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Chapter 405: Chapter 408: Kidneys are Very Good_1
Wife of Niu Er retorted, "What are you talking about? All I did was... hear that her family was gathering grass. How would I know it needs to be washed clean? Wouldn’t there be mud on it when dug out from the ground?"
"But isn’t there too much mud? There are clumps of it at the bottom."
Someone couldn’t stand it any longer. The Wife of Niu Er was known for her sneakiness and trickery, which is why no one would ask for her help.
Wife of Niu Er glared at the person who had spoken and then turned to Qiao Duo’er, "Look, I’ve even brought it here. Why don’t you just accept it?"
"I might have just started my own household, but I’ve grown up in Big Willow Village and everyone knows what kind of person I am. I’m deeply grateful to anyone who helps, and I won’t let them be taken advantage of. But anyone who treats me and my wife like fools, I won’t stand for it!" Tan Zhenghong said sternly.
Everyone nodded in agreement, thinking that Tan Zhenghong’s way of dealing with people was very reasonable.
If kind people are always bullied, who would dare to be kind in the future?
"You don’t have to worry, we have seen all the grass you have brought, and in the future, when there is work to be done, we’ll make sure to ask for your help first," said Qiao Duo’er slowly as she took the opportunity to set a rule.
Most villagers were simple and honest, but there were no shortage of those who loved to take small advantages.
"Wife of Zheng Hong, I washed my grass twice to ensure it’s clean," one woman said, grinning sheepishly.
She was an honest person, and this time it seemed that good people did get rewarded.
Qiao Duo’er nodded, "Big sister, your work is always satisfying. I’m just afraid that when the time comes, you’ll be too busy and won’t want to help."
"How could I not come? Just give me the word, and I’ll complete the work without sleeping if need be."
"Me too, look at the grass I’ve cut—it’s both plentiful and high-quality," another person chimed in.
"Then thank you all in advance. Today, the grass is green and fresh, so I’ll reward you with Three Wen Money," Qiao Duo’er said playfully.
Now the mood was mixed, with joy from some who felt certain about getting the Three Wen Money, and anxiety from others regretting their laziness.
Sister-in-law of Niu Er, feeling embarrassed, took her grass and slinked away.
Not only did she miss out on the advantage this time, but she was also out of luck for any future good fortune with the Tan family.
Alas, she had shot herself in the foot this time.
This was just a minor incident, but after this, everyone made sure to bring cleaner grass.
Three days later, Qiao Duo’er had gathered all the grass she needed.
In total, there were more than 5,500 pounds of it, which completely covered the front courtyard.
After the grass had dried, Qiao Duo’er and Tan Zhenghong bundled it into small sheaves and stored it in the utility room. The two of them toiled away for most of the day, and finally, the grass was inside the house.
With the muntjac’s fodder taken care of, Qiao Duo’er could rest easy.
They were lucky because it started to rain that night.
The next day, after breakfast and tending to the little things around the house, Qiao Duo’er dragged Tan Zhenghong to the room.
"Wife, we just did ’it’ last night. Let me rest a bit, and we can do ’that’ again at noon," Tan Zhenghong pleaded with a smile, his intuition telling him that being brought to the room promised nothing good.
Qiao Duo’er gave him an unimpressed look, "Cut the nonsense and get on with your calligraphy practice!"
Tan Zhenghong grimaced, "Wife, let’s continue reading the book we didn’t finish previously."
He was still more interested in that, his blood boiling at the mere thought of the scenes described. Unfortunately, ever since that night, his wife refused to touch that book again.
She wouldn’t read it herself and wouldn’t let him read it either, claiming it was to prevent him from becoming kidney-deficient.
Yet it was clear that his kidney was just fine because he could last half an hour each time.
