I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 50 Liu Xi brings 8 jiao

Chu Xiong stroked his beard and looked at the two of them. He immediately understood and burst into laughter: "Haha, so your master's wife is no ordinary woman. She has profound wisdom and foresight."

"I'll have to ask her sometime; I have quite a few questions waiting for her to answer."

That line, "The mysterious spring pours forth the sea's bounty, the white dew sprinkles the heavenly nectar," is not something an ordinary person could utter; its profound meaning grows ever deeper with each contemplation.

……

The next day, very early in the morning

As soon as the main gate on one side of the county government office opened, Sun Dashan came out with a broom. He saw a dusty-looking man standing not far from the gate.

He carried a large basket on his back, with two large bags on top. He also held a bag in each hand, standing by the government office, glancing inside every now and then.

Sun Dashan was on duty today, sweeping the streets in front of the yamen. These menial workers took turns on duty. When they saw this man, they remembered what their wife and son had said to him last night.

So he came over with a broom and asked, "Are you Liu Xi?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xi suddenly looked up at Sun Dashan, and seeing the broom in his hand, he felt a little uncertain: "You...you recognize me?"

Sun Dashan shook his head at him: "You're here to see Sister Jin?"

Upon hearing the name, Liu Xi shook his head: "No, I... I'm looking for Li Xiuwen. Yesterday, my benefactor said that if I came to the county government office and looked for someone named Li Xiuwen, I could find her."

Sun Dashan was taken aback. This guy was really stubborn: "Hey! You're really stubborn. The Jin-jie I'm talking about is the young lady who bought your mushrooms."

Now everyone in the county government knows about your family's affairs. Sister Jin even praised you as a real man, for never abandoning your wife.

"Come in with me. My name is Sun Dashan, from Guanglin Prefecture. I came to Ling'an County with the newly appointed magistrate."

As he spoke, Sun Dashan bent down and helped him lift a cloth bag. Goodness, it was quite heavy.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xi was somewhat at a loss, not expecting his benefactor to say such things: "Brother Sun... I... no... can this humble commoner go in?"

Sun Dashan was amused by his simple and honest appearance, and at the same time, he was reminded of his own youth when he first encountered people outside.

"Hehe, you don't need to call me a commoner. I'm just a menial worker in this government office, but I'm doing a bit better than you."

You can enter through this door, but not the ones to the side or in front. Those are the main gates of the county government office, where the county magistrate conducts his business and holds court.

We menial laborers, though not slaves, are still considered servants and can only use this small door.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xi quickly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you... thank you for clearing up my doubts, Brother Sun."

"No need to thank me, we've all had a hard life. You've had it tough too. I heard you sold your house and land to pay for your wife's medical treatment. That shows you're a good person."

Sun Dashan then led him to the entrance of the small courtyard near the kitchen: "Alright, you wait here and don't wander off. I'll go and have my wife call Jin'er."

"Yes," Liu Xi watched the man walk away, feeling a mix of emotions. There are still many good people in the world.

He had heard that people were not allowed to move around the area around the government office in the past, and he came here expecting to be flogged.

Dongfang Jin had just finished washing up when she saw Aunt Sun coming to find her, saying that a man named Liu Xi was looking for her with some things on his back.

Dongfang Jin looked at the sky. Why was this person here so early?

You know, in her previous life she would still be sleeping in late at this time, but since she came here, she rests at sunset... and there's less noise...

This sleep seems to have inherited the original owner's biological clock; she slept soundly until dawn and didn't want to stay in bed after waking up.

This habit is so deeply ingrained.

Seeing that the two children had also gotten up, he went over and put a milk tablet in each of their mouths.

He took the comb from Gu Caiwei's hand and combed her hair while saying to the siblings, "I'm going to go check ahead. Do you want to come with me? After I'm done, we'll go to the kitchen for dinner."

Gu Caiwei looked up: "Young lady, I'll follow you."

Gu Jingye shook his head: "I want to memorize the Three Character Classic." He wanted to study hard.

Dongfang Jin smiled and pinched his cheek, still too thin: "Hmm, how much have you been carrying?"

"If a child is raised but not taught, it is the father's fault."

"Hmm? Just memorize it. After you've memorized it, I'll explain it to you," Dongfang Jin thought to herself. Why is there something missing from this book right from the start?

Once upon a time, Mencius' mother chose a good neighborhood. When her son neglected his studies, she cut the threads of her loom. Dou Yanshan had a righteous method. He taught his five sons, and all of them became famous.

Where are these words? These are the essence of the text. Was this done intentionally, or were they simply omitted?

She'll have to take a good look when she gets back. Hmm, she'll tell the kid about it when she gets back and then have him write it down.

What she didn't know was that when she looked at the Three Character Classic more closely, the latter part had been altered so much that it was completely different from the original.

Gu Jingye nodded excitedly: "Okay."

When Dongfang Jin led Gu Caiwei to the outer courtyard of the kitchen, there were already people surrounding Liu Xi and teasing him.

A servant, holding a few star anise, sneered, "You're really something. You think this junk can be sold for money? You've been scammed. Our ancestors have never eaten this stuff before."

"Exactly, there's plenty of this stuff in the mountains, even birds won't eat it. Are you stupid? If this stuff could be sold for money, you wouldn't be the one getting it."

"Hehe, I think most people are just making fun of it. I've lived this long, worked in the government office for so long, and seen many merchant caravans in our county, but I've never seen anything like this before. Let me tell you honestly, this thing really can't be sold for money."

"Yeah, it's funny to see him like this. He's being played without even realizing it. How stupid."

"Well, it might be true, but not just anyone can come to this backyard."

I advise you to leave before it's time to go to the yamen. Otherwise, if you arrive unsold and then get charged with trespassing in the yamen's backyard, you might end up in jail for a few days.

Liu Xi glared at them angrily: "My benefactor would never lie to me!"

"Liu Hu, forget it. We've said so much already. If he doesn't believe us, so be it. Let's go. It's time to change shifts."

"Hey, this guy is really stubborn. We just wanted to remind him, but he was looking so miserable."

"Forget it, let's go. We're changing shifts today, so let's not be late."

Dongfang Jin stood there listening to these people talk, but she didn't go over; she waited.

If Liu Xi listens to what they say and leaves, then she won't do business with her.

This kind of person is not steadfast and is easily influenced; it's hard to imagine whether they will cause trouble or create problems for her in the future.

This county government office has three gates: one for official business, and the other for handling complaints, trials, and judgments.

The other gate was for the county magistrate and his family, or for welcoming distinguished guests and similar people to enter and exit.

Then there's this small gate, which is where the yamen runners, servants, old women, and purchasing agents come and go.

As Dongfang Jin watched those people leave, one of them angrily kicked Liu Xi's pocket and scolded him for being ungrateful.

He couldn't help but frown. It seemed that not all the people in this government office were kind-hearted.

Dongfang Jin stood to the side for a while, and seeing that Liu Xi had not left, she pulled Gu Caiwei out.

"Brother Liu, why are you here so early?"

Liu Xi was annoyed by what those people were saying, and he initially considered leaving. However, upon reflection, he realized that his benefactor would not lie to him, and his resolve strengthened.

Hearing his benefactor's voice, he turned around and saw his benefactor leading a girl who was even younger than his daughter over.

He shouted excitedly, "My benefactor!"