Chapter 117: Sprouting Soybean Sprouts (Part Two)

Gu Xiaoyao stepped closer to him, reaching out with her soft fingertips to gently wipe the mud from his handsome face.

“You got mud all over. When I saw you lying, you actually seemed convincing, but how did digging a bit of mud turn you into this mess?”

Chu Chengjin felt the softness against his cheek, the lingering warmth stirring something inexplicably within him, like rippling waves across still water.

“My dear wife, I hope those moments we shared remain in your heart and are not brought up casually now and then.”

Deception was sometimes unavoidable, and after all, he had never claimed to be the noble Feng Guangyueji. Others assumed that with so many followers, he must be wealthy beyond measure, but in truth, he was deeply in debt.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bring it up randomly. Only when we are alone will I mention it.”

“I will carry the mud back; you can dig here a while longer, but don’t push yourself. If your health weakens further, I fear I might be widowed.”

Seeing her joke at his expense, Chu Chengjin suddenly stood and, reaching out, pulled her firmly into his arms before she could react.

“My dear wife, I cannot agree with such words. My strength has yet to be fully revealed! How can you say my body is weak?”

Faced with his sudden embrace, Gu Xiaoyao lifted the corner of her mouth in a slight smile and poked his abdomen with a finger, adding,

“Words alone are useless; you’ve shown no action. So whether your body is weak or not, I truly cannot tell.”

With that, she slowly rose from his embrace. Though he had been ill these past days, his body was far from frail. She had seen his lean form; the muscles were all there. Suppressing a smile, she shouldered her basket and walked on.

Inside the storage room, ten water troughs were filled with mud. After smoothing the surface evenly, Gu Xiaoyao nodded in satisfaction.

Chu Chengjin watched her with some puzzlement. What was she planning to do with all this mud and the troughs?

“My dear wife, may I ask what you intend to do with all this?”

“Of course, to make money. Why else would I bother?”

Gu Xiaoyao then scattered soaked soybeans evenly over the mud in the troughs. Since the troughs were double-layered, water had already been poured into the bottom layer.

“Earning money this way intrigues me,” Chu Chengjin said. He was also short of funds. Earning money here was difficult; whatever little he had was quickly taken away. Who could have guessed that the formidable Young Master Chu was troubled by lack of money?

“You’ll know the method I use to make money once I succeed.”

After spreading the soybeans evenly atop the mud, she thought it best to wait until nightfall to use her supernatural ability to accelerate growth.

With everything prepared, the two left the storage room. That evening, Chu Qingbai and Chu Qingsong received two large plates of meat, while Lady Liu, having done no work, got none. As the three ate together, a dispute naturally arose over the food.

Gu Xiaoyao paid it no mind. In her heart, those willing to work earned their meals; those unwilling could eat mud.

That night, beneath the cold moon hanging high in the sky, Gu Xiaoyao left the house and entered the storage room. Holding a lantern, she placed her hand over the water trough.

In her eyes, her botanical power manifested as glowing green streams, penetrating the mud and soybeans below.