Chapter 410: Not Even a Vegetable Leaf for the Second Branch

The small chili peppers were tiny one by one, but the small basket held quite a few.

Qin Tang handed the small basket to Qin Lang to hold. Qin Lang beamed with joy, and the young faces of Qin Tang and Qin Xun's children lit up with surprise. How novel! These were all for them; the Fourth Branch would also get to eat spiritual vegetables.

Jiang Shi and Lin Shi exchanged a glance and smiled. In the past, Qin He had been the one to distribute things, yet the Fourth Branch never received a share. What goes around comes around; since Qin He had set the precedent, the spiritual vegetables need not be shared with the Second Branch either.

Qin Yan also thought of this and felt no need to dwell on it; this matter was easy to handle.

However, Qin Bi still specifically asked Qin Yan a question. She smiled and said, "Eldest Cousin, there's no need to give any to the Second Branch, is there? In the past, whenever Qin He had the final say, the Fourth Branch was never included."

Although the items Qin He decided to distribute all came from He Yan, it was Qin He who made the decisions.

The He He Shizi treated the Qin Yan Hou Fu with special regard solely because of Qin He. Therefore, the Qin Yan Hou did not dare to upset Qin He. Consequently, whenever the Hou Fu distributed resources, the Fourth Branch almost never received anything.

At that time, He Shi had wanted to make a scene, even though He Yan was her nephew.

On what grounds did Qin He forbid the Fourth Branch from receiving things given by He Yan?

Qin Di had stopped He Shi. It was unnecessary; if they weren't given anything, so be it. Why seek out humiliation?

Qin Bi had always remembered this, so not even a single vegetable leaf was given to the Second Branch.

Without reminding him, Qin Bi worried that Qin Yan might distribute spiritual vegetables to the Second Branch.

By mentioning it, she made it clear that the Fourth Branch had not forgotten how Qin He acted. The Second Branch might not approve of Qin He's exclusion of the Fourth Branch, but what of it? The resources were not distributed to the Fourth Branch because of Qin He.

Who cared about the reasons!

Qin Yan nodded; he had no argument against this: "No need to give any to the Second Branch."

This was exactly how Qin He had acted; there was no reason why it couldn't be done by Qin Bi. In the past, whenever Qin He had a say, the Fourth Branch was excluded. Now, Qin Bi could exclude the Second Branch.

Having heard this, Qin Bi said no more. Qin He's gentleness and generosity, her demeanor as calm as an orchid, were worthless in her eyes. She would simply do exactly as Qin He had done before.

Was anyone going to be a pushover?

There was no need to explain why, because this was exactly how Qin He had treated the Fourth Branch.

The Third Branch was not counted; with Third Uncle Qin Tan present, Qin He's actions were not too obvious.

Qin Tan was the first in the Hou Fu to enter officialdom through the imperial examination. Qin He dared not provoke him; if she went too far, the Old Marquis and the Qin Yan Hou would not agree, and being pointed out by elders would not be a face-saving matter.

The Fourth Branch was different. Because of the discord between Qin He and Qin Bi, Qin He's actions seemed somewhat justified. The Qin Yan Hou simply followed Qin He's wishes. Qin He could earn silver and was a disciple of the Immortal Sect; her treatment exceeded that of a legitimate daughter.

"Take some of these small chili peppers when you return," Qin Tang said to Qin Yan.

Qin Yan nodded: "Chili pepper spiritual vegetables should be beneficial for Grandfather's cultivation."

Qin Tang said, "Grandfather will not be left out."

While everyone from the Qin Yan Hou Fu was present, Qin Bi took charge and distributed some spiritual vegetables to everyone. For instance, Chinese cabbage, not requiring perfect appearance; one stalk per person. Various radishes, both large and small, were also given, a few each.

Coriander, small green onions, sweet chili peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers, a few of each. Altogether, it was quite a lot.

Based on this amount, one portion per person. Naturally, those from the Qin Yan Hou Fu who came to collect the spiritual vegetables would receive this extra portion.

As for those who did not come? Sorry, nothing for them.

Of course, the illegitimate sons of the various branches did not simply choose not to come; they had no opportunity to come.

