SPMT : Chapter 26

“Over a hundred taels?” Qiu Bai said with complete surprise.

Qiu Li nodded and said, “Yes! Over a hundred taels, and that’s just the money from selling a portion of the grapes.”

When all the grapes were sold, it would be far more than this amount.

Qiu Bai couldn’t help feeling somewhat regretful, thinking privately: If I had known Xiao Jingting had such ability, I would have put more effort into him. Recently Xiao Jingting has changed so much I barely recognize him anymore.

“I don’t know what methods Xu Mu’an used, but he actually got Xiao Jingting to settle down. Xiao Jingting even bought him a sleeve crossbow. I heard it was forged from steel needles from a fifth-level demon beast Steel Needle Beast – it wouldn’t cost less than twenty to thirty taels of silver,” Qiu Li added.

Throughout the Steel Needle Beast’s entire body, only the twelve steel needles on its head were most valuable. Those steel needles were exceptionally sharp – demon beasts like third-level Tusk Pigs couldn’t block attacks from that sleeve crossbow at all.

Qiu Bai was skilled at reading expressions. Initially when Xiao Jingting was cold toward him, Qiu Bai hadn’t taken it seriously, thinking Xiao Jingting was playing hard to get. But after several encounters, Qiu Bai discovered that Xiao Jingting’s heart truly was no longer focused on him. Xiao Jingting was really too strange now – before, this person most hated farming and insisted that farming was work for lower-class people. Now he was constantly running outside.

Xiao Jingting used to often curse Xiao Xiaofan as a bastard child, but now he frequently held that foolish little brat and spoke to him gently and pleasantly.

The next day.

“Not selling grapes? Making wine?” Xu Mu’an said with some hesitation.

Xiao Jingting nodded and said, “Yes! Market capacity is limited. If we sell too many grapes, it will affect grape prices. But we’re not completely stopping sales – we’ll just sell another batch in a few days, selling five to six hundred bunches. The rest we’ll eat ourselves.”

Xu Mu’an nodded and said, “You’re right.”

Xiao Jingting discovered that although Xu Mu’an was young, he was very perceptive as a person.

While Xu Mu’an was busy in the house, visitors kept arriving one after another.

The news that Xiao Jingting had made big money selling grapes had completely spread. Those neighbors could no longer sit still and came to the door one after another to watch the excitement.

The Xiao family’s doorway had been cold and desolate for a long time, but now it was bustling with people coming and going.

Many people stared at the grapes as soon as they entered, wishing they could move all the grapes in the house to their own homes.

Previously, when Xu Mu’an was in dire straits, he had sought help from several of these neighbors, but they had all made excuses. Therefore, Xu Mu’an was neither warm nor cold toward these guests.

When guests came to the door, Xiao Jingting couldn’t just keep ignoring them. Xiao Jingting washed two bunches of grapes, placed them in the house, had the two little ones entertain the guests, and went off to busy himself with Xu Mu’an.

Xiao Jingting didn’t want to deal with those people, but they weren’t easily shaken off.

“Head of Household Xiao, your grapes are really grown well.”

“Not really, I just planted them casually.”

“Planted casually and they grew this well – if you were serious about it, who knows how they’d turn out,” Qiu Li said.

Hearing Qiu Li’s voice, Xiao Jingting felt uncomfortable all over. “Everyone flatters me.”

“Head of Household Xiao, how exactly did you grow these grapes? The village is so poor – now that you’ve gotten wealthy, you can’t forget to give everyone else a hand up. We’re all fellow villagers. If you help everyone, we’ll all remember your kindness,” Qiu Li said.

Xiao Jingting narrowed his eyes. The grapes could grow like this partly because he paid attention to improving soil quality, and partly because he pruned away some unnecessary branches. But most importantly, it should be the spirit spring water from his jade stone space that played the key role.

“It’s not that I don’t want to help everyone, but this type of grape is our Xiao family’s closely guarded secret. If I spread it, the elders in the family would definitely come hunt me down,” Xiao Jingting immediately wrapped himself in the tiger’s skin as a coat, seeing Qiu Li trying to pressure him with righteousness.

