Chapter 19: Father-daughter Relationship

At this moment, someone came to buy meat.

Qin Dazhuang quickly went to greet the customer.

After cutting the customer's meat and sending him off, Qin Dazhuang turned around and looked at his daughter again.

"There's no need to write an IOU. How much do you want to borrow?" he said to Qin Xiaoyao in an authoritarian manner.

Qin Xiaoyao's face lit up.

Then, her expression became a little embarrassed.

"Ten… ten taels of silver," she whispered.

Ten taels might not be enough, but more than that, she was afraid that her father would fall out with her.

Qin Dazhuang's eyes widened in shock.

"How much?" Even his voice had changed.

"Ten… ten taels," Qin Xiaoyao replied, her eyes still filled with sorrow.

"I don't have it!" Then, Qin Dazhuang flicked his sleeves and turned around.

He wondered why his daughter had changed so much today. So she was here to cheat money.

Indeed, Qin Dazhuang was certain that Qin Xiaoyao was here to scam him of his money.

What kind of injury would cost ten taels of silver? Did she think he was stupid?

Seeing this, Qin Xiaoyao quickly ran to Qin Dazhuang.

"Husband was bitten by a wolf and stepped on a bear trap. He's really seriously injured!"

Qin Dazhuang turned his body to the side.

Qin Xiaoyao hurriedly followed suit.

"I've just consulted Doctor Li of the Hundred Herbs Hall. Doctor Li said that if it's serious, it would cost ten to twenty taels of silver. Father, if you don't believe me, you can follow me back to Brook Falls Village to take a look."

Seeing that Qin Dazhuang's expression had wavered, Qin Xiaoyao continued. "If I'm lying to you, I'll let the heavens strike me with lightning!" She even made an oath following this.

Qin Dazhuang's expression finally changed.

He reached out his hand and pulled Qin Xiaoyao's oath-swearing hand down.

"What nonsense are you saying!" He lectured her.

Qin Xiaoyao could see her father's concern and couldn't help but laugh.

"I knew you cared about me, Father." She tugged at Qin Dazhuang's arm and acted coquettishly.

Qin Dazhuang glared at his daughter in annoyance and slapped Qin Xiaoyao's hand away.

"You have to give me a written IOU. In addition, I'll need your Aunt's approval." 

Seeing Qin Xiaoyao's expression change, Qin Dazhuang quickly said, "The money is with your aunt now. If she doesn't agree, I can't take out any money."

If it were only one or two taels of silver, he would look for his eldest and second sons to discuss and think of a way to help his daughter gather the money.

However, if it were ten taels, he wouldn't be able to get this amount alone.

Seeing Qin Xiaoyao's angry expression, Qin Dazhuang continued. "I don't care if you like it or not. I've already handed over the financial management to your Aunt."

"Also, your Aunt is pregnant. You're not allowed to make her angry in the future." After saying this, Qin Dazhuang turned his head away uncomfortably.

He was already forty-six years old, with two sons and a daughter.

All his children had gotten married.

Who would have thought he could still be a father at this age?

Qin Xiaoyao's eyes widened in surprise.

She tried to ascertain that she didn't hear wrongly.

Then thinking about it carefully, she knew that Madam Zhang was ten years younger than her father, so she could still give birth.

Hence, she replied sullenly, "Okay, I know." 

After she got married, the Qin family split up.

Although they still lived in the same courtyard dwelling, Big Brother and Second Brother lived separately with their respective wives.

Only her father and Madam Zhang were left in the upper room.

There was nothing wrong with her father handing the family affairs over for Madam Zhang to manage. Furthermore, Madam Zhang was pregnant now.

If she was pregnant… Wouldn't she have a younger brother or sister in a few months?

A younger brother or sister who was 21 years younger than her, er… 

Qin Dazhuang was a little surprised to see his daughter agree so quickly.

"Ahem! That's good. Then close the stall. I'll take you back to see your Aunt," he said awkwardly.

