Shi Qingluo asked Bai Xu to write another copy, so she could get one as well.
Bai Xu wondered, "Are you afraid that I won't give you twenty taels of silver?"
Shi Qingluo blew on her new receipt. "It's hard to say. I don't know you well. If you jump over the wall, who will I look for?"
Bai Xu was speechless. Was my reputation that poor?
"I'm famous for being generous and easy going in the county. Why would I deprive you of 20 taels of silver?" He felt that he had to clear his name.
Shi Qingluo curled her lips. "Then when I said that I could definitely heal the flowers, you also didn't believe me either."
Bai Xu…
Okay, he was convinced!
He asked curiously, "Are you also like this in front of Xiao Hanzheng?"
Would she display her difficult personality in front of Xiao Hanzheng?
Shi Qingluo looked as if she was sick. "This is my true personality. Thank you!
"Besides, that's my husband. You're a stranger. How can it be the same?"
Bai Xu choked. "Alright."
Shi Qingluo kept the receipt. "Give 5 taels of silver as a deposit. After the flowers are healed, you can pay another 15 taels."
Bai Xu looked at her in disbelief. "You took away my 160 taels of flowers, and you still want me to give you a deposit?"
He was still afraid that something would go wrong with her.
Shi Qingluo rolled her eyes at him. "Correction, this is a flower that is about to wither. If I take it back to treat it, I'll have to bear the risk of not being able to heal it. I'll return 160 taels of silver equivalent to the price of the flowers. So what if I want a deposit?
"If you're worried, just let someone else treat it instead."
In the future, Bai Xu might still have to do business with her, so it was better to follow her rhythm.
The main thing was that she really couldn't eat any more wild vegetables.
Bai Xu was speechless.
What she said made sense, but why did he feel that something was wrong.
Shi Qingluo continued, "If you don't believe me, are you saying that my husband is not worthy of your trust? A scholar is vouching for me. How can I scam 5 taels of silver from you?"
Bai Xu looked helpless. "Alright, for the sake of Scholar Xiao, I'll give you a deposit."
He felt that Xiao Hanzheng's reputation was still reliable.
Although he wasn't familiar with him, he had heard a lot about him.
He had a great talent for studying, was open-minded and treated others humbly and elegantly.
The most important thing was that he had additional titles, not just a normal elementary scholar.
If nothing unexpected happened, there wouldn't be much of a problem for him to become a high scholar.
If he could maintain his reputation in the future, he might even be able to become a noble scholar
He was also willing to befriend such a person with a promising future.
Shi Qingluo was also helpless. "Give me the money, and I'll write a receipt for you."
Therefore, not only was her reputation inferior to that of a dead priest, but it was also inferior to that of her young husband, who hadn't even shown his face to others in the village…
Hence, Bai Xu gave him 5 taels of silver, and Shi Qingluo wrote him a receipt.
"Your handwriting is really good."
Bai Xu realised that Xiao Hanzheng's wife's handwriting was actually better than his.
Shi Qingluo lifted her chin. "Of course."
Back then, in order to write her better calligraphy, she had been constantly threatened by her grandfather.
She would cry whenever she mentioned it.
But now, she was especially grateful for her grandfather's supervision, which allowed her to write well even in ancient times.
Bai Xu asked, "Can't you be a little humbler?"
Shi Qingluo raised her eyebrows. "Do you understand my true nature? If I were to play tricks on you, I'm afraid that you'll cry."
She didn't like to play tricks, but that didn't mean that she didn't know how to.
Bai Xu was speechless.
A good man wouldn't bicker with a woman.
Shi Qingluo casually picked up the chrysanthemum and placed it in the basket.
Bai Xu's heart ached as though she had spoiled his precious purple chrysanthemum.
Shi Qingluo was speechless. "Come to my house a few days later and you'll know how reliable my flower treatment skills are. You won't feel sorry for its current situation."
She continued, "Of course, if you're really worried that they will be too tired or that you don't feel good that they are lying in the narrow basket, you can send a carriage to send it to our house.
"I believe that it'll love you more and recover better."
Bai Xu…
You're the one who wanted a ride on the carriage, aren't you.
She actually threw the burden on the flowers. This woman was really amazing.
But when he thought about how his precious flowers would have to be tossed around in the narrow basket for more than an hour, he was concerned that they would be damaged.
His heart ached again.
So he gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, I'll get Number Four and Number Five to send you back in the carriage."
He wanted to see where Xiao Hanzheng's house was so that he could visit his flowers.
Shi Qingluo corrected him. "It's not for us, but for your precious flowers. Thank you."
She didn't want to acknowledge this favour.
Bai Xu…
Please be more humane.
"Alright, please help to treat flowers." He gritted his teeth even more.
Then, he got Number Five to take the flowers out from the basket and carry them himself.
He even told him to carry them all the way to Xiao Hanzheng's house and never let Shi Qingluo put them in the basket again.
Then, Shi Qingluo took Mother Xiao's arm and happily went to the carriage.
