CH 19

“Do you think Niu Niu looks good today, Aunt?” The little girl trotted over to Su Jin and twirled proudly to flaunt her new attire.

“Yeah, you look better than you did yesterday.”

Su Jin stared helplessly at the thin girl. She could not exactly describe the little girl’s appearance as “pretty”, but she also could not bear breaking the little girl’s heart. It was a difficult choice for her.

After hearing what she wanted to hear, the three-year-old infant girl giggled innocently and danced around in delight. Niu Niu loved the outfits her aunt purchased for her. They looked nicer than the ones worn by Siya, a girl of a similar age in the village who frequently made fun of her appearances. She eagerly anticipated Siya’s reaction to her new clothes.

Su Nian grabbed the door while he squirmed nervously and touched his clothes on and off. The fabric was soft and comfortable.

He ran over with a grin when Su Jin waved to him, occasionally sneaking a glance at her with his small, beady eyes.

Su Jin: “…”

Su Jin eventually opened her mouth after his fourth glimpse. “You look fantastic in it too. Cheer up, little rascal.”

(These little kids are so simple-minded when they fish for compliments. Being an aunt is not easy.)

Just then, a sound came from the door. Su Nian quickly ran over to receive the guest. “Sister-in-law has come back with Su Yan.” Su Nian yelled to inform Su Jin.

The current Su Jin had never met her nephew in person before. From her memories, he was a meek and honest little boy.

“Go say hello to your aunt.” Lu Shi nudged her son who was using her as a shield and hiding behind her.

The five-year-old boy greeted his aunt while scratching his head. He vaguely recognized the person in front of him. His simple and honest behaviour was almost a perfect replica of his father, Su Dalang.

The Su family’s days went by without any incident…

Soon came autumn, the busiest season of harvest for farmers. There was a lot of work to be done in the fields this season. In the wee hours of the morning, Qin Shi baked some cakes and cooked a huge pot of white rice porridge.  Everyone’s bowl even had an egg freshly cracked in it.

Now that she had more than enough money in her possession, Qin Shi was no longer frugal with food. The standard of their meals had increased over time, albeit still a far cry from being considered extravagant.

Furthermore, it was going to be a taxing day working in the farms. Even the ten-year-old Su Nian followed his mother to work in the field. Naturally, Su Jin was there with a hoe on her shoulders, walking far ahead of her family.

She crossed the ridge and arrived at the fields owned by the Su family. She ploughed the land under the instructions of her mother. Each swing was swift and precise, as though she were high-spec agricultural machinery.

While the others were still busy with their first plot of land, Su Jin had already finished her second.

From her peripheral view, she could see the amazed looks on the faces of the surrounding farmers, which tickled her pride. She was obviously meant to be a farmer from birth!

“Host, are you actually an incarnation of a spirit of the hoe?” System#2205 asked with its mouth hung open.

She moved so quickly that she virtually left a trail of after images in her wake…

Su Jin was about to respond, but a shadow suddenly appeared in front of her and interrupted her. She saw a young man in a scholar’s robe when she looked up. He had a gentlemanly appearance, but there was a trace of arrogance in his brows.

Su Jin raised her eyebrows and questioned while lowering the hoe in her hands. “Who are you? What do you want?”

The scholar widened his eyes in shock.

(She does not recall who I am?)

His expression changed to one of contempt and reproach as he looked at Su Jin.

Su Jin: “…”

(What the hell is wrong with this guy? Not only is he blocking my way without saying anything, but I am also getting goosebumps from his disgusting gaze.)

She then visualized herself ploughing the fields in a glamorous manner earlier. Could this man be intending to patronize her for assistance to plough in his family’s fields?

“Uninterested. Not available. Not accepting any appointments either. I am busy right now so don’t get in my way.” Without giving him the chance to respond, Su Jin flatly rejected him at the speed of light.

“That young, fine gentleman must be harbouring the idea along the lines of exchanging his body for my labour. Do I look like the kind of person who will fall for honey traps? Pfft.” Su Jin ranted to the system.

System#2250: “…”

(I am feeling somewhat complicated.)

Xu Qingzhi was about to flare up when he noticed that the attention of many nearby villagers were focused on them. He threw Su Jin a vicious stare, dusted the dirt off his gown, and went off in a haughty manner. He had to maintain his reputation as a scholar.

Su Jin: “???”

“Hey, did that son of a b*tch just gave me a condescending look before walking away?”

