"The sky is so late, it’s not convenient to go back to the city. If you don’t mind, you can stay at my house for a night?"

After taking the money, Qin Yao seemed like a completely different person, she hoisted her big sword and smiled amicably.

If Wang Jin didn’t still feel the lingering chill around his neck, he would have doubted his memory was faulty.

"No need, I can still make it back now." Wang Jin rejected, whistled to call his horse over, and prepared to leave.

Qin Yao shrugged, didn’t insist, anyway she was just being polite.

Looking at Wang Jin, who was visibly in pain over the money, Qin Yao teased, "Sir, if you hadn’t abandoned me and run off first, we wouldn’t have had this mess, a hundred or two hundred taels would be enough, since the journey isn’t far."

Wang Jin’s actions paused as he mounted his horse and turned back excitedly, "Then you can return the extra to me."

Qin Yao’s smile instantly vanished, "Think about how you want to die?"

"Forget I ever said that." Wang Jin had a strong survival instinct, turned over onto his horse, instructed to meet outside Kaiyang County in two days, clasped his fists, "Farewell!"

In the blink of an eye, both man and horse disappeared from Qin Yao’s view.

"Ha~" Qin Yao laughed as she shook her head, hoisted her two-meter-long big sword, and contentedly headed home to sleep.

Silver is indeed a wonderful thing, she wasn’t angry at all now~

With a night free of dreams, Qin Yao had a beautiful sleep, and the next morning, she energetically drove the children to the school.

Second Lang insisted on climbing onto the cart to school, Qin Yao repeatedly checked the bruises on his neck, confirmed there was no major issue, and let him on the cart.

Si Niang stayed home alone, waited with Mrs. Li for some good food, ate her fill, called Little Lai Fu to join in feeding the chickens, wishing she could take a few more days off.

Qin Yao left Ding Clan School, but didn’t return to the village first, she thought for a bit and went straight to the county.

Wang Jin had mentioned there are more spies around the county recently, Qin Yao sensed it as soon as she entered the city.

There were people selling straw sandals by the street, selling vegetables at the city gate, and selling trinkets nobody paid attention to amidst the crowd.

Having not had a meal at the tavern for quite some time, Qin Yao paid extra for carriage cleaning fee, drove the carriage into the city, parked at Manager Fan’s tavern’s back door, walked into the main hall, and ordered some signature dishes.

"A rare guest!" Manager Fan hurried over as soon as he was free.

Qin Yao stood up, gave a bow and invited him to sit and eat, but Manager Fan waved his hand, pointing to the increasing number of guests in the hall, "It’s almost noon, a busy time, I’ll just say a few words with you and then leave."

He poured Qin Yao a cup of tea, asked her how she felt being the village head.

Qin Yao nodded, "Not bad."

In the pause of receiving tea, she whispered a few words in Manager Fan’s ear, his eyes widened, surprisingly glanced at her, then hesitantly nodded.

"You wait." He patted Qin Yao’s shoulder, signaled her to eat first, turned to the back hall, called upon a trusted young assistant, sent him out.

As Qin Yao finished eating, a donkey cart arrived at the tavern’s back door, piled with meat and vegetables procured by the tavern.

The driver wore a bamboo hat, donned in linen cloth, looking like a farmer.

Yet upon closer inspection, one could notice that this farmer had no trace of muddy smell on him.

The back door knocked, the assistant opened the door, removed the threshold, let the donkey cart with vegetables inside.

The cart filled with meat and vegetables appeared heavy, slowly drove into the back yard.

In the yard was also parked Qin Yao’s carriage, the luxurious black-gold carriage box distinguished as the one once acquired from Wang Mawu.

"Just place the veggies at the kitchen door." The hall was busy, after directing, the assistant ran off leaving the yard with only the driver.

The driver stared at the vegetables on the cart, as if at a loss on where to begin.

"Load it onto my cart."

Qin Yao suddenly appeared, surprising the driver who instantly bowed at the sight of her, before getting to action.

The meat and vegetables were quickly unloaded, revealing a large wooden box hidden underneath.

The driver strained greatly, finding it difficult to move.

Qin Yao couldn’t bear watching, stepped forward to lend a hand, together they finally managed to place the box inside the carriage.

Qin Yao pointed at the lock on the wooden box, tested, "What’s in here, locked up too."

Where’s the trust among people?

Wang Jin expressed: None whatsoever!

The driver shook his head, "I don’t know what’s inside either, once the goods are delivered, I’ll be off."

Politely bowed to Qin Yao, the driver turned to leave on the donkey cart.

Footsteps approaching from behind, Qin Yao had to set aside her curiosity for now, locked the carriage door, returned to the main hall.

"Have you finished eating?" Manager Fan asked with a smile.

Qin Yao nodded, thanked him for his help, paid the bill with an extra five taels of silver.

Manager Fan delighted, took it without politeness.

"Come over during a less busy time next, we’ll have a good drink and catch up." Manager Fan welcomed warmly.

Qin Yao agreed, drove her horse from the tavern’s back door, left the county, returned to the village at noon.

Having arranged with Wang Jin to set off tomorrow morning, this round-trip might take about ten days, Qin Yao placed the heavy wooden box in her bedroom, and started planning.

Luggage and such were secondary; the main issue was children being picked up from school, and village affairs.

Qin Yao first sought out the Clan Leader, informed him of her several-day absence.

"Going to the prefecture again?" Clan Leader thought, who else as village head travels this often?

Qin Yao came prepared, said seriously, "This time I’m going to the prefecture actually for our village."

Clan Leader doubted, "For our village?"

"Yes, exactly, for all villagers of Liu Family Village!" Qin Yao took out the finely crafted Lady’s Box newly developed by the stationery factory’s special team.

"This time in the prefecture, it’s to successfully market this Lady’s Box, to raise funds for our village’s industrial upgrade."

Clan Leader was a bit puzzled, "What?"

Qin Yao explained, "That’s right, if I can secure a deal for the Lady’s Box in the prefecture, I plan for us all to invest in shares of the factory, driving a comprehensive upgrade of the factory."

"From coarse to fine, abandoning the low-cost, low-return route, adopting high-cost, high-return cutting-edge approach, building a core economic pillar exclusively for Liu Family Village!"

Qin Yao summarized very seriously and earnestly, "Then, villagers can earn dividends while sitting, plus the field yields, in less than two years we can fully achieve modest prosperity."

The concept of modest prosperity, Clan Leader understood.

Qin Yao had told them, it meant being able to eat enough, wear clothes, children can attend school, no longer worrying over basic survival.

However, even now they weren’t at ease eating with full stomachs, can they truly achieve this in two years?

Seeing Qin Yao’s determined expression, Clan Leader willingly swayed, what if the dream comes true?

So he slapped his thigh, "Village head, you go ahead, with me here in the village!"