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

"Seven Seven".

Wen hurriedly followed, turning back with a worried look, and said, "If we just leave like this, won't you have worked for nothing?"

Cheng Qiqi smiled without saying a word. Her steps were very firm, without any pause or looking back. Just as she was about to walk out of the sugar shop, she heard the voice of Granny Leng behind her.

"Wait!"

The old woman caught up with them: "Cheng Qiqi, it was my fault."

The old woman readily apologized, saying, "Your candy is excellent; we are willing to hire you as our head chef."

Cheng Qiqi asked, "How much?"

"One hundred coins a day?"

The old woman tried it.

Cheng Qiqi took out one hundred coins from her cloth bag and placed them on the sugarcane next to her: "This one hundred coins is the price that Granny Leng and you set for me yesterday. The sugar is right there. You can discuss its value after you've decided."

After saying that, Cheng Qiqi turned and left.

Wen glanced at the hundred coins. How could she possibly return a day's wages?

Are you saying I'm working for free?

As soon as Cheng Qiqi left, Granny Leng looked at the hundred coins and knew in her heart that Cheng Qiqi was not satisfied with the hundred coins.

Old Woman Leng returned to the sugar mill. Looking at the freshly made sugar—its bright color, its superior quality—she knew it could fetch a high price if sold, but…

How much should I pay?

"Qiqi, you're back? How's the sugar making going?"

When Liu Suyi, who was embroidering a handkerchief, saw Cheng Qiqi return, she quickly took out the sweet potato that Cheng Qiqi had been stewing: "Quick, I stewed a sweet potato for myself. An'an ate the sweet potato and took a nap this afternoon, so she hasn't woken up yet."

The sweet potatoes were still warm, and they smelled delicious.

"Thank you, Mother."

Cheng Qiqi peeled and ate the sweet potato. The soft and sweet potato smelled delicious, and she felt really comfortable after a busy day.

"The sugar is cooked quite well; the Leng family even wants to hire me as their head chef."

Cheng Qiqi said modestly.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wen immediately poked her head out from the kitchen: "Second Sister-in-law, Qiqi's sugar isn't just 'not bad,' it's 'absolutely fantastic!' It fooled the entire Leng family!"

Wen described the scene vividly to Gao Shenglan, who was washing mustard greens.

Lin Huilan, Meng Jingyao, and Li Shi, who were wearing embroidered handkerchiefs, listened in a daze.

Lin Huilan looked at Cheng Qiqi: "Can she really make such good sugar?"

"Qiqi, that's not what I meant."

Lin Huilan seemed to realize she had said the wrong thing, raised her hand and slapped her mouth, apologizing, "Qiqi, I'm sorry."

Cheng Qiqi is no longer the country bumpkin princess who was easily bullied in the manor.

She could tell that the master valued her highly.

Is it because she became a widow?

Are you afraid she'll abandon the child and run away?

Lin Huilan muttered to herself, but smiled on her face. She dared not cause any more trouble, otherwise, if the master really kicked her out, she would have nowhere to cry!

"I'm in for a treat today!"

Marquis Zhongyong returned carrying a rabbit, excitedly saying, "I got a litter of rabbits today! Look, they're even pregnant!"

"If we can keep them alive and they have babies, we won't lack meat!"

The Marquis of Zhongyong's voice was filled with joy.

"Grandpa, can I touch the rabbit?"

Jin Sui'an, who had just woken up, looked at the rabbit with bright eyes. Zhongyong Hou was coaxed by his granddaughter calling him "Grandpa" repeatedly, and in no time, he nailed a rabbit cage.

"Grandpa, I cut grass for the rabbits every day."

Jin Sui'an said in a clear, crisp voice, stroking the rabbit's ears, "Bunny, grow up obediently!"

The little girl had beautiful features, and her big, pretty eyes were full of joy.

Marquis Zhongyong's heart softened upon seeing this, and he took out the bird eggs he had secretly hidden and gave them to Jin Sui'an.

"One for Mom, one for Grandma, one for Great-Grandma, one for Grandpa, and one for An'an."

Jin Suian separated the bird eggs clearly and precisely.

Lin Huilan and her two children stared at the bird egg, their eyes wide with disbelief: "..."

After dinner, Marquis Zhongyong asked about the sugar-making process. Cheng Qiqi replied, "The sugar-making went very well. Now it depends on how the Leng family is willing to hire me."

"Well done."

Marquis Zhongyong affirmed Cheng Qiqi's approach: "Your skills are the most valuable asset. There are two ways to earn money: one is to be paid according to the amount of work you do."

"The second option is to join the sugar mill with your skills, and you will receive at least 30% of the profits from the sugar mill's sales."

Marquis Zhongyong gave her advice.

Cheng Qiqi nodded thoughtfully. Taking a fixed wage? That's worse than not doing it at all!

Choosing the second option... doesn't seem reliable enough either.

Marquis Zhongyong continued, "The current crisis at Leng Family Sugar Workshop involves two things. One is that the master sugar maker, who is also Leng Yu's grandfather, is dying."

"Secondly, the backer of Leng Family Sugar Workshop has run into trouble in the county, and it's likely that the workshop will be unable to be saved. If you really want to join the workshop, let's postpone it for a couple of days."

Marquis Zhongyong added, "I not only asked one prisoner about this, but also inquired with Lord Zhao. He is the eldest brother-in-law of the Leng family."

"Father, Lord Zhao looks very fierce."

Cheng Qiqi recalled the day she met Zhao Hei, who looked even more ruthless than Scarface Zhang!

Unexpectedly, her father-in-law, who seemed like a rough and uncultured man, had found out so much about her going to make sugar.

"As you said, he looks fierce, but my hunting skills allow him to eat meat every now and then. It's easy for him to find out anything."

Marquis Zhongyong skipped over how he tried to curry favor with Zhao Hei, and said, "Zhao Hei told me that he probably wanted to test whether we had the ability to protect the sugar mill."

"..."

Cheng Qiqi fell silent. She had said, "How could you find out the information so easily?" She continued, "Dad, can we handle this? If not, then forget it. There are countless ways to make money; we can't be dragged into this!"

She set her sights on the sugar mill because Guihua Village had plenty of sugarcane, and sugar was a highly profitable necessity.

If you're really going to get into trouble, you'd better find a different job!

"Qiqi, are you giving up already?"

Marquis Zhongyong had come up with a whole host of ideas, but he was stunned to see Cheng Qiqi give up so decisively!

"Dad, it's true that I want to make money, but I want my family to be safe and sound even more."

Cheng Qiqi's gaze fell on Jin Suian, who was lying by the rabbit hutch, petting the rabbits. Their cute little faces were soft and fluffy, something she wanted to protect.

"Master, Qiqi is right. Our supplies are being delivered soon, aren't they? We'll have enough to eat and wear by then. Don't take any risks."

Liu Suyi chimed in, "An'an is only three years old, still so young, she can't be hurt."

On the way to exile, An'an fell ill several times. If it weren't for Cheng Qiqi watching over her night after night, she would have worried whether An'an would even make it to the place of exile.

"Suyi, Qiqi, I know what you're worried about, but as long as Qiqi wants to do it, it's not difficult."

Marquis Zhongyong looked at Cheng Qiqi and said, "You are the daughter-in-law of the Jin family. Although we are now in exile, we still have old subordinates. If the sugar factory can really succeed, I have a way to sell it to other places."

Sold to other places?

Cheng Qiqi's eyes lit up. If that was the case, then she would need to reconsider her cooperation with the sugar shop.