The Qin family, which should have been getting better and easier with time, now had even Qin Xiaoyu acting as a half-laborer.
Qin Junyao wrote a letter to Zhao Liangcai and handed it to Deng Zi Tui, then took Liu Yu and Liu Rong to the nearby foothills for a stroll.
"Luckily," they "discovered" several dead trees, so firewood was secured.
Initially, Father Qin was displeased with Qin Junyao bringing firewood home.
However, he found that without the firewood, he wouldn't even be able to cook at home.
First, his second son, Qin Lin, stopped helping in the fields and began collecting wolfsbane roots. He found many other households and bought several more iron pots, evidently intending to expand production of vinegar and poison.
His third son, who rarely helped in the fields, stopped going altogether and only did chores in the vegetable garden in his spare time.
With less than ten days until Qin Da Niu's wedding, Mother Qin also forbade her son from working outside during the day, limiting his labor to early mornings and evenings.
She herself was constantly running between the Qin and Zhang families.
Although Zhang Dani had neighbors helping her, Mother Qin personally checked to ensure things were going well.
The Qin family members were accounted for. With Grandma Qin and Qin Xiaoyu not returning from the Zhao family, everyone else was busy with their own tasks, and no one was idle.
Father Qin, by himself, clearly felt the strain of agricultural work.
At this time, Qin Junyao was constantly urging him to plant saxaul trees. "It's time to plant Cistanche deserticola, the seedlings are ready. Dad, are you planting them?"
In just a few days, Father Qin, who wanted to maintain a good image in front of the villagers, became disheveled with a stubbled beard and dirty clothes.
The changes in the other Qin family members were all orchestrated by Qin Sen.
Upon hearing from his younger brother that their mother had instructed them, Uncle Qin Er and his wife put down their hoes and went to buy pots.
Mother Qin, who should have been the most obedient to Father Qin, now had her own thoughts after realizing she could earn money. Furthermore, Qin Sen's status was equal to hers, and his words made sense.
This was Qin Da Niu's only wedding, and the bride's family wasn't helping with the preparations. Nothing could go wrong.
Father Qin suddenly found himself alone.
Although not as well-read as Qin Sen, Father Qin was reasonable. After chatting with Hou Jing and his brothers, he gradually understood.
The villagers who praised or cursed him could only offer words of help.
Only his family and close friends could truly assist him.
He shouldn't be afraid of gossip and refuse to hire laborers, nor should he trouble his eldest daughter. It wasn't right that as the family's conditions improved, his family members became even more exhausted.
Grandma Qin knew her son best: he lacked great abilities but was full of petty schemes, and his pride wasn't strong enough. Only by constantly making him stumble could he be kept in check.
Father Qin hired several more laborers for farm work and even spent money buying firewood from villagers. When busy, he knew to hire temporary workers and stopped tormenting his own family.
The Qin family returned to normalcy, and Qin Xiaoyu, after recovering his hand, also returned home.
With Qin Da Niu's wedding fast approaching, Zhao Liangcai in Northwest City received Qin Junyao's letter.
Zhao Liangcai was leading troops, stationed in an empty village ten li outside Northwest City.
It was just after dinner when Zhao Liangcai summoned several generals to his tent for a meeting.
When everyone had arrived, Zhao Liangcai opened Qin Junyao's letter.
He hadn't found time during the day due to military training. Sudan Novel Network.
The generals who arrived first gathered around, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of their respective units that day, who had unruly new recruits, and who had a promising talent.
As several generals were engaged in a heated discussion, a loud bang came from where the general was.
The generals turned to see the desk in front of the general had toppled to the ground.
The general was pacing back and forth like a headless fly, his eyes excited, holding a piece of paper aloft, muttering something unintelligible.
"General, you summoned us to discuss, um?" A general who arrived later entered the tent and stopped mid-sentence.
Was the general scolding someone in the tent? The desk was overturned.
Zhao Liangcai calmed down, carefully placed the letter in his chest, and shouted, "Tonight, we train in the mountains. No one is allowed to sleep. Besides leading your troops, you must hunt for prey."
"Anyone who hunts less than half of what I do will be punished tomorrow."
The generals: What was on that letter that made the General so excited to torture them?