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墨書 Inktalez
Xia Muxin began to scoop the contents out of the pot, glancing at the two men with different expressions, and suddenly spoke up.
Shen Muhan felt a surge of joy, but then he saw Ouyang Xuan glaring at him in frustration before she rushed out.
A little over half an hour later, six dishes and a soup were served. Because they had delayed things for quite some time, Xia Muxin prepared a large bowl of boiled fish along with some home-cooked dishes.
It had been a long time since they had tasted Xia Muxin's cooking. As soon as the food was on the table, everyone was too busy eating to even talk.
Ouyang Xuan's eyes widened; she had eaten all kinds of delicacies before, but this simple meal brought her an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
Shen Muhan continued to pick out fish bones for Xia Muxin, serving her food until her bowl was piled high before he finally started eating himself.
Seeing this, Ouyang Xuan's eyes lit up. She picked up a piece of chicken and placed it in Xia Muxin's bowl, but it was snatched away by Shen Muhan's chopsticks midway. He popped the chicken into his mouth, chewed a few times, and then said to the cold-faced Ouyang Xuan:
"Thank you."
"......"
"......"
"......"
In an instant, countless questions and bewilderment appeared on everyone's faces. At the same time, Zhaoxia Muxin cast a sympathetic glance at Xia Muxin, who remained calm and continued to enjoy her meal.
After dinner, they all divided up tasks and got busy.
"Xia Muxin, what kind of man do you like?"
Ouyang Xuan, feeling full and satisfied, approached Xia Muxin who was staring blankly at a pile of lime in the yard and asked.
Xia Muxin shot her a glance and pondered for a moment before folding her fingers and saying:
"Someone who can farm, cook, dig fish ponds, and make me happy..."
As she listed these qualities, Ouyang Xuan's brows furrowed deeper. It seemed that none of the things she mentioned were his strengths.
Before long, Shen Muhan and Summer Forest approached, with Shen Muhan carrying a wooden bucket filled with lobsters. Ouyang Xuan peered inside, his face twitching in discomfort; he felt a sense of dread about what was to come.
"Wow, they've grown so big!" Xia Muxin exclaimed excitedly as she ran over, her eyes sparkling at the sight of the bucket. These lobsters had been caught last year and kept in a small temporary pond beside the Brick Factory. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to eat them, and now that the fish pond was ready, she had dug a small one nearby just for them. If only she could catch some loaches and eels too! With that thought, her gaze drifted toward the riverbank.
"Are we going to put them in the fish pond?" Shen Muhan asked, following her line of sight. He thought she was thinking about the lotus roots.
"Of course! Let's go right now," she replied eagerly.
Soon, they arrived at the fish pond. Just a few days ago, they had filled it with water, but there were still no fish inside. The season for buying fry had passed, so Xia Muxin wasn’t in a hurry. Previously, they had Matsuba Fish; now her grandfather was netting Crucian Carp. It was said that if you don’t eat Crucian Carp in March, you’ll find countless fry in your belly. So she instructed her grandfather to release all the Crucian Carp he caught into the pond.
Next to the fish pond was a small square pool of less than ten square meters. The water was shallow but clear enough to see the bottom.
"Uncle, just pour them in there," Xia Muxin directed Shen Muhan.
Understanding her intent, Shen Muhan tipped the bucket and released the lobsters into the small pool.
"Can we eat these?" Ouyang Xuan asked nervously as he watched the lobsters scuttle around the edges of the pool.
Xia Muxin shot him an incredulous look before turning away with Shen Muhan and the others.
Xia Jihua had just finished his chores and was feeding the chickens and ducks.
"Uncle, you should go around," Xia Muxin said softly, recalling Shen Muhan's allergic reaction last time.
"Now that I'm grown up, it won't be a problem," Shen Muhan replied with a smile, shaking his head. His allergy was only to the chicklings and ducklings when their first layer of down had not yet shed; once it did, he would no longer be allergic.
In the following days, Ouyang Xuan became a regular visitor at the Xia family home. He spent almost all his time there except at night, and he was generous, never hesitating to pay for anything. Meanwhile, Su Xiuning mostly stayed at the Zhou family’s place, as the Zhao Family Brothers were there.
As the weather gradually improved and rainy days became less frequent, Xia Muxin's Brick Factory resumed operations with the same crew, which reassured her.
"Did you make all these bricks yourself?"
