I'm already a concubine, who wants to fight with you?

Chapter 72: Cold Winter
When Xie Fei returned to the farm, Xiao Shirong was still the head of the Pei Mansion.

Xiang Xiaoniang and others began to swallow their anger again and lived cautiously all day long.

Even Wu Shanyue became more low-key. She never went out of the house and just quietly took pregnancy-preserving medicine, praying to conceive a child.

Only the Miao family was more proud and arrogant than before.

She was originally a little in awe of Xiao Shirong. After all, Xiao Shirong was a noble lady from an aristocratic family and was someone she had once dreamed of.

But now, Pei Yuan dotes on her, while Xiao Shirong is completely disfavored.

This made her feel that it didn't matter if she was of noble status. If the master didn't like her, it would be a joke after all.

Therefore, she had the intention of suppressing Xiao Shirong, and sometimes she would argue with Xiao Shirong, no longer being respectful to him as before.

Xiao Shirong was very angry, but he could do nothing about Miao.

Pei Yuan now wanted to have an heir, so he was extra protective of Miao, who had been pregnant before, and he also repeatedly warned Xiao Shirong not to cause trouble in the back house again.

The old lady also stayed in the mansion, suppressing Xiao Shirong openly and secretly, and no mistakes were allowed to happen at least before the end of the year.

Xiao Shirong apparently regained the power of housekeeper, but in reality, he could not do whatever he wanted as before.

But she was not a tolerant person and would never tolerate Miao getting ahead of her.

The unfavored mistress and the favored concubine, under the indulgence of their master, gradually found themselves in dire straits.

On the contrary, Xie Fei lived an extremely quiet life on the farm.

When it doesn't snow in winter, the climate is very dry and cold, with cold winds blowing from time to time.

Yuan San used bamboo strips to weave something similar to a vegetable basket. It was strong and tight, with smooth patterns.

There is a small rabbit shape on the side, with a handle on top and an iron basin in the middle.

Whenever there is still some charcoal fire left in the stove after cooking, I would shovel it into an iron basin and press it down with some ashes, which would make the best fire.

Although there is a hot water bottle that can be used, it always gets cold quickly and needs to be replaced with hot water. In addition, it is not as good as a hot fire to warm the feet.

Xie Fei liked firecrackers, and when he went out to stroll in the fields, he would carry this thing with him. When Aunt Zou and others saw it, they all laughed.

I'm not making fun of her for not looking good holding a hot water bottle. I just think it's strange that a girl from a wealthy family wouldn't use a hot water bottle but instead something like this that is used by the common people.

In the cold wind, Xie Fei walked slowly along the edge of the field.

It was neither raining nor snowing, and it seemed as if the mountains and fields were filled with a desolate and vast scene. The wind blowing into my nose carried the smell of winter.

After taking a stroll outside, Xie Fei returned to his own yard, feeling refreshed.

There was a brazier in the main room, with charcoal burned in it that Yuan San had made.

It burned very well, without any choking smoke, but very warm.

Fu Yu sat beside the brazier, warming himself by the fire and reading a medical book.

Yuan San was also in the yard. He took advantage of the sunny weather without rain or snow and the dry yard to cut some bamboo and weave some bamboo products.

There were quite a few backpacks, bamboo baskets, winnowing baskets, vegetable baskets, etc. piled up around me.

Xie Fei stood not far away and watched, saying, "There's no rush to use it. It's so cold, let's go inside and warm ourselves by the fire."

Yuan San didn't even raise his head, his slender fingers flew, and the bamboo strips were very obedient.

"It will snow in two days, then we can go inside and warm ourselves by the fire."

After he finished weaving a small bamboo basket, he smiled at Xie Fei.

"What are you doing standing in the wind, girl? Come in quickly."

Xie Fei came closer with a torch, pulled over a small stool, and sat down next to him.

"I watched you weave, and I learned it. I can also weave it for fun."

