Chapter 16: Generosity and Righteousness

Chapter 16: Generosity and Righteousness

Many young people in Zhao Village were quite close with Qintong, often gathering every couple of days to cut pig feed or collect firewood. During these activities, lively chats and boasts were inevitable.

In front of his peers, Qintong would never reveal Zhao An's supernatural abilities, a strict secret Uncle Hai had repeatedly warned him to keep. However, he would boast about trivial matters, like going into the city every other day to sell strawberries. Sometimes Zhao An would treat him to wontons, occasionally buy pastries, and most importantly, purchase meat. Uncle Hai would then use his culinary skills, which surpassed even the local farmwives, to prepare a variety of delicious dishes.

Whenever he spoke of these things, his listeners couldn't help but drool. In contrast, when he mentioned certain matters about the capital, everyone seemed rather uninterested. What truly captivated them was whether the imperial consort from the Zhao family was exceptionally beautiful.

Regarding Zhao Qingcheng’s beauty, Qintong, being a young man himself, had some impressions, but this was a topic he dared not discuss carelessly. Whenever his friends brought it up, he would skillfully steer the conversation back to the delicious food in Changxi County, and everyone would immediately lose interest in the imperial consort.

While the young people remained fixated on the delicious food Qintong described, the adults had come to realize that Zhao An’s family could afford to eat meat daily because they sold a fruit called strawberries. Zhao An had mastered its cultivation, selling a significant amount every other day and earning a substantial sum of copper coins.

Knowing that Zhao An could make money, some in the village couldn't help but feel envious. However, Zhao An was, after all, the Chancellor's son and the imperial consort's younger brother. Even though the emperor had sent him back to his hometown under house arrest, he was not someone ordinary folks could casually bully.

As for the feud between Zhao An and Zhao Tongming, that was merely a conflict between brothers. So, whether Zhao Tongming sold Qintong and Uncle Hai or Zhao An beat up Zhao Tongming, the villagers only stood by and watched, with no one stepping in to intervene.

Under these circumstances, no one could have imagined that Zhao An, upon witnessing their suffering from the flood, would offer them the strawberry seedlings—his source of income—for cultivation.

Liu Huan could only repeatedly thank Zhao An, the gray-haired old man nearly moved to tears. "When the old Chancellor was in office, besides purchasing 200 mu of ancestral land for the Zhao family, he also allocated 100 mu to our Liu family. Back then, we should have erected a shrine to honor him while he was still alive. Now, the young master is equally generous and righteous—I truly don’t know what to say."

In truth, Zhao An himself felt somewhat embarrassed by Liu Huan’s words and could only maintain a calm demeanor as he replied, "I couldn’t bear to live a good life alone while seeing my fellow villagers suffering in poverty. Moreover, as someone who returned to my hometown alone, I’m inevitably susceptible to bullying or exclusion. So, I wanted to make more friends who could speak up for me if my family ever faces danger."

When Zhao An first started speaking, he intended to be modest, but by the end, he had revealed his true feelings and sincere request. He looked directly at Liu Huan, hoping for a firm promise. At the very least, the other Liu families in Zhao Village could no longer turn a blind eye if Uncle Hai or Qintong were in danger again.

The potential profits from the strawberry seedlings were indeed enticing enough to sway hearts. Liu Huan hardly hesitated before thumping his chest and promising, "Young Master, you have shown such consideration for our Liu family. We are not ungrateful people. From now on, if you have any orders, we will follow them. Even if other families refuse, my three sons will certainly obey your arrangements."

Seeing Liu Huan’s unwavering response, Zhao An chose to trust his promise. "Please arrange the planting of the strawberry seedlings as soon as possible, Clan Elder. I’ll take my leave now and have Qintong stay behind to explain the dos and don'ts for growing strawberries."

Although Zhao An used supernatural abilities to accelerate growth each time he planted strawberries, factors such as the use of manure, plant ash, bone meal made from ground bones, as well as sunlight and temperature variations, could all affect the size and taste of the strawberries. Having observed for so long, Qintong indeed had some valuable insights to share.

Over the following month, Qintong was invited daily to the Liu family’s ancestral field to tend to the thriving strawberry seedlings.

Meanwhile, Zhao An focused on cultivating the tianma plants he had retrieved, which left him with little supernatural energy to spare. The strawberries delivered to Ruyi Restaurant every other day gradually decreased, to which he explained, "The strawberry season is gradually coming to an end."

Although Shopkeeper Feng of Ruyi Restaurant was disappointed, he had no choice but to accept it and urged Zhao An, "Young Master Zhao, please hurry and bring over those grapes you grow for me to taste. If the flavor is good, we can discuss the purchase price."

Only then did Zhao An remember that he had once mentioned growing grapes at home. But now, his home had no grapes, not even a grapevine. Still, without blushing or feeling nervous, he said, "It’s only mid-April—the grapes aren’t ripe yet. By May, before the Dragon Boat Festival, I’ll definitely let Shopkeeper Feng taste my family’s grapes."

So, after returning from Changxi County, Zhao An hurriedly asked Uncle Hai and Qintong to pack their belongings and booked Liu Hu’s ox-cart to go to the prefectural city to buy a few old grapevines.