The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

Chen Xi changed into new clothes, wearing a light blue long skirt, the hem of which brushed her ankles gently in the wind.

Her long hair flows smoothly over her shoulders like a waterfall in the night. Her delicate facial features appear more three-dimensional under the soft light, especially her big, bright eyes, which are unforgettable at first sight.

"Hmm... so, so beautiful." Xie Tianyi's throat seemed to be strangled by an invisible force, his voice was mixed with incredible shock, his eyes were fixed on this unexpectedly beautiful scene, even his words became halting.

Faced with this sudden praise, a blush of embarrassment quickly passed across Chen Xi's face, which was both gentle and charming.

Her eyes flickered, as if she was looking for a way to escape, and she hurriedly made up an excuse, "It's getting late, I'm going to cook."

After saying that, she turned around lightly and ran out.

Seeing this, Chen Rong couldn't help but smile.

He glanced at Xie Tianyi who was still immersed in shock, and teased: "See, even my sister who is always carefree is embarrassed by your praise. This is the first time I have seen her like this."

Xie Tianyi came back to his senses from the dreamlike beauty just now, and suddenly remembered the important business. He took out a list from his pocket and carefully asked whether the new clothes he, Xiaoyang and Xiaochen bought fit well, not missing any details, while Chen Rong answered seriously while recalling.

Time passed quickly, and it was dawn the next day, and the first ray of morning light shone on Chen Xi's face.

Chen Xi unconsciously raised his fingers in his dream and gently placed them on his eyelids, trying to block out the early morning disturbance.

When Xie Tianyi woke up and saw this scene, he couldn't help but curl his lips. He naturally stretched out his hand to block the overly bright light for Chen Xi.

After a moment, Chen Xi slowly opened her eyes, and what came into her sight was Xie Tianyi half-leaning on the bed, with one hand on the edge of the bed, shielding her from the light.

Chen Xi broke the silence with a soft voice: "Why did you get up so early? Can't you sleep a little longer?"

Xie Tianyi smiled slightly when he heard this, and gently withdrew his hand, "I just woke up not long ago."

Thinking of the agreement he had made with the villagers today, Chen Xi immediately sat up and hurriedly started a new day.

After washing up, she combed her hair while giving detailed instructions to Xie Tianyi: "When Chen Rong wakes up, tell him to cook breakfast. I have to go up the mountain to collect herbs with everyone in the village today, so we must set off early and don't let everyone wait for me. There are fresh eggs and noodles in the kitchen, so he can cook anything he wants."

Hearing this, Xie Tianyi was more confused than he was about his choice of breakfast. "Going to pick herbs so early? There's no need to be so anxious. It won't be too late to go after breakfast."

Chen Xi suddenly realized that he had forgotten to tell Xie Tianyi about this plan in advance, so he turned around and patiently explained: "Yesterday I accidentally found a lot of mushrooms and fungus in the mountains, and I should let more people share them. So I plan to organize the villagers of Xianghe Village to pick them together. I will be responsible for purchasing the harvest, drying and preserving them, and enjoying them slowly. We have agreed to meet at the entrance of the village early this morning. Time is tight, so I have to prepare quickly. I will talk about it in detail when I come back later."

As soon as she finished speaking, she disappeared out the door like a gust of wind.

Xie Tianyi stood alone in the room, looking at the empty doorway, and already had a rough idea of ​​Chen Xi's plan in his mind.

Chen Xi walked through the morning dew and hurried to the village entrance. He found that the villagers had already gathered there in a bustling crowd. The air in the peaceful village was filled with an unusual bustle and expectation.

In addition to the elderly, the weak and the disabled, almost every family's able-bodied laborers actively responded to the call.

"Come on, just in time, everyone is here, let's set off up the mountain right away!"

Seeing Chen Xi coming, Xu Gaoping immediately stepped forward, his words full of enthusiasm and competence, as if everything was under his control.

"Let me give you a few words of caution first, and then we'll get started."

Chen Xi's eyes slowly swept across the crowd, which included both warm figures who had lent a helping hand and faces who were gossiping behind their backs.

At this moment, those who had been gossiping or looking down on her behind her back all lowered their heads, not daring to look directly into her clear and determined eyes.

In this group of people with complex emotions, Chen Xi even caught sight of Xu Gaoping's wife.

The woman who was used to giving orders and speaking harshly to him actually participated in this trip up the mountain to collect things. There was a hint of irony in this situation.

"I think the village chief should have given a general introduction to the situation, but let me emphasize a few points again. I will buy the wild mushrooms and fungus from the mountains at a price of three cents per catty. Each household can send two to four people, but in order to ensure the rational distribution of resources, the daily limit for each household is 50 catties, and the excess will not be accepted. After the collection is completed in the afternoon, please come to my house to weigh and receive your payment."

Chen Xi's words were clear and firm. Upon hearing this, the villagers all nodded in understanding. In fact, the village chief had already conveyed these rules in detail at the meeting the night before.

"In addition, I have another iron rule. Anyone who attempts to take shortcuts or has bad intentions, please respect yourself and quit. Mushrooms require all flowers to be complete, and any behavior of filling in the gaps will be strictly prohibited. Once any violation is discovered, the cooperation relationship will be terminated immediately, and there will be no leniency."

As soon as these words came out, the villagers looked at each other, surprised at how strict the rules were set by Chen Xi, but they knew that he was the employer of this operation, so they had no choice but to obey.

"Well, if everyone is okay with that, we can set off now."

After Chen Xi finished speaking, he took the lead and the villagers followed closely with baskets in their hands, heading towards the forest.

As soon as they entered the forest, everyone quickly dispersed. The mushrooms there seemed to have signed a covenant of abundance with the earth, and they could be picked in abundance just by bending down.

Chen Xi shuttled between the shadows of the trees, observing this generous gift from nature.

In just one night, mushrooms and wood ears grew like mushrooms after a spring rain, and now is the best time to pick them.

She prayed silently in her heart, hoping that the weather would be favorable and there would be another downpour so that this gift from nature could continue and flourish again.

Seeing that everyone was immersed in the joy of labor and full of energy, Chen Xi felt that there was no need to intervene too much, so he decided to return home first, prepare for the afternoon settlement, and wait for the harvest to arrive.

When she returned to the familiar and warm home, Chen Rong was busy in the kitchen. Steam was rising from the pot, and noodles were tumbling and jumping happily in the boiling water, emitting an enticing wheat aroma.

Hearing his sister Chen Xi's footsteps approaching, he quickly wiped the water droplets on his hands, with a gentle smile on his face, and shouted to his sister who had just stepped into the threshold: "Sister, you have a really accurate timing, the noodles are just cooked!"