To be honest, he was embarrassed to mention this to his daughter.

However, he could still say it to his daughter. He hadn't thought of how to tell his two sons yet.

"Deal!" Qin Xiaoyao agreed happily.

Then, she seemed to have thought of something and ran to the backpack to get the bowl of Chinese yam.

"Where did this radish come from?" When Qin Dazhuang saw the Chinese yam, he thought it was radish.

Qin Xiaoyao was amused.

"What radish? This is Chinese yam!"

Then, she told him about how she found the Chinese yam in the mountains and how Doctor Li bought ten catties of it from her at six copper coins per catty.

"There! Those things in my basket are Chinese yam." Seeing her father's surprised expression, Qin Xiaoyao pointed at the Chinese yam in the backpack and showed him.

"Peel off the skin and cut it into pieces. It can be used to make soup or you can stir-fry." 

After some thought, Qin Xiaoyao said, "Isn't Aunt pregnant now? You can also give her some. It's good for the spleen, and it can stimulate the appetite while aiding digestion. It can alleviate the problem of constipation to a certain extent." 

Qin Dazhuang was shocked.

"Deal! How much do you have left? I'll buy them all," he immediately said.

If even Doctor Li said it was good stuff, then it must be good.

Besides, his daughter was in urgent need of money, so he would take it as helping her.

Qin Xiaoyao, however, waved her hand.

"Who wants you to buy it? I'll give you ten catties to nourish Aunt's body. Just take it that I'm taking care of my younger brother or sister in my capacity as an elder sister."

"As for the rest, I'll have to count on Father's help." As she spoke, Qin Xiaoyao's eyes shifted.

Qin Dazhuang didn't want to take his daughter's things for free, but when he heard the second half of the sentence, he stopped himself from refusing.

"What kind of help?" he asked his daughter.

Qin Xiaoyao smiled and didn't rush to say anything.

Instead, she asked Qin Dazhuang to get a pair of chopsticks and let Qin Dazhuang try the taste of the Chinese yam first.

Qin Dazhuang did as he was told.

In the end, someone came to buy meat, so Qin Xiaoyao took the initiative to serve the customer.

She cut the meat, weighed it, and collected the money for Qin Dazhuang.

Seeing this, Qin Dazhuang was relieved. After he found the chopsticks, he picked up the Chinese yam and tasted it.

In the end, he found that the taste was actually quite good.

Then, he ate a few pieces in a row.

Seeing that Qin Dazhuang was about to finish the whole bowl of yam, Qin Xiaoyao quickly stopped her father.

"Hmm, this firewood stick tastes good!" Qin Dazhuang exclaimed as he looked at the Chinese yam in the basket beside him.

He couldn't remember the name of this 'firewood stick', but it resembled one.

"What firewood stick? This is called Chinese yam." Qin Xiaoyao was amused.

Then, she moved to Qin Dazhuang's side.

"When I went into the mountains previously, I found a plot of land full of Chinese yam. There's still quite a lot there." 

"I estimate that it won't be a problem to dig another six or seven hundred catties."

Qin Dazhuang was stunned. "So much?" He was surprised.

"Yes." Qin Xiaoyao nodded.

"Although this item is good, not many people know about it. I dug it up and brought it to the market to sell. No one has seen it before, so I don't think they will buy it." 

"That's why..." Qin Xiaoyao said as she looked at Qin Dazhuang.

"Sigh! If you have something to say, just say it." Qin Dazhuang said impatiently as his daughter stared at him.

He couldn't understand why she was still hesitating with him, her own father.

Qin Xiaoyao chuckled. "Father, didn't you say last time that Uncle Zhao was promoted to the purchasing manager of Fortune Mansion?"

"Can… can you help me to look for him?" As she spoke, Qin Xiaoyao tugged at Qin Dazhuang's sleeve again.

Uncle Zhao was her father's good friend and had a good relationship with their family.

As for Uncle Zhao's wife, Aunt Zhao, it was her mother who introduced her to him.