Exiled to Lingnan, the Crown Prince's wife raises children, cultivates the land, and leads the

"Qiqi, you've been a huge help!"

After seeing the Jiang brothers off, the Marquis of Zhongyong looked at Cheng Qiqi with exceptionally gentle eyes.

"Our Qiqi is definitely amazing!"

Liu Suying said with pride, as if praising herself, "Qiqi went to the county and solved our huge food problem. She's a great hero!"

"A merit is recorded."

Marquis Zhongyong said happily, "Today we discussed it with Brother Jiang Xing and we exchanged our half-used jackets, the books from the ancestral hall, the embroidery needles from the third brother's family, and the red cotton cloth from the fourth brother's family for grain."

"That's good, so we won't have food while they don't."

Liu Suyi's words made Cheng Qiqi nod repeatedly.

She was afraid of this situation from the beginning, so she thought that if she got the grain this time, she might be able to get some things that they didn't need and that Lingnan didn't have, and exchange them for some grain!

Unexpectedly, the Marquis of Zhongyong brought the man over directly. Well, he earned his military achievements through his own efforts, so he was naturally intelligent.

"The calligraphy brush was hidden by Qiqi for An'an's early education. If it weren't for Qiqi, where would we have food?"

Liu Suyi sought to repay Cheng Qiqi's kindness.

……

"Mother, you're finally awake?"

In the cramped room without even a bed, Jin Xue'er saw Lin Huilan wake up and quickly said, "Mother, Father just asked us to exchange some things for food. I took out your silver hairpin to exchange for food!"

"What?!"

Lin Huilan was so excited she almost vomited blood. She gripped Jin Xue'er's hands tightly and gritted her teeth, saying, "That's the last bit of valuable stuff I have left."

"If we can't get food in return, are my brother and I going to starve to death?"

Jin Xue'er felt pain from Lin Huilan's grip and shook off her hand, saying, "Mother, those old tricks from the manor won't work anymore!"

"It's not working?"

Lin Huilan hadn't eaten enough and was exhausted after a long day. She had just fainted, and now she was being easily shaken off. Her eyes dimmed.

"If you keep causing trouble, Dad will definitely kick you out. What will we do without the Jin family then?" The important thing is, we can't let her be implicated!

Jin Xue'er pulled the blanket over herself and lay down: "Madam and sister-in-law won't let us eat and drink for free. With food, we can survive!"

She's beautiful; as long as she survives, she'll definitely have a good life in the future!

With the food issue resolved, Cheng Qiqi and Jin Sui'an returned to their room early.

"Mom, the stars are so bright tonight."

Jin Suian lay in Cheng Qiqi's arms, holding her tightly, looking at the bright stars twinkling in the gaps in the roof tiles.

"It's really bright."

Cheng Qiqi looked up and saw no pollution, just a sky full of stars that seemed within reach.

"Can Father see this star too?"

"Of course you can. These stars are so big, you can see them from anywhere."

Jin Sui'an asked and answered himself.

Cheng Qiqi lowered her head, her eyes filled with guilt.

Suddenly, there was a noise outside. Cheng Qiqi vaguely heard the doctor's voice, but she didn't go over. The old lady's house wasn't big, so she didn't want to squeeze in.

"Mom, can we leave the roof open? If we leave it like this, I can lie in bed and look at the stars every day."

Jin Sui'an's crisp voice came through the wall. Jin Mo, who was standing at the door, subconsciously looked up and saw a sky full of twinkling stars.

"But if we don't seal the roof, An'an will get wet and sick when it rains, and Mom will worry."

Cheng Qiqi patiently explained.

"what……"

Jin Sui'an's voice was filled with disappointment as she hugged Cheng Qiqi tightly, saying, "Mother, don't get sick, don't worry about me, I won't look at the stars anymore!"

The little girl's voice was filled with panic.

"Silly An'an."

Cheng Qiqi hugged her and gently patted her back to comfort her: "If An'an wants to see the stars in the future, Mom will take you to the top of the mountain to see the stars, okay? We can also watch the sunrise. The stars on the mountaintop are so close that you can reach out and pick them."

"Really?"

Jin Sui'an looked at Cheng Qiqi with excited eyes, his excitement so palpable that it could be heard even through the walls.

Jin Mozhi raised his thick, dark eyebrows slightly. This little girl is too easy to coax.

"Of course it's true. I'll take you to see it later."

Cheng Qiqi lowered her head and kissed her daughter.

Jin Sui'an held out his hand and said, "Pinky promise, no lying."

"I'm not lying."

Cheng Qiqi made a pinky promise with her daughter and then began to lull her to sleep.

"Mother, I want to hear the story of the Monkey King."

Jin Sui'an lay down obediently and listened to the story quietly. At first, she was excited, but later her eyelids drooped and she started to fight for her eyes.

Separated by a wall, Cheng Qiqi's soft voice, telling a story, was like the whisper of the wind. It was hard to make out what the story was, but all that remained was its tenderness.

Jin Mozhi's dark eyes dimmed slightly. He still remembered that when they first met, Cheng Qiqi had left a deep impression on him. She was holding a kitchen knife and killing a chicken. The way she looked at him was as if she were looking at a plate of meat, as if she wanted to pounce on him and devour him alive.

On their second meeting, he was ambushed by the enemy and poisoned with a potent drug. Cheng Qiqi saved him with her virginity. The next day, when she said she wanted to marry him with a calculating look in her eyes, he agreed.

Marrying anyone is the same to him; he caused Cheng Qiqi's parents to die, leaving her an orphan, and he also took her virginity.

He defied public opinion and welcomed her into his household; in three years, he only returned home once.

Perhaps, he didn't understand her enough?

"Mother, how is Grandmother?"

After putting her daughter to sleep, Cheng Qiqi came over to Liu Suyi to inquire about the old lady's condition.

"The medicine has been prescribed. Take good care of yourself and you'll get better." Liu Suyi breathed a sigh of relief. The old lady had survived the exile, and she needed to live even more in the future!

"That's good."

After Marquis Zhongyong saw the doctor off, Cheng Qiqi handed over the two packets of betel nuts she had bought that day: "Father, did you see anyone eating these when you went up the mountain today?"

"Betel nut?"

Marquis Zhongyong recognized it at a glance: "I saw a lot of people eating it when we were cutting camphor wood on the mountain today. It smelled delicious."

"Dad, why don't you take some to try tomorrow?"

As soon as Cheng Qiqi finished speaking, Marquis Zhongyong asked, "It's not just about trying it, is it?"

Marquis Zhongyong stared at Cheng Qiqi with sharp eyes. If it weren't for his exile, he would never have known that his daughter-in-law, who was ridiculed throughout the capital, was actually so capable!

"Nothing can be hidden from Dad."

Cheng Qiqi smiled and said, "Today I went to the county town and saw that every household in the village was drying betel nuts. I was thinking, if we could do that too, could we make money?"

Make money?

Marquis Zhongyong asked thoughtfully, "There are quite a few people selling betel nuts in the county, what makes you think you can make money selling them?"

"Because I'm good at cooking."

Cheng Qiqi straightened her back: "If I can make the same areca nuts taste better than others, people will definitely buy mine. As long as I can sell them, I can make money!"

Her voice was clear and crisp, and her glassy eyes sparkled with confidence. Jin Mozhi, who had come back to deliver the silver, watched this scene and felt that he should re-evaluate his wife!