The Eunuch Has A Wife - Chapter 40

Seeing this, Wei Ziwan smiled warmly and said, “Manager Xi, please follow us. If we don’t hurry, we might not finish today.”

Manager Xi chuckled and replied, “Miss Wei, you jest. How many radishes could you possibly have planted? I’ve brought plenty of people this time. We won’t be delayed.”

At these words, Bai Li slowly came back to his senses. “You don’t know how many radishes they’ve planted?”

Manager Xi immediately grew cautious. “Young Master, what do you mean by that? As long as the radishes were planted by Brother Bai, Lou Shang Lou will take all of them, no matter the quantity.”

To be safe, he reiterated that they were only interested in the radishes planted by Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan.

Could this young master be scheming something?

Bai Li’s expression stiffened, and he said in a subtle tone, “Don’t worry. Our manor hasn’t planted many radishes—just enough for our own consumption. As for the radishes they’ve planted, they should be more than enough for Lou Shang Lou.”

He left it at that, hoping Manager Xi had strong nerves and wouldn’t be shocked when he saw the four acres of radishes.

After the Lou Shang Lou group followed Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan away, Bai Li waved his hand, dismissing everyone to go about their business.

Mr. Qiu, looking worried, said, “Young Master, Manager Xi doesn’t know how many radishes there are. What if he backs out later?”

Bai Li wasn’t pleased to hear this. “Since Lou Shang Lou has made their intentions clear, they shouldn’t go back on their word. However—Mr. Qiu, what you said to my father yesterday was somewhat biased.”

He had claimed that Bai Zhi was reckless and Wei Ziwan was overly ambitious, that neither had planned for the future and had uprooted all the radishes without a backup plan.

But look—Manager Xi had brought so many people and carts. Was this recklessness?

If anything, it was Manager Xi who had been reckless, agreeing to buy the radishes without confirming the quantity.

Mr. Qiu was taken aback, sensing Bai Li’s protective tone toward Bai Zhi. After all, family sticks together. He had indeed misjudged the situation, but that was partly because they hadn’t informed him beforehand.

Could he really be blamed for that?

However, these thoughts were better left unspoken. He just hoped the old manor master wouldn’t misunderstand him.

At this moment, Mr. Qiu was filled with regret and frustration. He regretted being too hasty in resigning as their instructor, and he was frustrated that Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan had already had a plan but hadn’t shared it, leading to his misunderstanding.

With this in mind, he hurried off to find Bai Shu. The top priority now was to explain himself to the old manor master to avoid appearing incompetent.

Meanwhile, the closer they got to the four acres of land, the more uneasy Manager Xi became.

From the moment he caught a glimpse of the radishes piled up like small hills, a sense of foreboding had settled over him.

No way, no way… This couldn’t be it, could it?

This must be the radishes planted by Lingjue Manor. Brother Bai and Miss Wei couldn’t have planted so many.

When Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan stopped in front of their field, Manager Xi felt something in his heart snap.

He shuddered and asked, his voice strained, “Brother Bai, how many of these radishes were planted by you?”

Bai Zhi’s eyelids twitched, and she glanced at Wei Ziwan.

Wei Ziwan replied calmly, “Everything you see here was planted by us.”

Manager Xi couldn’t help but shiver, his last bit of hope dashed.

His lips trembled, and finally, he patted Bai Zhi on the shoulder and said, “Brother Bai, tell me the truth. Did you plan to trade with Lou Shang Lou from the very beginning when you planted so many radishes?”

Bai Zhi’s eyes flickered, and she looked at Wei Ziwan again.

Wei Ziwan smiled deeply, giving her a meaningful look.

Bai Zhi turned back to Manager Xi, her expression sympathetic. “Manager Xi, you’re joking. It’s just a coincidence.”

Was it really a coincidence?

She wasn’t so sure anymore. This troublemaker…

Manager Xi pursed his lips. The words sounded far from convincing.

It seemed he would have to be even more cautious in the future. No transaction could be taken lightly.

Especially with these two. He would have to be on high alert to avoid another misstep.

The four acres of radishes yielded an unexpectedly high harvest—a total of 1,030 stones.

Bai Zhi, feeling unusually generous, stepped forward and said, “Manager Xi, consider the extra 30 stones a gift. Everyone has worked hard. Please treat them to a drink.”

Manager Xi’s heart sank. He had brought dozens of people. A drink for each would cost far more than 30 stones of radishes.

A thousand stones at double the price amounted to a staggering 250 taels of silver. How long would it take to use up all these radishes?

Thinking of the soybeans still sitting unused in the storeroom and now these radishes, Manager Xi felt even more uneasy.

He clutched his chest and forced a smile. “Brother Bai, you’re too kind. We’ll be on our way now.”

At this point, he just wanted to hurry back to Lou Shang Lou. If he made it in time for dinner, he could drown his worries in a few drinks.

After the Lou Shang Lou team had hauled away all the radishes, Bai Zhi finally found a moment to ask, “You didn’t really plan to trade with them from the very beginning when you planted so many radishes, did you?”