After leaving the Bai residence, she got Number Four to drive the carriage to the grain store to buy rice and flour.
She also went to the grocery store to buy some household items.
Then she went to buy pork and eggs.
After thinking for a while, she got Number Four to bring them to buy chicks.
Mother Xiao, Xiao Baili, and Xiao Erlang were all hardworking people.
Previously, they had only been given three hectares of sandy land, so they couldn't grow any grain.
Therefore, the land was temporarily idle.
Shi Qingluo was going to buy some chicks for the three of them to raise.
In the future, she wouldn't have to buy eggs and chickens.
If it weren't for the fact that the carriage was too clean and she was afraid that Number Four wouldn't agree, she would have bought a few piglets and dragged them back.
Forget it, this was their first interaction.
It was better to let Number Four and Number Five off.
Number Four wanted to cry at this moment.
How could Scholar Xiao's wife be so excellent at buying things?
When he heard that she wanted to buy chicks, he was going crazy. "Scholar Xiao's wife, why don't we forget about the chicks? Let's hurry over to your house. Otherwise, we'll delay the treatment time for the flowers."
Shi Qingluo looked at him with half a smile. "I'm the one who treats flowers. My gloomy mood will delay the flowers' treatment time more."
"If you don't want to buy chicks, it's actually not bad to buy piglets."
Number Four and Number Five…
This was too ruthless.
Number Four was about to cry. "Buy chicks then. I'll bring you to buy chicks now. After this, we'll go to your house, right?"
Shi Qingluo smiled and nodded. "Yes, after buying the chicks, we'll go straight home."
Only then did Number Four drive the carriage to bring her to buy more than twenty chicks.
Seeing that there were still ducklings for sale, Shi Qingluo bought more than ten ducklings.
Number Four did not allow her to put the chicks and ducklings into the carriage, so he had to tie the basket beside the seats himself where he drove the carriage.
It was not until they left the city that he was completely relieved.
The speed of the carriage was much faster than walking.
Shi Qingluo roughly estimated the time and arrived at the village in about twenty minutes.
When they reached the Xiao family, the tofu stall outside had already been closed.
Jumping off the carriage, Shi Qingluo pushed open the door and entered.
She saw Xiao Hanzheng sitting in the courtyard, teaching Xiao Baili and Xiao Erlang how to read.
Shi Qingluo gave a big smile and shouted sweetly, "Hubby, we're back!"
Xiao Hanzheng looked up…
He had a bad feeling seeing her shouting so sweetly and smiling so brightly.
Xiao Hanzheng stood up with a smile.
"It's good that you're back."
Just as he finished speaking, he saw two young men dressed in servant attires.
One of them carried a pot of purple chrysanthemums while the other carried a lot of other things in.
Shi Qingluo introduced, "This is Young Master Bai Xu's servant from the Bai residence. He helped his young master send flowers to our house."
Xiao Hanzheng asked in confusion, "Send flowers to our house?"
Shi Qingluo explained, "Young Master Bai's flowers are sick. I happen to know how to treat them."
Xiao Hanzheng was extremely surprised. "You know how to treat flowers?"
Shi Qingluo smiled and said, "Not only do I know how to treat flowers, I also know how to groom them."
Xiao Hanzheng was just about to speak.
Number Five, who heard the conversation between the two, widened his eyes and said, "Young Master Xiao, you actually don't know that your wife can groom and treat flowers?"
It's over. Was their young master fooled by her?
Xiao Hanzheng smiled faintly. "My wife just married me not long ago, so I didn't know."
He continued, "I believe that she will definitely be able to treat your young master's flowers."
Although he hadn't spent much time with his wife, he roughly knew her personality.
She wouldn't do things that she wasn't sure about.
Number Five looked at Xiao Hanzheng sympathetically. "Young Master Xiao, your wife signed an agreement with our young master."
Xiao Hanzheng looked at him. "What kind of agreement?"
What was this sympathetic look supposed to mean?
Number Five said, "It means that your wife will use your scholar's reputation to guarantee that she will definitely be able to heal my young master's flower.
"If the flower dies, you will compensate my young master 160 taels of silver on behalf of her."
Number Five coughed lightly. "Your mother also said that you should be the guarantor."
Xiao Hanzheng…
So he was sold by his wife and mother?
No wonder his wife was smiling so brightly.
Her feelings were waiting for him here.
He turned his head to look at his wife and mother.
Seeing that both of them were looking at him innocently, he was immediately amused yet helpless.
Thus, he said to Number Five, "My wife can make decisions on behalf of me. Go back and tell Young Master Bai that I will guarantee the flowers."
Number Five realised that Elementary Scholar Xiao was very indulgent towards this troublesome woman.
"That's good. Our young master only believed that your wife can heal the flowers because of you."
Xiao Hanzheng smiled. "I would like to thank Young Master Bai for his trust."
He knew Bai Xu.
He was only average in her studies and did not continue to take the further examinations after he was accepted as an elementary scholar.
