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Zhang Meng hurried to greet them and invited them into the main hall.

A table was set up in the hall, where the Chen Clan Leader, Old Jiang from Dongchen Village, and several respected men were seated.

Of course, the two scholars were also present.

Everyone greeted each other with courtesy, and the Chu Clan Leader took several glances at Li Xu.

Unfortunately, this young man was from out of town and had no intention of getting married here; otherwise, he would be the ideal match for Chu Man.

Then he took another look at Chen Changping.

Hmm, he seemed more reliable.

As the elders, they understood their children’s temperament very well. Although Chen Changping was a widower with several children, he was mature and steady. Perhaps, he could tolerate Chu Man’s temper.

Besides, Chu Man was young and relatively beautiful. She should be able to win the scholar’s favor.

The Chu Clan Leader thought so and cast a secret glance at Old Jiang again.

The sons of the Jiang Family were also excellent, but it was a pity that Chu Man did not appreciate them and had ruined such a good marriage prospect.

Old Jiang did not want to have anything to do with the Chu Family. He did not even spare them a glance. He only engaged in conversation with Chen Clan Leader Chen Sanyou and the Master.

The most leisurely person today must be Yingbao. After showing her little daughter, Chuchu, to her younger brother Jiang Wu and Huzi, she went to the martial arts practice field to practice martial arts.

Although Jiang Wu was only five years old, he was agile, and his hand strength was also considerable. Yingbao was simply no match for him.

Disheartened after being tossed around several times, Yingbao sat on the side and watched Huzi and her brother spar.

“Huzi!” Erni ran over and waved at Huzi, “Come with me!”

Huzi ignored his sister and continued to spar with Jiang Wu.

Erni pulled him aside and whispered, “Come with me to see mother.”

Huzi struggled, “No, no!”

He was very unfamiliar with that ‘mother’ and was not interested in seeing her at all.

Erni pleaded, “Huzi, just come and take a look with sister.”

Huzi still refused and broke away from his sister, running away fast.

He had come to see Yanru as his real mother, as she had taken care of his food, clothing, living, and transportation with great care.

Although he vaguely remembered his former mother, he genuinely did not want to see her.

Erni watched her brother run off dejectedly and had no choice but to visit the Leng Family on her own.

Now, the Leng Family lived in two huts that Erni had paid to build for them. The huts were located at some distance from the village, not far from a few tenant farmers.

Many families in Dongchen Village rented their fields to others for cultivation, hence many tenant farmers lived outside the village.

These tenant farmers had built shacks or huts next to their fields to accommodate their families. Scattered here and there, there were roughly over ten households, including the Leng Family. Occasionally, the Leng Family would chat with the wives of the tenant farmers, and their days were rather peaceful.

Erni also planned to give Mrs. Leng some seeds to grow next year, so she could be self-reliant and have something to rely on in her old age.

Jiang Erlang was aware of this, but did not interfere out of respect for his daughter’s filial piety. He only reminder his daughter not to bring Mrs. Leng home and not to let her harm her stepmother.

Erni naturally agreed immediately.

Mother Yanru was very kind to her and her brother, and she was not an ungrateful person. How could she possibly harm her?

After practicing fighting with her brother for a while, Yingbao took him home.

The snow was getting heavier, soon laying a thin layer of silver white on the ground.

Yingbao did not join Chuchu’s seat. She cooked two bowls of dragon’s beard noodles on a small charcoal stove. Each bowl also had two poached eggs, enough for her and her brother to eat and drink. Then each returned to their rooms to rest.

In the dwelling, Yingbao planted another large batch of Tremella fuciformis and Auricularia auricula-judae, a total of four thousand plants.

These mushrooms grew very quickly in the dwelling and their quality was exceptional. Each of them was crystal clear and seemed extraordinary.

Today, besides the black soil, mushroom racks and pots, and large bamboo trays are placed around the pond.

Above the glowing object and around the Pupil Spring, fruits like grapes, apples, peaches, lychees, and tangerines had been planted.

The grapes, peaches, and apples were planted early, and they were flowering and fruiting at this time.

The lychee, tangerine, and papaya, however, were just small seedlings that had newly sprouted.

