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墨書 Inktalez
"Why are you walking so slowly? Hurry up and run!"
As soon as this was said, Xia Muxin's lips twitched, and she pulled Shen Muhan along as they started to run.
After a peaceful night, Xia Muxin slept soundly, and surprisingly, Shen Muhan had been kind enough not to wear her out completely. So, she woke up early in the morning.
Seeing her up so early, Shen Muhan reached out and pulled her back just as she was about to get dressed. He rolled over and pinned her down, threatening, "If you don't stay with me a little longer, then..." As he spoke, he rubbed against her a few times. Xia Muxin's heart raced, and she immediately raised her hands in surrender, pleading, "Alright, I'll do whatever you say."
It was a joke; after finally escaping for one night, there was no way she would let him continue to bully her. A wise woman doesn't suffer losses in front of her eyes. The only way for her to deal with Shen Muhan was to act cute.
And it worked every time.
"It's not even dawn yet; what are you getting up for?"
Hearing her soft voice made Shen Muhan's throat tighten. He turned onto his side and pulled her into his arms, asking casually.
"Hehe, I'm afraid that silly couple will come over, so I wanted to slip away early."
Xia Muxin chuckled mischievously, winking and raising an eyebrow as she spoke.
"Well, not bad. You've learned to lie in front of your husband."
Shen Muhan lifted her chin with one hand, studying her for a moment before speaking again.
"Alright, it's Wei Jianshuang. She asked to meet me at a fabric shop in the market today at the hour of the dragon and said I shouldn't let you know."
She was actually quite surprised that Wei Jianshuang wanted to meet her. At first, she didn't want to agree, but she was curious about what Wei Jianshuang wanted. Besides, it was broad daylight, and many people knew her. What fabric shop owner in the market didn't recognize her? There was nothing to worry about.
"Why did she ask to meet you?"
Shen Muhan's eyes flickered with curiosity; he hadn't expected Wei Jianshuang to take such an initiative and immediately asked in confusion.
"She probably wants to seek advice on relationships," Xia Muxin replied, feeling quite proud of her whimsical thoughts.
Shen Muhan scoffed lightly, not agreeing with her.
"Do you have a lot of experience in romance? It seems like I was the one pursuing you all along, and everything was initiated by me."
Xia Muxin felt a black line appear on her forehead. Who said one needed romantic experience? There were other things that mattered, like being a good person or having virtues. Even if she had no romantic experience, she was still one of three sisters! How many women could achieve that? And they were all clever, beautiful, and charming.
"Alright, the sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back. Take this with you."
Shen Muhan playfully brushed his finger against her nose and then instructed her. He picked up a delicate little bottle from a nearby box and handed it to Xia Muxin. Inside was a perfume he had specially created; as long as Xia Muxin applied some on herself, the scent would linger for three days and nights without fading.
"Got it, my dear steward."
Xia Muxin made a face at him and quickly threw off the blanket, knowing he would take advantage of her weakness again.
After a simple change of clothes, she headed out with her brother and the others.
Since they arrived at the market early, they took a stroll around the supermarket. Once she felt it was about time, she made her way to the agreed fabric shop. Wei Jianshuang was already waiting there. When she saw Xia Muxin arrive, her expression remained unchanged, but the shopkeeper greeted her warmly.
Xia Muxin nodded and exchanged a few pleasantries with the shopkeeper before walking over to Wei Jianshuang and getting straight to the point.
"Let me help you choose some fabric."
Subconsciously, Wei Jianshuang wasn't that kind of person, but in the face of love, anything was possible.
Moreover, her attire had always been quite plain, mostly in shades of black or blue, leaning towards a more masculine style. Her hair was simply tied back with a hairband, without any adornments. Fortunately, she had a good appearance; even in such attire, it didn't detract much from her looks. However, she was still a woman. In this backward era, few couples truly got to know each other before marrying. Most followed their parents' wishes, and some even became spouses without having seen each other’s faces. They would then have to continue living together for decades.
