Chapter 217: What's There Left That Can't Be Said?

At this moment, the workers were all busy, each person using a shovel to dig holes and plant trees on the barren land.

Qiao Mai raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you prepare some water for them?"

"There is water. A water cart delivers a load here every two hours. When they're thirsty, they boil the water and let it cool before drinking. The leftover water is used to water the trees."

"Oh, how long will it take to plant a thousand saplings?"

"Fifty people, about five days."

"That's a bit inefficient."

"There are rocks under the soil; it's hard to dig!"

"Then just go home every five days to pick up saplings. You don't have to come back with them every time. Since you're not staying here anyway, just send someone."

"How can I do that? I don't go back just for the saplings. I go back for you, but you won't come to me."

Qiao Mai looked at his flushed face, smiled, and stopped humming.

"Go on. I'm taking the children home today. I'm really not used to it here. Home is better."

"Are you going to turn into a wolf? Don't worry, I'm not afraid of fierce things. Come at me boldly."

Neither she nor Yuan Jiaqi knew that the old lady had already found out about the two of them getting together.

"Pfft, haha!"

With that thought, dawn arrived. Yuan Jiaqi habitually got up, and when he saw Qiao Mai's bare chest exposed, his mind went blank with a buzz.

"If you have something to say, just say it."

Yuan Jiaqi had been very busy all along, dealing with both official business and the tens of thousands of acres of barren land he had bought.

The old lady truly treated herself as Qiao Mai's own grandmother, and everything she said was for her benefit, which made Qiao Mai's heart warm.

So shy, and he's a married man. How did Chuan'er come about? What does he have to be shy about? The one who should be shy is me. From a spiritual standpoint, I'm still a maiden.

"Understood. I belong to my wife, and my wife still belongs to herself. Is that acceptable?"

"Mm-hmm, go on, go on. Say whatever you want. We're like this now, what's there left that can't be said?"

Just then, Qiao Mai arrived. After getting up and not seeing Ling'er, she came looking for them. Seeing them all chatting and laughing in the room, she knew they were making fun of her again.

"I... I haven't touched a woman in almost ten years. I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself."

"Then let's just each sleep on our own?"

The old man smiled and stroked his beard. "You're still the one!"

Qiao Mai opened her eyes and looked at him seductively, making his little heart thump wildly, and he became even more afraid to speak.

If you say you want to eat meat, then just come and eat. Staring at her like this—can you see a flower blooming?

What's this, building up the mood?

"Wife?"

"Go to the County Magistrate's Office. If you're any later, someone will come to the house looking for you."

Qiao Mai couldn't help but burst out laughing, and Yuan Jiaqi's face turned even redder.

"See what I said? This layer of window paper needs someone to force them to poke through it, otherwise how could it break?"

From that day on, Qiao Mai's water-hauling work came to an end.

"What are you dawdling for? It'll be dawn soon!"

"Of course. From now on, the husband and wife are of one mind, working together. The family will get better and better. Should we celebrate?"

"Then hurry up and pack up. I've long wanted to leave this place. It's not as comfortable as home. I'm still thinking about my chicks and fawns and such."

"Wife? I... I..."

"For the sake of me and Jiaqi, I've put you two elders through hardship."

Yuan Jiaqi took a deep breath, turned his head and blew out the lamp, closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and pounced toward Qiao Mai.

After saying two sentences, Yuan Jiaqi mustered up his courage and moved closer to her.

"It's too hot, so I won't hold my wife, and I won't see you off."

No wonder he had so much barren land here. Many commoners couldn't survive here and migrated south, leaving plenty of empty land.

"I... I'm off to the County Magistrate's Office, okay?" He finally managed to squeeze out that one sentence after holding it in for a long time.

"No, no. I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself well. Don't say I'm no good then."

"Alright!"

Fearing that the commoners would unconsciously cut down trees before winter arrived, he had them build earthen walls and fences around the perimeter, with a signboard posted saying: Private Woodland, Logging Prohibited.

"Not a bit of hardship. It's worth it. From now on, you and Jiaqi hurry up and have a few kids. While I'm still young, I'll help you take care of them."

In the blink of an eye, it was September. The drought had lasted for three years, but finally, in mid-September, a refreshing moderate rain came. The commoners joyfully rushed into the rain, tears streaming down their faces, kneeling on the ground, thanking the heavens for opening their eyes and no longer punishing them.

"Oh, I'll be going home in five days."

Ancient men were even shy about this aspect. She found it particularly interesting and liked it very much.

"Grandmother, I've sent someone to prepare the carriage. Shall we return to Tianshui Town?"

"Aye! Aye!"

"Don't laugh, wife. Actually, I really don't have that addiction to women. If it weren't for you, I could go my whole life without touching a woman."

Yuan Jiaqi hastily put on his clothes, washed up outside, and hurriedly left. Qiao Mai let out a pfft of laughter, feeling as if he was running away.

Life was very comfortable and fulfilling.

Even so, some people still wanted to get something for nothing, jumping inside and attempting to cause damage.

She could focus on managing household affairs, read books in her spare time, enter the space for Cultivation at night, and have a small reunion with her Xianggong a few times a month, enjoying the sport of a short separation being better than a honeymoon.

Qiao Mai frowned. "You're wrong. Even if I sleep with you, if you betray me one day, then I am only mine. I don't belong to anyone. I am not an object. I am just me. Understand?"

"Uh, same here. It's easy to go from simple to complex, but hard to go from complex to simple."

After being caught, they were thrown directly into the Prison and sentenced to one year.

In the evening, the old man and the old lady did not leave, so Qiao Mai and the children had to stay.

The family finished breakfast and returned to Tianshui; Yuan Jiaqi stood on the Cheng Men tower, and only descended after watching their carriage disappear.

When Yuehong and Yuexia took Ling'er to play over there, they ended up betraying the two, and the old lady burst into loud laughter.

"No, I must make my wife become mine; only then will I be at ease."

"Let's go home to celebrate; we'll talk when that kid returns home. This place is enough for me to stay just one night."

They immediately recalled what had happened the previous night, their face turning a flushed red, fearing that Qiao Mai would be displeased.

Being at home feels uncomfortable everywhere, especially at night, when Yuan Jiaqi, eyeing her like a tiger, is by her side.

With Qiao Mai's strong support, tens of thousands of mu of wasteland, after their several months of Effort, turned into tens of thousands of mu of Bare Land; now the work is being wrapped up, and next year they plan to buy more wasteland to continue planting trees.

No one was reclaiming, so this County Magistrate reclaimed the land; after all, they won't have to pay taxes for ten years, so they'll plant trees first.

Five years later, the trees in the Bare Land will yield profit; then they'll open a Pine Nuts Zuofang and ask my wife for a roasting recipe.

The harvested Pine Nuts will be given to my wife to sell; she has a better business mind than I do and will surely fetch a high price.

(End of Chapter)