The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

As night fell, the two of them moved silently through the narrow alleys like ghosts. When they passed by Aunt Xiong's house, a burst of conversation inadvertently drifted into their ears.

"Hey, don't you remember? The smell of meat last night was so tempting that I'm still craving for it."

Aunt Xiong's tone was full of aftertaste, and she swallowed her saliva exaggeratedly after she finished speaking, as if the aroma of the meat was still lingering.

Jin Yue was puzzled when she heard this. "This is indeed strange. Our family has had very little food these past two days, not even the smell of meat."

"Tsk tsk, there are only three families in this alley, and two of our families haven't even started cooking. Could it be that the Xie family has secretly started eating meat?" Aunt Xiong tapped her palm lightly with her fingers, a shrewd gleam in her eyes.

In that era, eating meat was a luxury and a sensitive thing. If any family dared to enjoy this kind of "wealth" in a blatant manner, they would surely attract the jealous eyes and discussions of people around them.

Therefore, such delicacies are often only enjoyed quietly behind closed doors.

The Chen brothers stood against the wall, listening to the conversation between Aunt Xiong and Jin Yue, and secretly thanked themselves for having hidden in time.

The two of them pushed open the door and were about to walk towards the Xie family, but unexpectedly they ran into Chen Xi who had returned with a full load.

Chen Xi held a plump chicken in one hand and a duck with shiny feathers in the other. His posture was quite impressive, like that of a wealthy family, which made everyone who saw it gasp in amazement.

The Chen brothers, hiding in the shadow of a big tree, looked at each other with astonishment in their eyes.

“Chen Xi, what are you doing…” Aunt Xiong was so surprised that she couldn’t help but stop her, “Where did you get the money to buy these? I really can’t believe my eyes!”

Jin Yue followed closely behind, her tone mixed with curiosity and confusion: "By the way, did the smell of meat yesterday come from your house? There are only three of us in the alley, and we are all sure that we didn't cook, so it can only be your family."

Facing the sudden questioning, Chen Xi did not evade it. He thought to himself that it was better to be harmonious with neighbors and to have less trouble than more. "Yes, it's the meat that my family stewed. Is there any problem with that?"

Aunt Xiong and Jin Yue looked at each other, smiled a little embarrassedly, and quickly waved their hands and said, "It's okay, we are just asking out of curiosity."

Deep down, they were full of doubts about the financial source of Chen Xi, their new daughter-in-law.

How come she has the financial resources to buy these luxury goods so soon after getting married?

It's just that due to considerations, I can't ask you directly.

After observing their words and expressions, Chen Xi felt their good intentions, so he took the initiative to explain: "I went to the back mountain to pick some herbs, and took them to the town to exchange for some silver, so I got these. The herbs in the back mountain are very valuable."

When Aunt Xiong and Jin Yue heard this, they looked as if struck by lightning, and their mouths opened wide enough to fit an egg in.

Back mountain?

Could it be that the forest they had visited countless times but never noticed was hiding such precious treasures?

"There are herbs... in the back mountain?" The two of them pondered over this sentence in their hearts, as if they had opened the door to a new world.

Chen Xi walked slowly through the gate of Xie's house. The sunlight shone through the gaps between the leaves, casting a mottled light on her.

Her figure gradually faded away in the eyes of her two brothers until the door of Xie's house slowly closed, blocking out all prying eyes and thoughts.

Chen Zhenwu looked at the closed door, his eyes showing both helplessness and relief. "Brother, let's go back. Chen Xi has already arrived home. There's no point in following him any further."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhenwen hesitated for a moment and then nodded slightly. He turned around with slightly heavy steps and followed his brother on the journey home.

When he returned to Chen's house, he immediately looked for his mother as soon as he entered the door. He was so eager to share what he had seen and heard that day that he almost forgot his usual restraint.

"Mom, do you know? All the money Chen Xi has is earned from selling herbs! We never knew that she actually knows how to identify herbs."

Chen Zhenwen's words were mixed with disbelief and subtle envy.

When Mrs. Chen heard this, a complex expression flashed across her face, including surprise, unwillingness, and even a hint of jealousy.

"Why didn't I hear this girl talk about this skill before when she was at home?! As soon as she left the Chen family, she made a fortune with this herb and lived a good life."

There was obvious dissatisfaction in her words and a gleam of injustice in her eyes.

If the villagers heard that Chen Xi had earned a wealthy life by growing wild grass in the mountains, they would probably be dumbfounded and repeatedly check whether they had heard it wrongly.

After all, in this peaceful village at the foot of the mountain, people living here for generations have turned a blind eye to the grass and trees all over the ground, never thinking that there is wealth hidden in these ordinary things.

Old Mrs. Chen could not accept Chen Xi's success and felt frustrated.

Seeing his mother's agitation, Chen Zhenwen quickly tried to comfort her: "Mom, don't forget that Chen Xi no longer has any legal relationship with the Chen family. If we go to ask for money again, I'm afraid it will only bring more unhappiness."

Although his words were gentle and calm, they revealed a helpless sense of reality.

"What should we do? Are we really going to have to watch her eat delicious food every day and worry about it?"

There was a cloud of worry between Old Mrs. Chen's brows, and her eyes revealed a bit of unwillingness and helplessness.

Obviously, he didn't want Chen Xi, that little girl, to live too comfortably and enjoy an affluent life that seemed incompatible with this simple little house.

"Mom, Chen Xi can dig herbs for money, so let's do some digging as well."

Chen Zhenwen rubbed his hands, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

"We can dig them, but we can't tell which are herbs and which are weeds. Isn't this just wasting time?"

At this time, Mrs. Chen's eyes suddenly became soft and confused, and she looked helplessly at her two sons for help.

"Or, let Chen Xi teach us to identify herbs. Once we learn, won't we be able to feed ourselves in the future?"

Although Chen Zhenwen's idea is good, it seems a bit naive.

"I'm afraid Chen Xi won't want to pay any attention to us at all, what should we do?" Chen Zhenwu sighed, with the gloom of reality between his brows. He knew better than anyone that Chen Xi was not a character that could be easily flattered.

Chen Zhenwu's words made Old Mrs. Chen frown even more.

Chen Xi is a stubborn girl who only responds to soft words and not hard ones. Why don't you try to coax her a little bit, maybe it will work?

Just as the mother and her two sons of the Chen family were lost in thought, there was a sudden burst of rapid and forceful knocks on the door, "Dong Dong Dong", which continued incessantly, breaking the tranquility of the night.

The sudden noise made Old Lady Chen's heart tighten. She recalled the last time when Old Man Li caused trouble for no reason. She quickly told Chen Zhenwen who was about to open the door, "Don't open it completely yet. Leave a crack to see who it is. If they are here to cause trouble again, don't let our family suffer any unnecessary setbacks."

The door was gently pushed open a crack, and the figures of several village women came into view, carrying large and small bags in their hands.