"No, I'm buying it, but please teach me how to sew clothes, even women's crafts."
A faint blush appeared on Wei Jianshuang's face; it was barely noticeable unless one looked closely. But Xia Muxin had always been observant and immediately caught on. As if accustomed to this directness, Xia Muxin didn’t need to say anything further. Wei Jianshuang had already taken her purchases to the counter to check out. In no time, she returned to Xia Muxin with a bundle of fabric in her arms, her clean eyes meeting Xia Muxin's gaze.
Indeed, Wei Jianshuang's eyes were exceptionally clear and pure, reflecting her straightforward nature that disliked beating around the bush.
Xia Muxin wore a teasing smile as she glanced at the fabric in Wei Jianshuang's arms and said playfully, "Let’s go; you choose the place, and I’ll pick out what we need. I’m not doing this for free."
With that, she stepped out of the fabric shop first and couldn’t help but chuckle. Wei Jianshuang's transformation was too sudden for her to adapt to. Besides, was she secretly learning this to surprise Su Yan-Chu or for some other reason?
Wei Jianshuang's lips twitched slightly. Perhaps it was rare for her to see Xia Muxin with such a playful smile, and for a moment, she didn't know how to respond.
After all, this time it was her asking Xia Muxin for help; spending money on food wasn't a big deal as long as she didn't mock her.
Soon, the two entered a teahouse and requested a private room. Xia Muxin naturally didn't hold back; aside from not ordering any songs, she ordered all the famous pastries the teahouse was known for, and even chose two types of tea. Little Si was so delighted that he couldn't stop smiling as he hurried off to prepare their order.
It must be said that while Wei Jianshuang was a strong presence on the battlefield, she was also quite impatient when it came to learning new things. She grasped concepts quickly, and Xia Muxin was very satisfied with her progress. Most of the time, Xia Muxin would explain while Wei Jianshuang practiced. They spent the entire day in the private room, only remembering to head back in the evening.
The things Xia Muxin taught were quite simple. The embroidery lessons were more intricate, while the sewing techniques she shared were more general. After all, everyone had different preferences and ideas; as long as one understood the stitching methods, it became easy to create.
"It's getting late, and your home isn't nearby. Do you need me to escort you?"
After settling the bill and stepping out of the teahouse, Wei Jianshuang asked somewhat shyly.
During this time, she had considered Xia Muxin's repeated hesitations and ultimately decided to start from the basics. After all, once married, one should learn how to sew clothes. Although there was enough money at home to hire maids and servants, some sentiments needed to be created personally. Occasionally surprising each other was one of the best ways for couples to express their feelings.
"No need; my brother is still waiting for me. I hope to drink your wedding wine soon."
Day after day passed, and finally, in March, Shen Muhan brought good news to Xia Muxin: the emperor had granted Dayao Village as a fief to Shen Muqing. However, Shen Muqing handed over all management rights to Xia Muxin. She was so delighted that she nearly jumped up in excitement. When this imperial decree was announced, officials from the county arrived and made the news public.
Xia Muxin could finally unite the two villages openly and plan for further expansion. Moreover, she had enough funds at hand and immediately posted a notice recruiting workers. The first task was to dig into the mountains and build roads.
This was a massive project that involved all of Zhushan County. Many wondered why Xia Muxin would invest such a large sum into this endeavor. Where would all the firewood come from for so many people? And what would happen if water flooded the area once they leveled it? However, Xia Muxin paid no mind to their concerns and instead pulled out blueprints for her plans.
Digging into the mountains didn't mean flattening them entirely; she only intended to carve out a main road and clear some trees to make space for planting fruit trees and even constructing new buildings.
The trees on Daimiao Mountain were simply too many, occupying two-thirds of the entire mountain, and most of them were useless, primarily used for firewood. This was a waste of land resources.
