Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 128 - 127: Shit-Stirrer

Liu Ji walked into the main room, just put down the oil paper package in his hand, and Jinbao and Jinhua ran up, "Third Uncle, Third Auntie."

Liu Ji raised an eyebrow, rubbed their heads, and generously opened the oil paper package to reveal fragrant pastries inside, "Take it and eat."

The brother and sister took it and were about to leave when Old Liu shouted, "You haven’t thanked your uncle yet, no manners!"

The two hurriedly ran back and solemnly bowed to their uncle, "Thank you, Third Uncle!"

After doing so, they glanced at their grandfather, saw his eyebrows relax, and only then picked up a piece of pastry to enjoy.

Today, being a festival, the old house only worked half a day, and the remaining half was a time to rest while celebrating.

The harvested rice was spread out on bamboo mats to dry, and the courtyard had no room to step, so they walked directly on the rice.

A few children played together, and the grains of rice bounced everywhere, making Mrs. Zhang shout, "Out, out, go play at the village well!"

But the children didn’t leave; instead, they squatted by the doorstep to play with pebbles.

Qin Yao took a bowl of new rice she brought and placed it on the shrine in the center of the courtyard. Borrowing three sticks of incense from the old house, she lit them, had Liu Ji bow three times, and then inserted the incense, completing the ritual.

Mrs. Qiu looked at the new rice with envy, "The grains are really well-formed."

Her belly was getting bigger, now already quite prominent, and they didn’t let her do any heavy work at home. Yet during this busy farming season, with not enough hands, to save a laborer, she insisted on managing the family meals.

Today was also a festival, and everyone was thinking of He’s cooking skills, so they changed the person in charge of the cooking.

Qin Yao walked over to look at her belly, like half a basketball strapped to her waist, all the flesh growing in that one spot while her face remained thin.

"Second Sister-in-law, you should be giving birth around the twelfth month, right?" Qin Yao asked curiously.

Mrs. Qiu nodded, "Probably around early twelfth month, during the winter slack season, the timing is just right, and it won’t delay farm work. This little one knows how to pick the right day."

Mrs. Qiu touched her belly and, perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed, paused for a while. When Qin Yao felt there was nothing left to say and was about to check what dishes were being made in the kitchen, Mrs. Qiu suddenly spoke.

"Sister-in-law, you and Liu the carpenter are building a watermill workshop, you’ll need to hire quite a few people, right?"

Qin Yao nodded, "For grinding stones and carpentry, about a dozen or so."

She guessed what Mrs. Qiu wanted to say next.

As expected, she wanted to recommend two people to her: one her aunt’s son, and the other her elder aunt’s son, both fifteen or sixteen-year-olds. Their families were poor and they hadn’t married yet, hoping to find work to earn some silver to take a wife.

Qin Yao glanced toward the kitchen. He’s ears were already perked up, waiting to recommend someone to her as well, no doubt.

Qin Yao had already promised the village chief and the clan leader to prioritize hiring people from the village, so the job positions wouldn’t go to outsiders.

Even among the Liu Family Village people, it wasn’t enough to divide up. Earlier, the two who worked with Liu the carpenter were certainly going to continue, plus Liu Bai and his three brothers, that accounted for five positions.

She planned to hire eighteen people, leaving thirteen positions. Shunzi needed one, leaving only twelve.

However, Qin Yao didn’t give a definite answer, "At this time, farming is critical. I guess not many would be willing to leave the fields. If there are any left, of course, I’ll prioritize our own family, so don’t worry, Second Sister-in-law."

’You?’

He in the kitchen heard this word and slightly curled the corners of her mouth, feeling assured that Qin Yao hadn’t forgotten her.

Mrs. Zhang’s sharp gaze swept over several times. Given that Qin Yao had made it clear, Mrs. Qiu didn’t continue the topic and went into the kitchen to help.

Liu Zhong followed to get up and help, but was pushed out by a red-faced Mrs. Qiu.

Liu Zhong was about to return to the main room to rest when Liu Ji spoke quickly, "Second Brother, she was just being polite, and you took it seriously! Have some tact, Second Sister-in-law is heavily pregnant, and you can still feel at ease!"

"Who asked you to speak?" Liu Zhong retorted awkwardly.

But to Liu Ji, it was of no harm.

Liu Ji clicked his tongue, "Why are you still standing there blankly? Go help! Don’t you see my Second Sister-in-law holding the soup?"

Liu Zhong was fuming, glaring with wide eyes, feeling how annoying Liu Ji was, standing there, neither here nor there.

Liu Ji was about to continue when a cold glance from Qin Yao made him reluctantly shut his mouth.

Liu Zhong’s dark face was red-hot as if about to explode, but in the end, he decided to argue with Liu Ji and refused to help, sitting on a stool, jabbing at Liu Ji:

"Thinking everyone is as incapable as you, which man like you has gone into the kitchen?"

Liu Ji scoffed, indifferent, smugly arching an eyebrow at Qin Yao,

"I’m just considerate of my wife, unlike you wooden clogs, not even offering to take the soup already served, flaunting what kind of man you are!"

Seeing Mrs. Qiu’s entire face flushed as if it would drip blood, Qin Yao shouted, "Liu Ji, will you die if you don’t talk?"

Taking advantage of the many family members, Liu Ji was not as panic-stricken as before, instead muttering, "Isn’t it because I can’t stand some men flaunting themselves ......"

"Oh, just ask once if the wife needs help, they say no, then come back, who wouldn’t pretend~"

Qin Yao really felt like she could cut off his tongue right now.

Yet, what he said seemed to make a lot of sense, somehow?

Mrs. Qiu put down the soup bowl, also startled, suspiciously glancing at her own husband, wondering if he was just pretending to put on a show?

Liu Zhong was shocked, earlier he was embarrassed to insist in front of his family, but now he suddenly realized that his wife was almost persuaded by Liu Ji the rascal, quickly got up, whether Mrs. Qiu was willing or not, pressed her to sit down, and himself rolled up his sleeves to bring out all the remaining dishes from the kitchen.

Seeing Mrs. Qiu’s happy appearance, Liu Ji suddenly felt uninterested and quietly clicked his tongue.

As a result, his calf was immediately kicked, making him almost yelp in pain.

"You’re really a shit-stirring stick." Qin Yao muttered through gritted teeth behind Liu Ji.

Liu Ji sensed the chilly air of danger only then did he really quiet down.

Wasn’t he just trying to teach the brothers at home to be considerate husbands? Instead, his good intentions were regarded as liver and lungs of a donkey.

Since it was a festival, and with the autumn harvest just completed, He cooked solid white rice, and three dishes and a soup, all in large portions, enough for the whole family to eat.

However, the dishes had no meat, only the egg flowers in the soup barely counted as meat, which was far from the meals at Qin Yao’s home where meat slices were often stir-fried.

But He’s cooking was so good that everyone enjoyed the meal immensely.

Qin Yao controlled herself, only eating three bowls before putting down her chopsticks.

But this treatment was slightly higher than Old Liu and his sons, women only got one bowl, men working in the fields got two, and children one bowl as well. Qin Yao’s three bowls were unique.

Liu Ji also wanted to get a third bowl but was glared at fiercely by Old Liu.

He didn’t care at all. Filling his stomach was most important. The work he had been doing recently had taken such a toll on him. How could he recover without eating more to study well?

Ignoring the dagger-like stares from behind, he served himself a full bowl, packed tightly with the rice spoon.