However, he was very business-minded and talented.
He would be able to expand his business in the capital in the future.
They used to be in different schools, so they did not have much interaction.
However, he heard that Bai Xu was a straightforward person.
He should have a decent character.
Number Five smiled. "Young Master Xiao, you're too kind!"
He turned to Shi Qingluo and asked, "Where do you want to place the flowers?"
Shi Qingluo replied nonchalantly, "You can put it anywhere you want. I'll take care of it later."
Number Five was speechless.
Why did he feel that it wasn't reliable to be so casual?
He smiled sheepishly. "Can I take a look at how you're going to take care of it?"
Although he wasn't a gardener in the Bai residence, he was responsible for taking care of his young master's greenhouse, so he knew a little about it.
Shi Qingluo knew that he was worried. "No problem. Let's take care of it now."
She took out the tools that Number Five had brought from the Bai family.
In front of Number Five and Number Four, she started to remove the rotten roots and leaves of the purple chrysanthemum.
Her movements were smooth and fluid, and she was even more serious and focused when dealing with the sick chrysanthemum.
This made Number Five and Number Four, who were originally suspicious of her, to believe a little more in her.
Xiao Hanzheng looked at Shi Qingluo, who was focused on her work, and a smile inadvertently appeared on his face.
His little wife always gave him a sense of novelty that urged him to explore further.
Shi Qingluo dealt with it more carefully and only stopped after fiddling with it for nearly an hour.
"The problem has been dealt with. I will be maintaining this flower for the next few days during morning, noon, and evening."
She added, "But this is the secret skill from the Luoxia Temple. I couldn't let you watch."
Xiao Hanzheng knew immediately that his wife had thrown the blame to the old priest again.
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
However, he had to admit that his wife was very smart.
She threw everything to the old priest. No one could verify whether it was true or not.
Number Five smiled and said, "Since it's a secret skill, we won't watch it.
"We'll go back first. Our young master will come to see the flowers in a few days' time."
Number Four had already moved all the things that Shi Qingluo bought into the courtyard.
Shi Qingluo waved her hand. "Take care, both of you."
The two of them nodded. "Goodbye!"
After the two of them left, Xiao Hanzheng looked at Shi Qingluo and raised his eyebrows as he chuckled. "You're so happy to have sold me?"
Shi Qingluo glared at him. "I'm trusting you."
She leaned over and smiled as she tugged at Xiao Hanzheng's sleeve.
With a hint of coquettishness, she said, "Little Hanhan, I knew you were the best."
He had cooperated very well in front of Number Five and Number Four, which was commendable.
Xiao Hanzheng…
Now, he became Little Hanhan.
This woman really left him at a loss for what to say.
But for some reason, not only was he not angry, he had a strange joy in his heart.
He asked with a smile, "This time you are not calling me hubby?"
Seeing the two of them talking so intimately, Mother Xiao called Xiao Baili and Xiao Erlang to pack up the things they had just bought and put the chicks and ducklings in the backyard.
This gave the two of them some private space alone.
Once the three of them left, Shi Qingluo directly held Xiao Hanzheng's arm.
She even shook his arm and changed the topic. "Husband, I want to discuss something with you."
Since it was a trial marriage, Shi Qingluo took it that they were in a relationship.
It was normal for them to act coquettishly and for her to coax her husband.
This was the first time that Xiao Hanzheng was held by a woman's arm.
His body stiffened at first.
However, he did not feel disgusted. His smile deepened and he lowered his head to look at her. "What is it?"
When she alienated him or wanted to use him, he would be her husband or hubby.
Shi Qingluo said, "I want to make paper. Help me."
Xiao Hanzheng was surprised again. "You can also make paper?"
Shi Qingluo nodded. "I can!"
She added, "But the process is a little complicated. It's not convenient for me to do it alone."
Xiao Hanzheng lowered his head and asked, "Why did you suddenly think of making paper?"
Shi Qingluo smiled and said, "I went to buy paper for you today. I found that it's very expensive and the quality is not good.
"If you make paper yourself, not only will the cost be very low, but the quality is also very good. It'll save you a lot of money."
Then she added, "And I don't want to use toilet chips anymore. I want to make toilet paper."
Xiao Hanzheng wanted to support his forehead.
The last sentence was definitely the main point.
He nodded and said, "Okay, I'll make it with you."
He could only indulge whatever his wife wanted to do.
Shi Qingluo hugged his hand and shook it again. "I know you are the best husband."
Her young husband was really not bad.
He did not have a chauvinistic attitude.
The key was that he could keep up with her pace and not get to the bottom of why she knew these things.
This was what she was most satisfied with.
She said, "When your body has almost recovered, we'll start making paper."
"Okay, we should be able to start tomorrow."
While Shi Qingluo held his arm, he found that he did not resist such intimacy at all.
In his previous life, he did not like to have any physical contact with women.
He really did not expect that when he woke up, not only did he have a wife, but his acceptance rate towards her was also very high.
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