidates. Once the candidates were almost all chosen, the carpenter assigned them tasks and daily quotas, which undoubtedly provided Shang Qing with a guarantee.

The days passed by in a flurry of activity.

On the day of delivery, Cheng Cai insisted on helping them with the delivery, and Gu Yu accompanied them.

After the three of them arrived in town, they went to a teahouse as agreed.

Zhang Chao was already waiting for them inside. He had been looking worried, but when he saw Shang Qing, he burst out laughing.

"Oh, Shang Qing, you have no idea how nervous I was. After all, this is a large quantity, and I was really afraid you wouldn't be able to finish it, but it seems you did!"

After Zhang Chao finished speaking, he looked at the car full of jewelry boxes outside and couldn't help but exclaim, "Shang Qing, I'm quite curious, how did you do that?"

After everyone sat down, Shang Qing replied, "Of course, it can't be done by just one or two people, so I called more people."

Seeing that Zhang Chao still looked confused, Shang Qing explained her plan. After listening, Zhang Chao couldn't help but praise her: "Shang Qing, I think you're a natural-born businesswoman!"

Taking this opportunity, Shang Qing also introduced Cheng Cai to Zhang Chao.

Cheng Cai was a junior, so he stood up and bowed to him. Zhang Chao noticed the waist tag hanging on Cheng Cai's waist.

"Young man, your waist tag is quite unique, especially the delicate ball hanging down there... If you don't mind, could you take it down and let me see it?"

Gu Yu and Shang Qing then noticed.

Cheng Cai took it down and handed it to him. Zhang Chao examined it carefully for a long time, and then his eyes suddenly lit up. He spoke quickly, as if afraid that he would forget it if he didn't say it now, "Shang Qing, looking at this young man's waist tag reminds me that a delicate ball could also be attached to the bottom of a jewelry box. Rich young ladies in the capital like these kinds of exquisite and small things."

Shang Qing listened attentively to what he was saying.

"This isn't a common item, young man. Did you carve this yourself?"

Cheng Cai shook his head: "Uncle Lao carved this for me."

It was Lao Zong… Shang Qing looked at this craftsmanship and suddenly realized that Lao Zong was truly talented in this area.

Zhang Chao looked at Shang Qing with a puzzled expression, and Shang Qing explained, "Oh, I see. That's my brother. He's been studying woodworking lately since he had nothing to do. I never expected him to be so good at it."

Zhang Chao praised Lao Zong several times. Shang Qing thought to himself, if Lao Zong were here right now, he would be so happy.

"Shang Qing, you really should listen to my opinion. Although this exquisite ball is difficult to carve, if it is added to the jewelry box and the pattern is improved, I believe that the price could easily double or triple. It would be very popular in the capital."

Zhang Chao was quite sensitive in this regard, so Shang Qing was willing to believe what he said.

“This can be added, and the pattern can be redesigned, but shouldn’t the price be increased accordingly? Or, how about we set aside a separate fee for this exquisite ball, and have my brother make it? You can pay him whatever amount he makes, what do you think?”

Shang Qing was surprised that Zhang Chao agreed after only a moment's hesitation: "Okay, then let your brother do it first. I'll go to the capital to see what styles are popular, and then I'll draw them and bring them back for you. You can just make them according to the designs!"

It seems that Zhang Chao is well aware of the ins and outs of this matter.

Shang Qing negotiated the price with Lao Zong, and the two signed a contract on the spot.

After finishing her work and saying goodbye to Zhang Chao, Shang Qing realized that Gu Yu had been gone since earlier.

"Uncle Zhao went outside. I think I just saw someone from the government calling him out."

People from the yamen, could something have happened at the yamen?

When Shang Qing and Cheng Cai came out, they found Gu Yu chatting with the yamen runners.

"Lord Meng said that if you can come tomorrow, it would be best if you could, since the yamen is really busy."

Because of the distance, Shang Qing only vaguely heard this one sentence.

On their way back, Shang Qing brought it up: "Speaking of which, you've been staying home helping out these past few days, and you haven't been able to take care of the yamen's affairs, have you?"