Hearing Xiao Jingting’s words, everyone was in an uproar.

That Xiao Jingting had been exiled by the Xiao family wasn’t a secret to the villagers. Now hearing Xiao Jingting say that grape growing was the Xiao family’s closely guarded secret, everyone immediately gave up their thoughts.

Great families took family secrets very seriously. Once secrets were leaked, not only would the family member who leaked the secret be severely punished, but even those who knew the secret would be silenced.

For the Xiao family, Tuqiu Village was really too small.

Xiao Jingting looked at the shocked expressions on everyone’s faces and laughed inwardly, thinking that the Xiao family’s reputation was really useful. But this wasn’t strange either – the Xiao family could casually send out a seventh-level Qi Cultivation expert who could slaughter everyone in the village clean.

Qiu Li’s face alternated between green and white. Ever since Qiu Bai brought back several bunches of grapes last time, Qiu Li had secretly taken a section of grapevine from the back mountain to raise. But he could never get the hang of it – the fruits that grew on that grapevine were sour and astringent, worlds apart from what Xiao Jingting grew.

Qiu Li had originally wanted to take advantage of everyone coming to probe Xiao Jingting when he could hint around for some secrets. But once Xiao Jingting said it was a family secret, Qiu Li was too embarrassed to press further.

The great families of the Barbarous Continent could stand firm largely because they relied on those family secrets. Attempting to spy on great family secrets would be viewed as mortal enemies by those families.

Besides feeling helpless, Qiu Li could only be jealous that Xiao Jingting knew how to be reborn into the right family.

Qiu Bai sat quietly to the side eating grapes, his eyes somewhat dim.

Before, whenever he appeared, Xiao Jingting’s gaze would immediately stop on him and not move. This time when he came, Xiao Jingting acted as if he hadn’t seen him at all. Seeing Xiao Jingting smooth Xu Mu’an’s hair, Qiu Bai felt very sour inside.

Qiu Bai picked at grapes, eating one after another. Xiao Xiaofan opened his big eyes and kept staring at Qiu Bai.

Qiu Bai was only concerned with his melancholy feelings and didn’t notice Xiao Xiaofan’s puffed-up angry appearance, nor did he notice the strange looks from the people around him.

The grapes were limited in number, and the villagers also knew grapes were expensive, so they stopped after eating two. Qiu Bai alone ate half a bunch.

“How was it? Did you find anything out?” Seeing Qiu Bai and Qiu Li return, their father asked impatiently.

During this period, the Qiu family had spent considerable effort on grape cultivation, even neglecting some of their field work. Watching Xiao Jingting earn silver by the fistful while they gained nothing, their father felt like claws were scratching at his chest.

Qiu Li shook his head and said, “No, Xiao Jingting said it was the Xiao family’s closely guarded secret.”

“The Xiao family’s closely guarded secret.” Their father was immediately stunned. Village people had natural awe for great families. Hearing it was the Xiao family’s closely guarded secret, their father couldn’t help feeling somewhat intimidated.

The Barbarous Continent had countless conflicts. Previously there was a village whose people learned the secret of growing Phoenix Immortal Flowers from a renegade spirit plant master from the Meng family. They began growing Phoenix Immortal Flowers, but before the flowers could mature, everyone in that village was slaughtered clean.

“Several wealthy households in the village seem to have figured something out,” their father said.

Hearing this, Qiu Li’s heart was immediately filled with jealousy. He had put in so much effort with no results, while those wealthy households, relying on their large operations and strong spirit plant master abilities, had made progress right away.

Their father sighed lightly and said, “If it’s not our fortune, forcing it is useless!” Their father’s tone shifted as he said, “However, if growing grapes really is the Xiao family’s closely guarded secret, then those people who figured it out are probably close to their death date too.”

Qiu Bai lowered his head, thinking about the silk brocade clothing on Xu Mu’an’s body. Xu Mu’an’s clothes didn’t look very conspicuous, but Qiu Bai was very clear they were definitely not cheap.

Before, Xu Mu’an dressed no better than a beggar, but now he was so respectable.

