No one, not even Su Xiaoqi herself, knew that she possessed an innate charm that drew people to her.
When she willed it, she could radiate utmost goodwill, allowing those around her to feel her sincerity.
Consequently, they would be drawn to her and form friendships.
Out of admiration for Zhao Huz's character, Su Xiaoqi naturally wished to befriend Xu Shi.
Therefore, when she met Xu Shi's appraising gaze, Su Xiaoqi lifted her lips, and a radiant, charming smile bloomed.
At the same time, Su Xiaoqi offered the eggs and pastries in her hands.
Xu Shi, recalling the unpleasant emotions she had just harbored towards Su Xiaoqi, felt a touch of shyness. She demurred, "Shen Niangzi, you didn't have to bring anything. We're all from the same village; such formalities aren't customary."
Su Xiaoqi understood that the Shen family and Zhao Huz's family had no real kinship; at most, they were fellow villagers.
Visiting neighbors in the village typically didn't require gifts.
However, as this was her first visit, it was impolite to come empty-handed.
Moreover, given Zhao Huz's emphasis on loyalty, she wished to express her sentiments.
Thus, she quietly placed ten more eggs into her bundle, totaling twenty, and handed them to Xu Shi.
"Shen Niangzi, you are too kind," Zhao Huz chimed in, helping to decline.
Twenty eggs. Twenty coins, to be exact, with each egg costing one coin. This was a significant gift, usually reserved for formal visits to relatives. Shen Niangzi was merely making a casual visit, and the gift was truly too generous.
Su Xiaoqi replied, "This gift is for Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao. The eggs are for them to nourish their bodies."
Having said that, Su Xiaoqi quickly changed the subject before they could refuse further, "I saw some people in the village collecting buckwheat just now."
Zhao Huz nodded and informed her, "That's right. I heard it's from the He family on the west side of Mianzhou City. They are in the tea business and own tea mountains in the west."
Su Xiaoqi now understood. Hearing it was the He family, she finally grasped the situation.
She had been selling buckwheat tea in Mianzhou City for quite some time.
Zhao Dayou had once told her that the He family had even sent people to investigate her shop.
Perhaps seeing her profit from selling buckwheat tea, they wanted a share of the spoils.
She smiled slightly, thinking, "But do they truly know how to process buckwheat tea?"
Su Xiaoqi recalled the skilled tea-making artisans she had personally trained in Mianzhou City.
If the He family's first step was to disrupt her source of buckwheat, would their second step be to target her tea-making team?
At this thought, the smile on her lips stiffened, and her eyes flickered involuntarily.
Fortunately, she had been cautious from the beginning.
She had divided the work into several stages, ensuring that if one person betrayed her, others would only know the part they were responsible for.
Initially, she had felt she was overthinking things and that the process was too complicated.
But now, she believed it was better to be cautious from the start than to regret later.
Moving forward, she was eager to see what schemes the He family had in store.
"Ten coins per jin. The price is quite high," Su Xiaoqi remarked casually.
Zhao Huz's expression shifted slightly.
The price of ten coins per jin was undeniable. For him, whose family was in dire need of money, the offer had been tempting.
However, even with his limited education, he understood the importance of trustworthiness and integrity.
A person without integrity cannot stand. How could one establish themselves without the most basic sense of trust and righteousness?
"It is high, indeed..." Zhao Huz still felt a bit awkward.
Su Xiaoqi smiled faintly, "The buckwheat picked back then grew wild in the mountains. The two or three coins were for labor.
Now it's different. We've cultivated it ourselves, and the labor and resources invested are considerable. The current purchase price must also differ from before; it's now valued at twelve coins."
Zhao Huz stared at her in surprise. He hadn't expected her to say this.
"Ten, twelve coins..." Zhao Huz uttered, still finding it hard to believe.
Su Xiaoqi chuckled, "I'd like to ask for your help in collecting it. Don't worry, you will be compensated a coin per jin for your labor."
"No, no need. Shen Niangzi, you've already done more than enough for our family. I have nothing else to do these few days anyway, so it's a simple task." Zhao Huz was indeed a loyal and righteous person.