When her planning map was revealed, everyone was shocked. The blueprint was clear at a glance; it showed which trees would remain and which areas would be excavated, including the size of the excavation and the width of the roads to be built. It was easy to understand.
With that, everyone set aside their reservations and began working under Xia Muxin's direct leadership.
After a whole year, the mountain was finally excavated, and the road was paved, but the planting work was just beginning.
During that year, Xia Jihua had a daughter who weighed over eight pounds at birth and nearly faced complications. Fortunately, they had prepared in advance and invited Sister Tang over, allowing both mother and daughter to be safe.
Yan Zhouwan was also pregnant, now over four months along. The Shen Brothers might not excel in many areas, but when it came to pampering their wives, they certainly held their own. However, Shen Muqing could never match Shen Muhan's romantic flair.
Songzi ranked first in Zhushan County and was transferred to the best school in the capital. Old Master Shen personally made arrangements for this, bringing great joy to the family.
For Summer Forest's couple, no matter how capable Xia Muxin was at giving birth to children, they would ultimately carry the Shen surname. However, if Songzi were to succeed and become a pillar of the nation, it would bring glory to their family. This mindset had always been prevalent; Xia Muxin couldn't change it nor did she wish to. It was undoubtedly the best outcome for the entire Xia Family, and all they felt was happiness.
However, Summer Old Man's health continued to decline. If it weren't for the expensive medicinal herbs sustaining him, he likely would have passed long ago. Shen Muhan and Sister Tang felt powerless as time went on; everyone gradually accepted this reality—at least he was happy.
Yet they still held on, maintaining his health as long as possible with medication.
The seedlings cultivated by Xia Muxin had also grown significantly taller. In due time, once everything was ready, she planned to transplant them. Additionally, she intended to expand her planting of crops since these seedlings were still young; many fruit trees took several years before bearing fruit. During these years, she could utilize the vacant land for planting other crops because her supermarket business was booming, and their few hundred acres were far from sufficient—it barely scratched the surface of demand.
With this plan set in motion, she immediately began executing it.
Even during this year, she remained incredibly busy—selecting various seeds and planning how to plant them for the coming year. Shen Muhan felt deeply pained for her but couldn't stop her because this had always been her dream.
Her hard work had inspired many others, and the neighboring village had also increased their planting efforts. With the demand for planting high, Xia Muxin was always in need, and everything was sold at market price.
Last year, some of Xia Muxin's new products had already reached international markets, with several countries placing orders. However, she did not agree to them immediately; instead, she postponed it to this year, claiming that she would be able to produce even better and more innovative items.
Under her management, the workforce had gradually expanded from a few thousand to over thirty thousand. This was a significant scale, yet she managed everything meticulously. She divided the areas into groups and trained trusted leaders for each group, requiring them to report back to her weekly.
The more she accomplished, the more her potential seemed limitless, leaving Shen Muhan in awe.
"Once you manage the affairs of both villages well, will your wishes be fulfilled?"
Just like last year, it had snowed early, but the weather during the New Year was exceptionally pleasant. As soon as the sun came out, hundreds of acres of rapeseed bloomed, turning everything into a sea of yellow—a beautiful sight heralding spring. Many visitors from outside came to admire it and often took home some local specialties. Xia Muxin had opened a small shop not far from the rapeseed fields, selling homemade delicacies such as pickled radishes, spicy cabbage, various pork meatballs, and sausages. The sales were thriving, with stock being replenished daily.
Today was the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. The temperature difference during the day was quite significant. Several children had gone to bed early. Seeing Xia Muxin still busy organizing things under the Night Pearl, they approached her and gently massaged her shoulders, asking with concern.
"Husband, don't you think I'm a great contributor to Tianli Kingdom?"
Xia Muxin felt proud of her achievements. Thinking about the thousands of employees under her care and how she had helped countless families overcome difficulties filled her heart with joy and satisfaction.
Her greatest accomplishment remained the merger of Daimiao Village and Dayao Village.
- End of Chapter -
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