One day, when Xia Muxin visited the Brick Factory and gave Er Dan and the others some instructions, Ouyang Xuan followed her and was taken aback by the sight.
Xia Muxin found him annoying at times; she thought Ouyang Xuan was rather childish, like a kid who hadn’t grown up yet. Shen Muhan had also become somewhat childish during this period.
In contrast, she felt like the adult in the room.
"When will these bricks be ready? My house hasn't officially started construction yet; I need to buy these bricks."
Thinking about Xia Muxin's five-story house made Ouyang Xuan eager. He hadn’t expected that everything was being handled by this teenage girl, which made him decide immediately.
"It will take a few months; can you wait?"
The house over there had indeed not begun construction yet. After all, Daimiao Village was remote, and someone like Ouyang Xuan wouldn’t use mud bricks for building. He would either use marble or ancient tiles. However, transportation was a significant issue, and his house would undoubtedly be large—more accurately, it would be quite luxurious. It was reasonable that construction hadn’t officially started yet.
Just laying the foundation would take ten days to half a month; after all, this was the base of a house.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Xuan pondered for a moment, and suddenly his eyes brightened as he confidently declared, "Wait."
Xia Muxin also readily agreed and sat down beside him to discuss the size of the house, its design, and then calculated how many finished bricks would be needed. In the end, the total came to three thousand eighty taels of silver.
Throughout the entire calculation process, Xia Muxin did not use an abacus; everything was done mentally. Ouyang Xuan listened in a daze as she rattled off numbers like two times eight is sixteen, three times eight is twenty-four, and so on. However, being a businessman himself, he was not poor in calculations. After Xia Muxin finished, it took him nearly a quarter of an hour to arrive at the same result, which astonishingly matched Xia Muxin's exactly.
Ouyang Xuan was once again stunned; this was simply genius...
"I would like to offer you some advice," Xia Muxin said after considering her thoughts.
Ouyang Xuan straightened up, adopting an attentive posture as he waited.
"This Daimiao Mountain is yours now, while most of Dayaoshan is mine. I want to open up the mountains and build roads to connect Daimiao Mountain with Dayaoshan, flattening those forests and creating a unique feature for Tianli Kingdom."
This plan had been in Xia Muxin's mind for quite some time. Dayao Village had a small population consisting mainly of the elderly and children living in poverty. Because of this, disputes were rare; if they could be provided with a more prosperous life, they would not only refrain from causing trouble but would also express gratitude. This would be much better than what was currently happening at Daimiao Mountain.
Ouyang Xuan stared in disbelief, exclaiming, "Are you feverish? How can you say such nonsense?"
Not to mention the twenty-plus kilometers separating Daimiao Mountain from Dayaoshan, there were countless mountains in between. Opening up the mountains and building roads was no easy task.
Moreover, both villages were remote, underdeveloped, and barren. The people were already grateful if they had enough food to eat; what kind of unique feature could they possibly create?
Furthermore, his Ouyang Family owned thousands of acres of orchards and farmland, with shops scattered throughout various places in Tianli Kingdom. He had never considered that anything special could come out of these two mountains.
"She is just seeking your opinion. If you are willing, we can work together; if not, we will handle it ourselves."
Xia Muxin had discussed this idea with Shen Muhan last night, but he supported her. Moreover, he was now a commoner, so farming and digging were only natural for him. Ouyang Xuan, as the heir to the wealthiest merchant, naturally prioritized profit, so deep down, he did not want him to get involved.
Muxin only needed Shen Muhan.
Furthermore, Muxin's analysis made sense. The reason there were so few people in the village was due to underdeveloped conditions and poor roads. If her ideas were implemented, more people would want to move in, and her reputation would grow.
When Shen Muhan said this, Ouyang Xuan suddenly fell silent.
He was somewhat surprised. Wasn't he supposed to owe Xia Muxin three conditions? Why wasn’t she using that to threaten him?
Seeing him lost in thought, Xia Muxin smiled and said, “Such matters are inherently risky, and there’s no guarantee of success. I wouldn’t stoop so low as to force you with those three demands; I’m merely discussing it with you. You are the son of the richest man in the world, and only you have enough capital to invest.”
Looking at Xia Muxin's delicate face adorned with a light smile and her eyes filled with longing, Ouyang Xuan felt his heart race for the first time, almost overwhelming him. After a moment of contemplation, he replied, “Allow me to think it over.”
“Why do you look so familiar? Who exactly are you?”
- End of Chapter -
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