He already felt indebted to the Shen family.
Furthermore, regarding the fish pond incident, where he had received ten strings of cash, he had been uneasy, feeling he had taken an unfair advantage of the Shen family.
Although he had rented the pond to Su Xiaoqi, all the fish in it had been poisoned.
Even though the county yamen had ruled that Zhao Guanggun should compensate them with all he had, the penniless old man couldn't produce much. No matter how much he compensated, it was far from enough.
The Shen family had still incurred a loss.
"Consider it me hiring you, Brother Zhao. Naturally, you will be paid for your work," Su Xiaoqi said, seeing his genuine reluctance to accept the money. She didn't insist but instead changed the topic from commission to wages.
"If Brother Zhao truly feels indebted, then help me collect from a few more places," Su Xiaoqi instructed Zhao Huz, telling him to transport the collected buckwheat to Furong Manor.
Buckwheat couldn't be sold directly for a good price.
It needed to be processed into buckwheat tea using her secret method to be marketable.
Zhao Huz readily agreed.
As Su Xiaoqi was leaving, she cautioned him not to go immediately.
"It's getting late today. Let's do it tomorrow."
Zhao Huz didn't quite understand.
In his nature, he wanted to help Su Xiaoqi with the task as soon as possible, to avoid any unforeseen complications.
After all, the He family was also present in Zhao Village, collecting buckwheat.
Today, the He family's steward had driven a mule cart around the village and had already collected buckwheat from several households.
If he didn't go early, he might not be able to collect much.
"Husband, don't go. Listen to Shen Niangzi," Zhao Huz's wife, Xu Shi, advised him.
Zhao Huz was perplexed. He saw Shen Niangzi's request for him to rest as a kind gesture, but since he had accepted the task from Shen Niangzi, he felt obligated to do it well.
"Oh, husband, why are you… why are you thinking like this? Shen Niangzi specifically telling you that has a deeper meaning. She wants to see who in our village is ungrateful."
Zhao Huz wasn't slow-witted. After a moment of thought upon hearing Xu Shi's words, he understood.
Their village wasn't large, with only about fifty households. However, there weren't many who, like him, insisted on selling their buckwheat to Shen Niangzi out of loyalty.
Of course, there were still some.
The He family's steward hadn't finished visiting the village yet. Shen Niangzi's intention was for him to complete his rounds, and then she would make her purchases.
At that time, those people would have something to regret.
It had to be said that Madam He was truly clever. Su Xiaoqi's added instruction indeed held the intention of discerning which individuals in Zhao Village were worthy and which were not.
After Zhao Huz left, Su Xiaoqi paid another visit to the Zhao family's old house.
She happened to encounter the He family's steward as he was coming out.
His servant was carrying sacks of buckwheat out one by one.
Her eldest aunt, Qian Shi, followed behind, looking very solicitous.
It was clear that she was the one selling buckwheat to the He family.
Su Xiaoqi leaned against the doorway and watched for a while. Qian Shi noticed her and instinctively rolled her eyes.
But she quickly remembered something and hurried over, "Oh, it's good that I listened to you and planted so much buckwheat. The price is truly high, ten coins per jin, even higher than grain prices."
Su Xiaoqi smiled, bowed to her as a junior, and went inside.
However, after looking around inside, she discovered that her maternal grandfather, Zhao Ci, had gone to the clan leader's house and was not present.
In the old house, the eldest branch, apart from Qian Shi and her younger daughter Zhao Xiaoju, the eldest uncle was absent.
Su Xiaoqi understood. Naturally, with Zhao Dashan not around, Qian Shi dared to sell; otherwise, she wouldn't.
The second branch was all at home. Su Xiaoqi greeted her second uncle, Zhao Erhu, and second aunt, Wu Shi. She saw them all staring at the He family servants carrying buckwheat back and forth in the courtyard.
"Yun Ge's wife, you've already bought a manor. Are you still collecting buckwheat?" Zhao Erhu asked tentatively.
Su Xiaoqi smiled, "Collecting? Of course, I'm collecting."