As for the illegitimate daughters, let alone that. They were all Qin He's good sisters; bringing them along would only cause trouble. The Qin He Shizi was not someone who lacked judgment. Qin Bi was easy to talk to, but the Rong He Shizi was not necessarily so.

Spiritual vegetables are edible items. If you take a bit and I take a bit, what would that look like?

Regarding Qin Bi's decision to distribute a portion of spiritual vegetables to the Qin He Shizi, the Rong He Shizi did not even inquire, granting Qin Bi absolute authority. Besides, Rong Yang was there; the children had already taken a look.

"Sister," Qin Lang took a basket from his storage bag and looked at the spiritual vegetables, saying, "We are family, not outsiders. You don't need to give us such high-quality spiritual vegetables. Give us ones with poorer appearance; the better ones can be sold for monster crystals."

Jiang Shi squatted down and inspected the distributed Chinese cabbage: "Exchanging it for one with poorer appearance is fine. These sell for a higher price and can fetch more monster crystals. For our own consumption, those that don't grow well taste the same."

Qin Tang's legitimate eldest son added, "Even rotten vegetable leaves are fine; at least they are spiritual vegetables."

He was quite content. This was the first time their branch had such a lively distribution of spiritual vegetables. In previous instances, when the aunt gave spiritual fruits and vegetables to Grandfather and Grandmother, they were sent directly to Qin Di and He Shi.

When they went to pay their respects, Grandmother would give them to eat.

This time, they had a share too. How could the children not be happy? They were quite content.

Of course, the children also sided with their aunt, wanting to save the spiritual vegetables for her.

Qin Tang's legitimate eldest son was a bit older than the others. When Qin Bi married and later divorced, the child was old enough to remember. At that time, when his aunt cried so sadly, the child had felt heartbroken.

Even though his aunt's life was better now, she shouldn't be wasteful.

"This..." Jiang Shi could not be outdone by the children. She hesitated, looking at Qin Tang and the others: "How about we exchange them for ones eaten by insects or not fully grown? Spiritual vegetables are not cheap."

Keep the good ones to sell for monster crystals.

Qin Tang was stunned and exchanged a glance with Qin Yan.

Before they could say anything, Qin Bi immediately stopped this idea: "What are you thinking? Family should eat the best. If I don't pick the best spiritual vegetables for you, then take these I've distributed to you."

This was a fictional cultivation world where fortune and luck were paramount. Eating well meant good luck and fortune. Since Qin Bi had said so, Qin Lang and the others put away the distributed spiritual vegetables.

The children were each given a few red carrots that could be eaten raw. One bite was crisp and sweet. They were about the size of a child's fist, though there were larger ones too. No extra portion was given specifically to the children, yet they did not covet them.

Strictly speaking, since Qin Bi had already given to Qin Tang and Qin Xun, she didn't have to give to the little nephews. But she did, and the little nephews felt they were benefiting from her generosity, not thinking the medium-sized red carrots were small at all.

There were even smaller ones, the size of small fruits. The children wanted those even more to snack on.

A child of Qin Tang's legitimate eldest son's age could grab six or seven small red carrots in one handful, perfect for children to snack on. Rong Yang grabbed a handful and distributed them to his cousins.

"Sister," Qin Lang coaxed, "I want to eat those small red carrots too."

Qin Bi glanced at the small red carrots in the basket: "Grab a handful first, but leave the leaves for me."

Qin Lang was delighted: "I want the leaves too."

Qin Bi ignored him. If he wanted them, he could have them. Lin Shi was incredibly envious of Qin Lang. The Qin family was just different. She felt too embarrassed to ask Qin Bi for anything. Although Qin Han always asked for things whenever she returned to her natal home with spiritual fruits and birds, Lin Shi could not bring herself to ask anyone for anything.

Qin Lang was different. During the years Qin Bi left Jingcheng, he followed the Third Branch. The children of the Third Branch had a special bond with Qin Bi.

The children of Qin Tang and Qin Xun also looked at Qin Lang with envy. Rong Yang could make decisions; among this group of children, he was the one in charge.