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

About fifteen minutes later, Gu Yu finally returned.

Shang Qing breathed a slight sigh of relief: "Young Master Zhao is finally back. Are they still on the mountain?"

“That’s right, and Xi’er’s judgment was very accurate. Another one should be Li Shuqin.”

It really was the mother and daughter.

Shang Qing thought back carefully. Even though she had her share of entanglements with Jiang Yingyue, she and Zhang Cuilan had always had little contact. It was like that before, and it was like that now. So why was the Zhang family suddenly eyeing their family?

Pan'er asked suspiciously, "What are they doing on the mountain?"

Shang Qing and Gu Yu exchanged a glance, then chuckled and said, "What else could those two be doing? They're probably here for the red mushrooms. I really can't think of anything else they could find."

Gu Yu's silence seemed to confirm Shang Qing's guess.

Pan'er muttered to herself, "They could have come to our house to ask for it, why did they have to steal it?"

Shang Qing smiled but didn't say anything.

Gu Yu timed it perfectly, and soon signaled the two of them to hide in a nearby haystack.

"When I went up there just now, they had already dug up a whole basketful. I think they probably figured we would be back late from the county town, so they came to dig for red mushrooms at this time. They should be coming down soon."

Sure enough, as soon as Gu Yu finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the mountain not far away.

The three of them quickly hid and remained silent for a moment.

"Mother, do you think they won't find out?"

"How could that be? Your mother has been staking out the area for several days. They went to the county government today and won't be back for a while. Besides, I think it's going to rain later tonight, so there will be even fewer people. This is the perfect time for us to come."

“But did we pick too many? I’m worried they’ll notice when they come up the mountain…”

"Silly child, don't be afraid, everything will be alright."

Upon hearing this, Shang Qing could only sneer inwardly.

These people are so arrogant!

One second Zhang Cuilan was still proud of her cleverness and resourcefulness, the next second she saw three people—two adults and one child—standing under the moonlight. She was so frightened that she dropped the basket she was carrying, scattering the red mushrooms all over the ground.

Li Shuqin was terrified.

Shang Qing smiled at her: "Oh, isn't this Zhang Cuilan?"

Upon hearing the voice, Zhang Cuilan immediately recognized it as Shang Qing's and prepared to run into the nearby bushes, but Gu Yu stopped her.

"What, you have the guts to steal but not the guts to admit it? Who was it that just now swore nothing would happen?"

Shang Qing walked up to Zhang Cuilan and her daughter, looked them up and down, and continued, "Why aren't you saying anything? Have you been scared out of your wits by me?"

But what Zhang Cuilan did next really shocked Shang Qing.

Without batting an eye, Zhang Cuilan picked up the red mushrooms and put them in the basket, then placed them in the grass next to her. She said confidently, "I don't know what you're talking about. My daughter and I didn't do anything. We just had nothing to do after dinner, so we went for a walk in the mountains."

Birds of a feather flock together; Zhang Cuilan's shamelessness rivals that of Jiang Yingyue.

Shang Qing laughed in anger: "Zhang Cuilan, I didn't know you were shameless before, but today I've learned something new."

Hearing this, Zhang Cuilan retorted, "Shang Qing, I have no grudge against you, so you can't just say things like that! Who is Jiang Yingyue? She has nothing to do with me. Besides, we picked these red mushrooms ourselves!"

Zhang Cuilan looked at Li Shuqin, signaling her to agree, but Li Shuqin, perhaps feeling guilty, stood there motionless.

On the contrary, Pan'er was frightened by Zhang Cuilan's imposing manner and obediently retreated behind Gu Yu.

Shang Qing had anticipated her response, so he feigned agreement and said, "Alright, alright, then I'll assume you were found. But everything on this mountain is mine, so I'll take these red mushrooms with me."

Shang Qing was about to pick them up when Zhang Cuilan shouted at her, "Shang Qing, these are the ones we picked up! We worked so hard to pick them up! Besides, they were just some not-so-good red mushrooms to begin with, so they're ours now that we picked them!"

Shang Qing snorted coldly and forcefully lifted the basket out. Zhang Cuilan wanted to stop her, but didn't dare because Gu Yu was present.

"Zhang Cuilan, you guys are really lucky! These red mushrooms are big, the color is great, and they're almost undamaged. Do you think I'm stupid enough to let you fool me?"

Zhang Cuilan realized she couldn't fool them anymore, and no matter how hard she tried to think, she couldn't come up with a solution for the time being.

“Everyone knew when I contracted this mountain, and what you’re doing now is stealing. Besides, the red mushrooms you picked tonight are poisonous and cannot be eaten.”

Zhang Cuilan naturally didn't believe Shang Qing's casual remark.

"Shang Qing, how dare you say I lied to you? Didn't you lie to me too? You were enjoying these red mushrooms a few days ago, and you even gave them to quite a few people, weren't you?"

Talking to someone like her was exhausting for Shang Qing.

"I'll say it again, what you picked tonight is poisonous and you can't eat it."

Shang Qing was simply stating the facts, but Zhang Cuilan was completely unyielding. She hadn't expected Shang Qing to fixate on such trivial matters. So, in the blink of an eye, she began to wail and cry, "Oh dear, my life is so miserable! My husband died young, and I've struggled to raise my child! The harvest hasn't been good lately, and I was just thinking of picking up some of the things you don't want to take home, to make ends meet. Why are you so fixated on this?"

Hearing her words, Pan'er didn't feel sorry for her. Considering her behavior today, she seemed to understand what Shang Qing had said.

Zhang Cuilan got more and more excited as she talked, and in the end she even sat down on the ground and refused to get up, looking like she was throwing a tantrum. Shang Qing frowned, as she hated this kind of thing the most.

Seeing this, Zhang Cuilan grabbed Shang Qing's leg and pleaded, "Shang Qing, I was a bit harsh with my words earlier. I apologize to you. Please forgive me."

"And please, I beg you, please forgive me this time, since we're from the same village! I promise I'll never do anything like this again. I'll do anything you ask, I can help you with chores!"

Shang Qing's ears were practically exploding from listening.

Gu Yu noticed her disgust and immediately stepped forward to pull Zhang Cuilan away, saying coldly, "Don't lay a hand on her."

Liu Shuqin kept her head down and stepped forward to help Zhang Cuilan up: "Mother, why don't we leave? We don't want these red mushrooms anymore. We'll think of another way. We won't beg her."

What Liu Shuqin said is quite interesting. Could it be that Shang Qing is being unreasonable and lacking in common sense?