The Eunuch Has A Wife - Chapter 32

He couldn’t help but touch his stubble, his eyes filled with confusion as he asked, “What is this?”

Could it be that she had no insights to share and was trying to bribe him with a plate of vegetables? That seemed rather insincere.

Seeing Bai Zhi’s lips curl into a flawless smile, she said, “What you said earlier made so much sense. Whether these radish sprouts are gifted or ordinary, they were all planted by our own hands, so we should treat them well. That’s why I picked the less promising ones, pickled them, and turned them into a side dish. Though they taste slightly bitter, their refreshing texture makes the most of what we have.”

Mr. Qiu looked at the now-pickled radish sprouts and felt as if he had been struck by lightning. “You… you wasteful… How do you know that the ordinary ones are inferior to the gifted ones? At most, they only represent this generation. Who can predict how their descendants will grow? These are your crops—how could you just pull them out like that?”

Bai Zhi blinked, sensing something amiss. “You’re mistaken, sir. These radishes won’t have a next generation. Once they grow, they’ll be eaten. They’re just radishes. Survival of the fittest—of course, we should keep the ones that grow well.”

Should she have pulled out the thriving ones instead? What kind of logic was that?

Mr. Qiu’s face darkened. “How do you know the thriving ones will bear fruit? The weaker ones might not always remain weak. Their descendants—”

“Sir, I only plan to grow this one batch. They’re just ordinary radishes with no descendants.” Bai Zhi interjected firmly, cutting him off.

Enough already—they were talking about radishes, for heaven’s sake.

Mr. Qiu took a deep breath, forcing a gentle expression onto his face. “Fine, let’s just talk about the radishes, this one batch. Forget the smaller sprouts for now. As the saying goes, even good bamboo can produce bad shoots. What if the thriving radishes get diseased or attract pests?”

“No one can guarantee that a radish will grow perfectly from start to finish. You can’t place all your hopes on them just because they sprouted taller than the others. You planted these seeds with your own hands. Even if they’re ordinary, they deserve the same care. You can’t just discard them. Do you understand?”

“I only have four acres of land. If the radish sprouts are too dense, it will affect the yield. Isn’t the best method to select the best from the best? Do you understand, sir?” Bai Zhi stared directly at him. Who was the one who didn’t understand here?

Mr. Qiu was taken aback, his eyes widening. “You’re saying I don’t understand? What do you know?”

Seeing Mr. Qiu’s profound expression, Bai Zhi almost laughed in frustration.

Wei Ziwan, who had been standing nearby, couldn’t help but tug at Bai Zhi’s sleeve. She then turned to Mr. Qiu and said, “If we’re talking about who understands, my husband is referring to farming, which is straightforward. But you, Mr. Qiu, have confused us.”

Mr. Qiu frowned, then suddenly brightened, waving his hand impatiently. “I’m your teacher. What I teach is what you learn. Listen or don’t—it’s up to you. Don’t disturb my drinking.”

He was clearly dismissing them.

Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan exchanged glances.

After the two left, Mr. Qiu burst into laughter and muttered to himself, “So they already understand. They understand but refuse to accept things blindly. Instead, they seek clarity. Interesting. Much more interesting than those who understand but never question.”

A noble man is open and forthright—time to drink three big bowls!

Outside the courtyard, hearing the laughter behind them, Bai Zhi glanced at Wei Ziwan. “I still don’t quite understand.”

They were just radishes, yet he made it sound so complicated. Wasn’t she just learning how to farm? What was Mr. Qiu really after? Was it her uncle’s doing?

Wei Ziwan said thoughtfully, “Something so simple, yet he had to anthropomorphize it, making it unnecessarily convoluted.” She suddenly thought of something, her gaze deepening. “Husband, did you grow up in the cold palace?”

Even if it was the cold palace, it was still part of the imperial palace.

Bai Zhi gave her a sidelong glance. “Don’t overthink it. I’m just an orphan my adoptive father picked up outside the palace.”

What was this troublemaker thinking? If she had any important status, wouldn’t she have been easily implicated in her past life?

But there was something strange about Lingjue Manor. Everyone seemed to be up to something, yet they tried to cover it up. What were they scheming?

Whatever it was, she didn’t want to get involved, let alone be led by the nose.

Sometimes, it’s easier to live in ignorance, but there are times when you need to stay clear-headed to avoid being led astray without even realizing it.

“Husband, were you brought into the palace by your so-called adoptive father after you could remember? Or have you been in the cold palace since you could remember, and everything you know comes from others?”

This was crucial. Wei Ziwan’s eyes darkened. Mr. Qiu’s teachings clearly went beyond the surface. If you thought deeper, “gifted” could imply noble birth, while “ordinary” could mean common origins.