The system pretended to comfort Su Jin while biting its handkerchief. “Well, he may have exerted too much force when winking, I suppose.”

……

Soon after, Qin Shi appeared anxiously and waved at Su Jin. “You have a visitor from a noble family, Xiao Jin. Come over right away.”

On the other side of the ridge, she could see her mother running in her direction. Su Jin, who had spent the entire day immersed in the fields, was perplexed. Who was it… who in the world would look for her?

(Haa… With all these interruptions, I could not even focus on my work in peace. Why had I not realized how much fun it was to plough the fields earlier?)

When Su Jin reached the top of the ridge, she saw a familiar pair of servant and master whom she had encountered back then at the medical hall, leaning against a horse-drawn carriage and looking at her.

She chuckled as she shook off the mud from her clothes. The bait she previously casted had hooked in another job.

“What business do you have with me today?”

“How impudent of you to receive your guests in that manner.”

The maid who was serving her young lady stepped forward and chastised Su Jin before her young lady could even begin to speak.

“Shut up, Qiu Shui! If you run your mouth without my permission again, you can pack up and return to where you came from.”

She would not have put up with the maid’s insolence if the maid had not been personally handpicked by her late mother and had served her since she was a child.

Being taken off guard, Qiu Shui instantly knelt down. “I apologize, milady. I would not do this again. I only took action because I believed that her conduct was disrespectful to milady.”

Su Jin rolled her eyes. A fool was not worth her time.

As it was the day of harvest, there were lots of people working in the fields. It was tough to have an open discussion under constant gazes and endless murmurs and gossips from the surrounding people. With a frown on her face, Su Jin made the decision to invite the guests to her house instead.

“Let us get straight to the point. What is your business here today? I will skip out on serving tea as there is no high quality tea and tea wares here.”

Jiang Ru Yan was not bothered by Su Jin’s brazen attitude. She smiled and conveyed her gratitude to Su Jin.

“Do not stress about hospitality. I have come to give thanks to my saviour. My face has completely recovered. Young lady is truly a divine doctor…”

Su Jin cut her off. “There is no need for thanks. I have been fairly compensated in exchange for the medicine. There is nothing to be grateful for since the transaction came to an end at that point. Just state the purpose of your visit today.”

Su Jin could deduce that there was no need for young lady Jiang to come in person if it was just a simple show of gratitude. Undoubtedly, she had another objective in mind.

Jiang Ru Yan inhaled a deep breath before starting to speak. “I will be honest with you then. I am here to make another request for the young lady. You had warned me that day, that if the source of the poison was not dealt with, my condition will relapse again. I wish to invite young lady over to my manor to help me identify the source.”

After Jiang Ru Yan got home, she painstakingly checked through all of her meals and everything she had exposure to in her daily life, but she was unable to find anything.

Since Su Jin could provide such priceless medications, she must be competent. This was why Jiang Ru Yan had considered seeking her for help.

“Remuneration.”

The content was well within Su Jin’s expectations.

When Jiang Ru Yan realized that Su Jin had agreed to her request from that one word, her eyes lit up.

“You can ask for anything. Whatever the young lady desires, be it money, food or even land titles.”

Su Jin pursed her lips. For the time being, she did not actually need any more money. Suddenly, an idea crossed her mind and she made her demand. “The title deed to the land at the base of the back mountain. That’s my price.”

It was an alluring idea the more Su Jin thought about it. Since she had decided to settle down here, having her own land was the most logical decision. Why had she not considered it earlier?

She had been to the region around the foot of the back mountain in the past when she first went up the mountain to hunt. It was secluded and uninhibited, making it an ideal location to construct her own house.

The surrounding plots of land could be converted into fields where she could plough to her heart’s delight and satisfy her craving.

Jiang Ru Yan agreed to her demands after some thought. The land at the base of a mountain near the village was of little value to her. She sighed internally and thought it was a pity that although the village girl in front of her had some skills, she lacked insight.1TL Note: Oh this girl doesn’t know what’s in store.

“Then, shall we depart immediately, young lady?” Jiang Ru Yan urged. After all, she could only relax her guard and have a proper rest after the matter was resolved.

Su Jin looked at her hoe with some lingering feeling2TL note: We have an addict here. Her family should have almost been done with harvesting the crops. There was not much work left to do when she departed the fields. Thinking that the rest should not be too much for her mother to handle, Su Jin readily accepted young lady Jiang’s invitation.

Su Jin got into a different outfit and went to the fields to notify Qin Shi about the trip, before getting onto the carriage.

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