Wei Ziwan smiled softly and said, “Husband, you’re overthinking it. It was just a coincidence.”

Bai Zhi nodded. This troublemaker couldn’t possibly be that farsighted. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been manipulated in her past life. It must have been a coincidence.

Fortunately, this time they had both survived and were relying on each other—

Wait, what nonsense was she thinking? They were only pretending to be a couple out of necessity. There was no relying on each other.

But now that they had some money to settle down, would this troublemaker still stay at the manor?

Would she still call her “husband”?

Bai Zhi’s face grew warm. What was she thinking?

Ahead, Wei Ziwan walked absentmindedly toward the manor.

A few steps behind, Wei Ziwan quietly curved her lips into a smile.

Once or twice might be a coincidence, but a third time? It wouldn’t be so easy to explain away.

When the two returned to the manor, they found Lu Qu’er standing at their door, her expression serious.

She first gave Wei Ziwan a scrutinizing look, then turned to Bai Zhi and asked, “How did you manage to sell so many radishes to Lou Shang Lou at double the price?”

“Miss Lu, you’re overstepping.” Bai Zhi replied coldly. What was with this accusatory tone?

And that look—remembering how Lu Qu’er had lunged at Wei Ziwan last time, Bai Zhi instinctively moved closer to Wei Ziwan, standing shoulder to shoulder with her. Only then did she feel somewhat reassured.

Lu Qu’er frowned. What was with this defensive posture?

“Everyone in the manor is saying that this deal was made by selling your beauty.” she said, her gaze lingering on Wei Ziwan, the implication clear.

Bai Zhi, who usually dressed as a man, had a cold and aloof demeanor. Naturally, people wouldn’t associate such rumors with her.

After all, the woman beside her was far more striking. With a bit of makeup, she could easily be called a stunning beauty.

Even without makeup, dressed in simple clothes, her bright eyes and charming demeanor were captivating. As Miss Bai Luo had said, she was like a fox spirit.

Wei Ziwan keenly sensed the malice in Lu Qu’er’s gaze. She pursed her lips and moved closer to Bai Zhi, their shoulders almost touching.

Bai Zhi, too, noticed the hostile look and her expression grew even colder.

She clenched her fists, unable to calm the anger in her heart. Word by word, she said, “What does it matter to you? Even if it were true, so what? I like selling my beauty. What’s it to you?”

These selfrighteous people, what did they know?

If Wei Ziwan had relied on her beauty to get by, even the Crown Prince wouldn’t have stood a chance. In her past life, she had even killed to resist the Crown Prince’s advances.

Wei Ziwan, who had been willing to die rather than be forced into submission—how dare these people malign her?

Her troublemaker was… no…

This troublemaker… no…

Wei Ziwan deserved the best in the world.

Lu Qu’er’s frown deepened. “You know perfectly well they’re not talking about you. They’re talking about—”

“Enough. Goodbye, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Bai Zhi said through gritted teeth, her eyes blazing with anger.

Did these people know nothing about respect? How could they slander others like this? It was utterly unreasonable.

Hearing Bai Zhi’s furious tone, Lu Qu’er’s eyes reddened. She said stiffly, “If you’re truly innocent, then prove it to everyone. Why are you yelling at me?”

With that, she shot Bai Zhi a glare and ran off.

Bai Zhi opened her mouth but ultimately called after her, “No need for your concern.”

Wei Ziwan remained silent for a moment, then reached out and gently grasped Bai Zhi’s wrist, giving it a light shake. “It’s alright. I’m not even angry. Why are you so upset? Besides, Miss Lu might have meant well.”

In truth, she didn’t care about others’ words. She had heard such things since she was a child. Even her own mother had spoken harshly to her. The words of strangers mattered even less.

The people who could hurt you the most with their words were always those closest to you.

Bai Zhi slowly unclenched her fists and awkwardly looked up at the sky. “I’m not angry. What does it have to do with me? I just can’t stand her.”

Even if she had meant well, she had no right to slander you like that.

Wei Ziwan smiled silently. This awkward person.

But this protective gesture warmed her heart. She bit her lip lightly, her hand sliding down from Bai Zhi’s wrist to her palm.

Her fingers hesitated for a moment, then firmly interlaced with Bai Zhi’s, their hands tightly clasped.

Bai Zhi’s fingers stiffened, and she quickly turned her head.

Wei Ziwan, like Bai Zhi earlier, was now looking up at the sky, her tone distant. “The night sky is quite beautiful tonight.”

Bai Zhi turned her head back and, with a serious expression, also looked up at the sky, struggling to find the right words. “Yes, the moon is lovely.”

Wei Ziwan took a deep breath, her heartbeat quickening. “The stars are very bright too.”

“Yes, there are three of them.”

Wei Ziwan’s lips curved into a smile, and she gently rubbed Bai Zhi’s knuckles. “The wind is picking up.”

Bai Zhi’s hand trembled, and she said softly, “Yes, the wind is quite strong.”