And that line about crops being like the people—those unfinished words carried too much meaning.

Bai Zhi fell silent, her emotions suddenly complex.

Because the troublemaker had guessed correctly—she had indeed been in the cold palace for as long as she could remember. Everything she knew about her origins and identity came from her adoptive father.

But in her past life, she was just a cross-dressing eunuch in the cold palace, living and dying in obscurity and frustration.

If not for being reborn, she might have even doubted her own origins.

But her past life’s experiences firmly told her there was nothing extraordinary—no one had ever told her anything, even as she faced execution.

Bai Zhi paused, her tone firm. “Everything I know comes from my adoptive father, but he’s not an outsider.”

Wei Ziwan nodded slowly. “Perhaps I overthought it.”

Hopefully, she had. Otherwise, with just the two of them, self-preservation would be a challenge, let alone plotting anything.

On the way back, both were lost in thought but maintained a tacit silence.

Had they really overthought it?

After that day, Mr. Qiu never returned. Just when they thought they had indeed overthought it, reality proved them wrong.

As the radishes grew taller and their leaves spread out, Bai Zhi couldn’t help but measure the leaf length every day. She even imagined tiny white radish heads quietly growing beneath the soil.

Wait—white?

Bai Zhi squinted, bending down to inspect the ground closely. Then her expression changed, and she hurried back to the manor.

“Ziwan… Ziwan… Something’s wrong… Something’s wrong…”

At that moment, Wei Ziwan was drying her freshly washed hair, the cotton cloth gently running through her cascading black locks, which contrasted beautifully with her snow-white skin.

Bai Zhi’s breath hitched for a moment before she snapped back to reality, urgency in her voice. “Something’s wrong—our radishes have pests!”

Wei Ziwan continued drying her hair calmly. “What kind of pests? How bad is it?”

Bai Zhi paused, her tone calming slightly. “I can’t quite describe it, but there are small grayish-white flying insects on many of the leaves.”

They hadn’t been there yesterday—how did they appear overnight, and in such numbers?

Thinking of the pests on the radish leaves, Bai Zhi shuddered. It was terrifying.

Her poor radishes—she hadn’t even seen what the little radish heads looked like yet!

Wei Ziwan put down the cloth and loosely tied up her hair. “Let’s go take a look.”

Rushing to the field, Wei Ziwan knew at a glance that it was indeed a pest problem—annoying little cabbage moths, and it seemed to be just the beginning.

If they didn’t act quickly, once these pests laid eggs, the radish leaves would be beyond saving, and there would be no hope for the radishes to grow.

She remained silent for a moment before comforting the anxious Bai Zhi. “Don’t panic. These are common cabbage moths. Vegetables with large leaves, like radishes, are most susceptible to this kind of pest.”

“What should we do?” Bai Zhi instinctively asked, then paused. “How do you seem to know so much about this?”

Wei Ziwan’s breath caught. Right—she was a princess. How could she know about such things?

“Did you read about it in some book? Did it mention how to deal with them?” Bai Zhi quickly found a plausible explanation without waiting for Wei Ziwan’s response.

Wei Ziwan smiled softly. “Yes, the book described this kind of pest. As for how to deal with them… I don’t quite remember.”

Her tone was natural, her gaze clear, indirectly confirming Bai Zhi’s assumption.

Right—it could have been from a book. That eunuch’s timely remark saved her from having to explain.

Bai Zhi was momentarily stunned. How could she still smile at a time like this?

This troublemaker’s heart was truly vast.

She immediately straightened her face. “Do you remember which book it was? Maybe it has a solution.”

Wei Ziwan’s heart skipped a beat. Which book?

Her eyes flickered. “I don’t remember. Should we ask someone else?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, both fell silent. Ask someone else?

Who could they ask? Who was reliable?

They instinctively exchanged glances, then shook their heads in unison, thinking the same thing: Mr. Qiu was definitely out of the question.

Bai Zhi glanced at the radish leaves, her resolve wavering slightly. “Maybe we should ask Mr. Qiu after all. My uncle said he was specifically sent to teach us about farming. What if he has a solution this time?”

As soon as she spoke, she regretted it. That man clearly had ulterior motives. The last incident still left her uneasy. It was better not to involve him now.

Wei Ziwan also disagreed. “Do you really think Mr. Qiu knows about this?”

Bai Zhi frowned, deep in thought. “Should we try our luck where we hired workers before?”

Wei Ziwan nodded gently. It was worth a try.

Worried about the radishes, the two left the manor immediately. As soon as they left, someone reported their departure to Mr. Qiu.

Mr. Qiu stroked his stubble. A pest problem—what a great teaching opportunity.

He straightened his robes, took two steps, then turned back to grab a jug of wine before leisurely heading to the manor gate to wait for his prey.