Yingbao was worried that if the fruit trees grew too tall they would not flower, so she trimmed their branches early, keeping the height of the trees at about half a foot.

The two original giant apple trees had also been pruned, and currently, they were growing steadily and had begun to flower and bear fruit.

So now, she didn’t have to exert any effort to pick the fruit. She only needs to step on a stool to reach it.

Yingbao had just finished picking a basket of apples, a basket of peaches, and a basket of grapes.

She planned to continue making peach juice with the water from Pupil Spring, as both Jiang Jie and Jiang Wu liked to drink it.

The grapes, on the other hand, were to be used for making wine.

Jiang Quan, her second cousin, had already helped her find out how to make fruit wine, and she had already brewed a few jars of peach wine and buried it under the peach tree some time ago.

First, she would snip off each grape, wash it clean, and let it dry. Once dry, she would pour the grapes into a clean basin and crush them.

Then, she would add distiller’s yeast and icing sugar, allowing them to slowly dissolve.

Afterwards, she would scoop the grape pulp into a pottery jar, cover it, and let it ferment for fifteen days.

After about ten or so days, she would skim off the grape skins that were floating on top of the pulp, and would strain the pulp once more with a piece of muslin.

She would then pour the grape pulp back into a clean jar, seal it, dig a hole, and bury it in the ground.

After allowing it to ferment for another two months, the grape wine would be finished.

The longer it ferments, the richer and stronger the taste of the wine will be; such is the method of making grape wine.

Yingbao made three jars of grape pulp in one go, covered them, and was now just waiting for them to ferment.

Upon leaving the cave, Yingbao felt extremely tired, and promptly boiled water to wash and rest.

She had a good night’s sleep until the following morning.

Yingbao rolled out of bed and gently pushed the window open.

Outside the window, everything was covered in a thick layer of white snow.

The snow was not too deep, reaching about up to her ankles.

However, the weather was extremely cold. The cold wind on her face was uncomfortably numb and prickly, prompting Yingbao to quickly shut the window.

From the box, she pulled out her padded jacket and trousers to put on, and then heard voices outside.

It turned out to be Auntie Wang, who had come early in the morning to gossip with Chunniang.

“Oh, Chunniang, something terrible has happened…no, rather a major scandal has occurred in West Village,” Auntie Wang said, unable to contain her excitement.

Auntie Wang confided in Chunniang, “That girl from the Chu Family in our village… she was actually caught messing around with Chen Changping. They were found in the haystack at the entrance of the village, my goodness, so many people saw…”

Chunniang glanced towards her daughter’s room and lowered her voice, “Auntie, keep it down. The children are at home.”

“Oh, yes, yes.” Auntie Wang lowered her voice, “Chen Feng’s wife was so angry, she was cursing at their door…So vulgar! Chunniang, why don’t you go and have a look? Chen Feng’s wife was practically pointing at that girl from the Chu Family and calling her a slut.”

“Really?” Curious, Chunniang pulled Auntie Wang towards the door, “Let’s go and see.”

Yingbao was even more curious.

She had been listening intently when Auntie Wang left.

Not only did she leave, but she also took Chunniang with her.

Yingbao put on her cotton shoes, and clumped, clumped, clumped ran out the door.

After thinking a bit, she picked up a small broom, swept the snow off the stairs, climbed onto her house’s wall, and looked towards West Village.

By this morning the snow had already stopped, and the sky was a cloudless blue.

Quite a few villagers appeared to be heading towards West Village, probably to watch the excitement.

Yingbao stood on her tiptoes and strained to look towards the west, but she could only barely make out some figures. She couldn’t see clearly.

However, she did seem to hear the sound of a woman crying and shouting in the wind.

Yingbao shook her head and climbed down from the wall.

She could speculate without a second thought that this scandal must have been orchestrated by the Chu Family.

The legitimate line of the Chu Family wanted a scholar for a son-in-law, but the only unmarried girl of suitable age and appearance they had was Chu Man, from the main lineage.

What’s more, this Chu Man was infamous, so the Chen Family would certainly not agree to the marriage.

So, the Chu Family decided to force their hand, aiming to present them with a fait accompli.

If Chen Changping hadn’t fallen prey today, it might have been Li Xu instead.

Ah, indeed, life is full of intrigue everywhere.