Qiu Bai suddenly felt that marrying Xiao Jingting would also be a good choice.

At the Xiao Family:

Xu Mu’an looked at the bunches of grapes outside, his heart completely full of excitement. Xu Mu’an thought privately: When this batch of grapes matures, we can earn another hundred-some taels of silver – almost enough to redeem those few acres of superior fields.

This time, the earliest batch of mature grapes was all sold by Xiao Jingting. Of the middle batch that matured, part was made into wine by Xiao Jingting, and part was pressed into grape juice and consumed. The latest batch was finally about to mature. Xiao Jingting said he would keep some of this batch to eat and sell the rest for money.

Xu Mu’an turned his head and looked at the messy cups and dishes on the table, frowning. During this period, guests came to their home in an endless stream. When they came, they had to be entertained. Xu Mu’an couldn’t bear to use their family’s grapes for entertaining, so he went to the street to buy some snacks, then added two plates of grapes to round it out. Even so, it still pained Xu Mu’an terribly.

Two bunches of grapes could sell for at least four hundred copper coins. Although those snacks were much cheaper than grapes, they still cost silver. Before, he wouldn’t have been willing to spend even a single copper plate.

Xiao Xiaodong and Xiao Xiaofan helped Xu Mu’an tidy up the house.

“You’re back. Eh, where did this mountain chicken come from?” Xu Mu’an asked curiously about what Xiao Jingting held in his hands.

“It fell into a trap, and I caught it,” Xiao Jingting said.

Xu Mu’an was stunned for a moment, then said delightedly, “Such good fortune.”

Xiao Jingting nodded and said, “Yes! I’ll make spicy chicken to eat.”

Xu Mu’an nodded and said, “Great!”

Xiao Jingting looked at Xu Mu’an’s greedy expression and found it somewhat amusing. In his previous life, Xiao Jingting liked eating spicy food. In this life, he had occasionally made some spicy dishes and discovered that Xu Mu’an could eat even spicier food than he could.

The next day, when Xiao Jingting brought Xu Mu’an to sell grapes, they encountered some problems.

Xiao Jingting had originally made contracts with the restaurant and more than ten families in the city. This time when going to sell grapes, Yueho Restaurant bought everything as before, but several of the major families said they didn’t want them anymore, and several others wanted to lower the price. Xiao Jingting didn’t agree. Because several families had violated their contracts, Xiao Jingting had over two hundred extra bunches of grapes that didn’t sell. He planned to buy a couple more jars and brew all the unsold grapes into wine.

Xu Mu’an looked at Xiao Jingting and said, “The owner of Yueho Restaurant said that several major landowners have also started growing grapes, selling them for one hundred copper plates per bunch – much cheaper than ours, so…”

Xiao Jingting smiled and said, “If they won’t sell, we’ll just eat them ourselves. After all, there are so many, we can finish them.”

Xu Mu’an smiled. Grapes were good things. “Those people don’t recognize quality! They’ll regret it.”

Although Xu Mu’an didn’t understand how Xiao Jingting grew his grapes, Xu Mu’an was certain that the grapes Xiao Jingting grew were different from others’.

Previously, Xu Mu’an’s strength had been forcibly pushed up by consuming Blazing Flame Grass. The medicinal properties of Blazing Flame Grass were somewhat violent, and during the consumption process, Xu Mu’an’s meridians had suffered damage. Xu Mu’an had long ago discovered the drawbacks of Blazing Flame Grass, but before, for survival and taking care of the children, he had no choice.

However, recently, Xu Mu’an discovered that drinking grape juice could repair damaged meridians. During this time, constantly eating good things, his previously damaged meridians had recovered almost completely.

R notes :

Timeline: Beginning of story
Main Family

• Xiao Jingting: 17 y/o, 3rd Level Qi, water/wood attributes
• Xu Mu’an: Ger, age.. around XJT I guess, 3rd Level Qi, fire attribute
• Xiao Xiaodong: 4 y/o, weak wood spiritual root, basic Vegetation Technique
• Xiao Xiaofan: 3 y/o, mentally impaired, no cultivation yet