The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

Aunt Xiong had thirty full eggs in her hands, Aunt Yuan was carrying fresh wild fruits picked from the mountains, and Aunt Jiang was holding a handful of seasonal vegetables just picked from the vegetable garden, exuding a sense of freshness.

These people are well-known gossips in the village. They usually love to get together and gossip, and they can stir up a big fuss even without any wind. Now that they come to the door at the same time without any prior arrangement, people can't help but feel suspicious.

"Aunt Yuan, Aunt Xiong, Aunt Jiang, why are you here?" Chen Zhenwen's tone was indifferent with a hint of wariness, but he still politely invited them into the house.

"Is your mother at home? We have something to talk to her about." Several women smiled at each other and nodded in tacit understanding. There seemed to be some unknown secrets hidden in that smile.

"I'm here." Chen Zhenwen turned sideways and went back to the house, shouting loudly inside, "Mom, someone is looking for you."

They followed Chen Zhenwen into the house and placed the gifts in their hands on the wooden table one by one. The scene made Old Mrs. Chen stunned for a moment, her face full of confusion and surprise.

"Mrs. Chen, this is a small token of our appreciation. Please don't refuse it."

As a representative, Aunt Yuan smiled and spoke gently, but her excessive enthusiasm made it difficult to ignore the intention behind it.

"I dare not accept it without a reason. Do you have something to ask of me? If you don't make it clear, I can't accept these things."

Old Mrs. Chen had sharp eyes as she scanned everyone's face. Her eyes, which had experienced many vicissitudes of life, seemed to be able to see through everything.

She knew exactly what these old neighbors were thinking. Usually, these women would point fingers at Chen Xi behind his back because of his affairs. They must have some ulterior motive for being so enthusiastic at this moment.

"Hey, you are really a discerning person. We came here today to ask you for a favor." Aunt Xiong put down the basket in her hand and rubbed her hands embarrassedly. "I heard that Chen Xi's daughter knows a lot of medicinal herbs. We have decided to ask you to come forward and ask her to teach us so that we can have more ways to make a living."

When Old Lady Chen heard this, she secretly calculated in her mind, but her face remained expressionless.

"Oh? So it's about this. But Chen Xi is stubborn, I'm afraid it's not easy for him to speak up. Besides, if we explore on our own, we can learn the tricks over time, so why bother to beg others?"

Aunt Jiang heard this and quickly said, "Aunt Chen, you can't say that. Although Chen Xi has a strong temper, he still respects you. Besides, we should help each other and make a living together. Isn't that what fellow villagers should do?"

Chen Zhenwu listened at the side, and his heart was moved.

He remembered that although Chen Xi usually kept a distance from others, he did have an indescribable respect for his elders.

Maybe this method is really feasible?

"Mom, why don't we give it a try? It's better for everyone in the village to work together than to go it alone. Besides, learning from each other is a good thing." Chen Zhenwu's words quietly tilted the balance in Old Lady Chen's heart.

Finally, Old Lady Chen sighed and nodded, "Okay, since you all said so, I'll give it a try. But whether this will succeed or not depends on Chen Xi's opinion. Don't hold your hopes too high, lest you be disappointed."

Upon hearing this, several women showed relieved smiles on their faces, and said that no matter what the outcome, they were grateful to Old Lady Chen for her help.

As night fell, Old Lady Chen, feeling a little nervous, carried some homemade snacks and set foot on the stone road to Chen Xi's cottage.

After all, because of the past disputes with that clever girl Chen Xi, they had exchanged many sarcastic exchanges.

Aunt Yuan smiled widely, her eyes curved into crescents. "Oh, look at what you said. We just want you to say a few good words for us in front of Chen Xi, so that she can take the time to teach us how to identify herbs. After all, blood is thicker than water, how could she not listen to you, grandma? We drink from the same well, so we should share the happiness together."

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Chen was secretly delighted: Chen Xi actually mastered the ability to identify herbs, which was undoubtedly a great thing to add luster to her family.

Now even those neighbors who used to make sarcastic remarks came to curry favor with him, asking him to say a few good words for them in front of Chen Xi. It can be seen that Chen Xi's reputation has become as famous as the spring breeze passing through the land, and everyone knows it.

"How did you know that Chen Xi could identify hundreds of herbs?" She pretended to be calm, but her heart was already in turmoil.

I secretly wondered, has Chen Xi's ability to dig herbs spread so quickly?

If this happens, I'm afraid more gifts will come along with flattering words.

Everyone begged for good words, and it was obvious that Chen Xi's herbal medicine skills were no longer a secret within the family.

"She returned from the town today with Chen Xi in a bullock cart. She mentioned this matter to the village chief in person, and we heard it clearly." Someone quickly said, with a hint of curiosity in his tone.

"You don't know, Chen Xi made a fortune selling herbs. She bought 20 chickens and ducks at one time, plus two large lamb legs. She was out of breath."

Aunt Xiong's sour words were full of envy and jealousy of Chen Xi's good luck and ability.

Old Lady Chen's eyes slowly swept over the various gifts piled on the table, and the corners of her mouth rose slightly: "Okay, I'll accept these things with pleasure. I'll go talk to Chen Xi now so that you can also learn some herbal knowledge. You go back first and wait for good news."

Hearing this, everyone showed joy on their faces, knowing full well that as Chen Xi's closest relative, Old Lady Chen's words naturally carried far more weight than those of outsiders.

As long as she is willing to step forward, learning skills will be a natural process, and the precious herbs in the mountains will no longer be unattainable treasures for them.

With an irrepressible smile on their faces, the group stepped out of the Chen family's door with satisfaction.

“Zhenwen, Zhenwu, the two of you come with me to find Chen Xi. Remember what I said, you can’t be hard on that girl. She inherited her father’s stubborn temper, so you have to use soft tactics to slowly polish her down.” Before leaving, Old Lady Chen was still worried and reminded them again and again.

Chen Xi returned to the Xie family courtyard, and in front of him was the scene of Chen Rong playing with two lively little guys.

When her younger brother Chen Rong saw his sister coming home, he immediately trotted forward, took the heavy object from her hand, and said with a smile, "Sister, you are finally back."

"Wow, beautiful big sister, you are finally back! We are almost starving." The two little ones pretended to be exaggerated, but their voices could not hide the joy of seeing Chen Xi return.

Chen Xi laughed and joked: "Is this true? Then I have to check your stomachs to see if you are really starving."

As he said this, he pretended to touch their stomachs, which made the children laugh.

After saying this, Chen Xi raised a sly smile and pretended to reach out to the two little ones' round bellies.