"You're kidding," Yuan San said, "the bamboo strips are sharp, and your skin is so delicate that it will bleed if it touches you."

Xie Fei didn't refute, but he didn't leave either. He just stayed with her in the cold wind.

It was windy in the afternoon, and Yuan San didn't want her to be blown by the cold wind, so he packed up his bamboo machete and went into the house with her to warm up by the fire. Fu Yu felt that the two of them were blocking her light, so she yelled, "Don't stand in front of me, I can't see the words clearly."

Xie Fei sat down and looked at the gloomy sky outside again.

"If it snows, it will inevitably be cold again."

"Don't be afraid, girl. We have plenty of charcoal." Fu Yu was bored of reading, so he stood up to stretch his muscles and take a break.

Xie Fei stared at the sky and gradually became distracted.

In her hand, she now held a silver note worth one thousand taels, as well as a lot of change and valuable jewelry.

These things are just left there, and they can't make any money, so it's really a waste.

Xie Fei always wanted to do something to earn more money.

She looked at Fu Yu. The girl was only twelve years old and not old enough to open a shop.

Look at Yuan San again, he is an illegal resident and cannot even pass by the government office openly.

She herself was even more puzzled. Which concubine could go into business and make money?

Xie Fei sighed and felt much more depressed.

Yuan San peeled an orange and was about to put it in his mouth when he suddenly heard Xie Fei sigh. He tactfully handed the orange over to him.

"Girl, eat an orange."

Xie Fei took it, opened his mouth wide and stuffed the whole thing in. For a moment, his mouth was blocked and he could neither chew it nor spit it out.

Fu Yu laughed wildly and heartlessly, bending over and choking with laughter.

"Hahaha, girl, you are like a big-headed fish blowing bubbles now, hahahaha..."

There was a sudden knock on the door outside.

"Xie Xiaoniang, are you there? I'll bring you some firewood."

Fu Yu said, "It's Chen Dafa's voice."

Yuan San immediately kicked the stool into the corner and then hid.

Fu Yu then went to open the door, and saw Chen Dafa standing at the door, carrying a heavy load of firewood.

Fu Yu led him to pile the firewood in the woodshed, then took out his purse and gave him copper coins.

Chen Dafa unloaded the firewood, put away the shoulder pole, and did not go to take it.

"Miss Fuyu, it would be too polite to give me silver. I have to chop wood anyway, so I might as well bring some over to my young lady."

His family often sent things to him, such as eggs, game, vegetables, and embroidery that Shui Huaiyu made in her spare time, and she never asked for a penny.

Seeing that he was unwilling to accept it, Fu Yu did not insist on giving it to him and took him to see Xie Fei.

Xie Fei was sitting in the main room warming himself by the fire, while he was answering in the yard.

"We sold bear meat this year and made so much money that our lives are much better. The villagers also bought a pig together and raised it. At the end of the year, they will send you a piece of meat."

Xie Fei said: "I have no shortage of meat here, you don't need to send it to me. Besides, don't we have to pay tribute to the Pei Mansion by raising pigs?"

Chen Dafa said, "The main business of the village is farming. The pigs are raised at the home of the aunt's daughter-in-law. It has nothing to do with the Pei Mansion."

Currently, only some of the people in the village are servants of Pei Mansion and receive monthly wages.

For example, Shui Huaiyu is not a servant, and the Pei family has no control over what she does.

But she lived on the farm, and couldn't raise pigs here, so after many twists and turns, she decided to raise them somewhere else.

Xie Fei had nothing to do, so he asked casually, "Since you are the head of the village, your monthly salary should be higher than that of Daniu and the others?"

Chen Dafa said: "I am just a farmhand. I have not signed a contract to sell myself. I am not a slave. Therefore, the wages given by the Pei Mansion are not high."

Xie Fei was slightly stunned. "As the head of the village, how can you avoid being classified as a slave?"

(End of this chapter)