Mo Lingxi nodded heavily, "Although General Sheng's subordinates have been dismissed or demoted in recent years, his prestige in the army remains."
"If Sheng Li uses General Sheng's prestige in the army to cause trouble, things will become very bad."
Tao Lengshuang felt uneasy, "We can't deal with soldiers."
"The bigger trouble is, if everyone knows you are here, then..."
Mo Lingxi told Tao Lengshuang not to worry too much, "That person thinks I am at the border, and the one here is my double."
Tao Lengshuang was surprised and felt much more at ease, "Your arrangement is quite good."
"You are at the border, and that person will not be at ease."
She paused and brought the topic back to Sheng Li and the mastermind, "Can you find out where Sheng Li is? We need to let her know that she is being used."
Mo Lingxi said there was no need to investigate, "At the latest tomorrow, Sheng Li will show herself. How could someone like her truly hide?"
Tao Lengshuang thought of Sheng Li's peacock-like display and understood Mo Lingxi's meaning, "The sooner we tell Sheng Li, the better. We can't let her be used by the mastermind all the time."
Mo Lingxi hummed and said he would handle it, telling Tao Lengshuang not to worry.
Tao Lengshuang knew a little about his capabilities, so she was not too worried, "By the way, have my pills sold out?"
"If they are sold out, I will give you some more. Exchange the money from sales for supplies."
With that, she handed a few bottles of pills to Mo Lingxi, "Don't sell them too quickly. Scarcity makes things valuable."
Mo Lingxi pocketed the pill bottles and told Tao Lengshuang to stare at the supplies. He also reminded her, "I have to leave soon, just in case anything goes wrong."
Tao Lengshuang understood it was about General Sheng. The army was of great importance, especially at this time, and no mistakes could be made.
She reminded Mo Lingxi of a few things and told him to send someone to find her if he needed any medicine. She also told him to be careful outside.
Mo Lingxi agreed to everything, his eyes fixed on Tao Lengshuang. He suddenly reached out and hugged her.
"Let me hug you."
Tao Lengshuang, who was about to push him away, didn't do so when she heard him, "Be careful with everything."
Mo Lingxi hummed softly and sniffed the faint medicinal scent on her, "Stay with me for a while. I'll be leaving soon."
Tao Lengshuang stayed with Mo Lingxi for a while, chatting about trivial matters, and then watched him leave the house.
Watching his figure disappear into the wind and snow, she felt a moment of unease but quickly rallied.
There were many things to do, and she had to pull herself together.
She patted her face a few times and walked into the main hall.
"It's almost New Year's. Are you all ready for the New Year?"
The children were the most excited when they heard about the upcoming New Year.
"Mom, Mom, will I have new clothes for New Year? Can we eat meat? I really want to eat meat."
"I want to eat meat too. I don't need new clothes, I just want to eat meat. Mom, is that okay?"
"Mom, will we eat meat for New Year too?"
Aunt Shen the second and the others were stunned for a moment, suddenly remembering that New Year was less than a month away.
"Time flies so fast. It's almost New Year's. But this year's New Year..."
"Alas~~ So many things have happened this year, and this New Year might not be easy."
"The main problem is the shortage of food and clothing. It's good enough that we are alive. Look at the situation in the village, and you'll know that no one is having an easy time."
Tao Lengshuang smiled reassuringly, "No matter what, we have to have a good New Year."
"How about this, the three families get together for New Year, and each family brings a signature dish.
It doesn't have to be meat or anything fancy, it's mainly about being together for liveliness and joy. What do you think?"
Aunt Shen the second and the others felt that was reasonable.
"New Year should be lively and joyous. That way, the days next year will become more prosperous."
"At this time of year, every household would be buying things for the New Year. This year, just being alive is good enough."
Tao Lengshuang nodded, "It's not easy to be alive this year. Let's see if next year will be better."
"Regardless, after the spring arrives next year, we can go to the mountains to forage. I believe life will be a bit easier."
Aunt Shen the second and the others agreed. At least after spring, when the ice and snow on the mountains melted, they could forage in the mountains and wouldn't starve.
Tao Lengshuang continued to talk about New Year's preparations. She thought about getting two new outfits for Xiao Feng, but her needlework...
She could only ask Aunt Shen the second and the others to help sew new clothes.
She also needed to get new clothes for Mo Lingxi. Regardless of whether he liked them or not, she should get them for him.
She wasn't in a hurry to get new clothes for herself. She could wait until she lost more weight.
As they were chatting, Aunt Shen the second said, "Mo family, have you lost weight again? Are you feeling unwell?"
Tao Lengshuang waved her hand and said no, "I was too fat before, which was not good for my health, so I have been slimming down."
"I won't lose any more weight than this."
Aunt Shen the second didn't quite understand and said "oh," looking at Tao Lengshuang again, "You know, you are a world of difference from before, like two different people."
Aunt Wang the third and the others nodded vigorously.
"Indeed. Back then, the Mo family was too fat. From a distance, she looked like a ball. Now she's a stunning beauty."
"Really. I didn't notice it before, but now that I look closely at the Mo family, she's getting more and more beautiful. Mo Lingxi is lucky to have married such a beautiful wife."
"However, the Mo family doesn't look much like Grandpa Tao and his wife. I guess she takes after her older brother or sister."
These words made Tao Lengshuang's eyebrows twitch. She didn't look like Grandpa Tao and his wife, but rather like Madam Sheng. This was not quite right.
Was she overthinking it?
She must be overthinking it. She was just a village girl, what connection could she have with the Sheng family? Perhaps there was some misunderstanding that caused the mastermind to plot against her repeatedly.
"Speaking of the Tao family, yesterday when I went out for a walk, I heard that the Tao family had been forcibly borrowed a lot of money and grain again," Aunt Shen the second said with schadenfreude.
None of those present sympathized with the Tao family. They all said the Tao family deserved it, as the Tao family was truly detestable.
Listening to this, Tao Lengshuang had a vague thought, but it seemed too absurd.
Besides, she had no equipment to verify it.
She pressed her forehead, still thinking she was overthinking. She would wait for Mo Lingxi to investigate the matter thoroughly. Thinking wildly now would only make her uneasy.
"Mo family, Mo family." Aunt Shen the second waved her hand in front of Tao Lengshuang, "Are you feeling unwell somewhere? I've been calling you for a while, but you haven't responded."
Tao Lengshuang collected her thoughts and said it was nothing, "I was just thinking about something."
"Aunt Shen the second, when Yu Shi gave birth to me, did anything happen? Anything big or small. I feel like something is not right."
The more she tried not to think about it, the more she thought about the whole matter, and the idea grew stronger.