SPMT : Chapter 37: Second Brother’s Shock

Xiao Jingting got so busy that he didn’t stop until evening. “Brother, I’m sorry! I got so busy that I forgot about you,” he apologized to Xiao Jinfeng.

Xiao Jinfeng smiled at Xiao Jingting and said, “It’s okay. If Father and Mother were still here, they would be very happy to see how hardworking you are.”

Xiao Jingting smiled awkwardly.

“When you were using your spiritual arts in the fields just now, many people were watching you,” Xiao Jinfeng said.

Xiao Jingting was somewhat surprised. “Really?”

“Yes! Many young men and women were watching, and it seems they like you. Little brother, you’re now the ideal partner in many people’s hearts,” Xiao Jinfeng said.

Xiao Jingting shook his head and said, “Brother, you’re teasing me again.”

“No, I’m not,” Xiao Jinfeng replied.

“I already have a wife and children. Now, I just want to earn money to support my family. I don’t dare to think about other things,” Xiao Jingting said calmly.

Hearing Xiao Jingting’s words, Xiao Jinfeng felt relieved.

“Brother, do you have something to tell me? You seem hesitant,” Xiao Jingting said, feeling puzzled.

Xiao Jinfeng hesitated for a moment and then confessed, “Sun Miaomiao is going to marry Xiao Muhong.”

Xiao Jingting was stunned for a moment. Thinking of Sun Miaomiao, he couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. The original owner of this body was a loyal fan of Sun Miaomiao, sticking to her wherever she went, even getting into fights for her. Remembering the original owner’s ridiculous behavior, Xiao Jingting felt embarrassed.

Although those things were done by the original owner, Xiao Jingting felt like he was also responsible for them now, being one with the original owner.

“Really? Sun Miaomiao wants to marry Xiao Muhong? That scoundrel must have a hard time with her. She’s a very fierce woman,” Xiao Jingting shook his head. He couldn’t understand the original owner’s taste. From what he remembered, the original owner even let Sun Miaomiao whip him. Could it be that the original owner had a masochistic tendency?

Xiao Jinfeng asked in amazement, “You don’t mind?”

Xiao Jingting remembered how Xiao Jinfeng used to dote on Sun Miaomiao, and it made him want to punch him.

“Why should I mind? Sun Miaomiao is not my wife,” Xiao Jingting said indifferently. The original owner had a really thick skin! Sun Miaomiao clearly didn’t care about the original owner, but he didn’t seem to mind at all. He was really foolish, no wonder those people looked down on him.

“If you don’t mind, that’s good.”

“Sun Miaomiao’s standards are too high. She actually set her sights on Xiao Muhong. It’s strange,” Xiao Jingting said.

“It’s not strange. After Father and Mother had their accident, it’s been Uncle’s family in charge. Xiao Muhong is Uncle’s eldest son…”

Xiao Jingting raised an eyebrow. Right, the wind had changed in the Xiao family. Xiao Muhong could be considered the crown prince now. However, the other branches of the family were not easy to deal with. Xiao Muhong’s position was quite unstable!

“By the way, the land you have was given to you by Aunt,” Xiao Jinfeng asked with a furrowed brow.

Xiao Jingting nodded and said, “Yes.”

“I noticed that you only have a dozen or so acres of land, but several acres are top-quality land,” Xiao Jinfeng said, furrowing his brow deeper.

“That’s right. My abilities are limited, so I can only grow ordinary plants for now. It’s a waste to have top-quality land in my hands,” Xiao Jingting said regretfully.

“I heard that your land was abandoned before?” Xiao Jinfeng continued to ask.

Xiao Jingting nodded and smiled awkwardly, “Yes.”

“Do you know that this area of Tuqiu Village is under the jurisdiction of the Yongcheng Marquis’s Mansion? The mansion issued a decree four months ago that if an acre of top-quality land is idle for a month, a fine of one hundred taels of silver must be paid. You have five acres of top-quality land. How many months have they been idle?” Xiao Jinfeng said.

Xiao Jingting widened his eyes. What’s going on? He had five acres of top-quality land, and they had been idle for about two months. It seemed that they had been idle since before the original owner arrived.

“Why is the fine so high, Brother?” Xiao Jingting asked, puzzled.

“The resources of top-quality land are limited, and the mansion is afraid that some landlords will occupy the land and do nothing. That’s why they issued this decree. Although top-quality land is used to grow fifth and sixth-grade spiritual plants to make the most of its potential, planting some third-grade spiritual plants on it requires little effort to manage and can still grow well. It’s such good land, but it’s wasteful to let it lie idle,” Xiao Jinfeng explained.

“Brother, how did you know about this? No one in the village told me,” Xiao Jingting said.

“Ordinary people wouldn’t leave top-quality land idle. Therefore, not many people know about this decree. In fact, in remote villages like this, even if the land is idle, no one will check. But if I’m not mistaken, your land will definitely be checked,” Xiao Jinfeng said.

Xiao Jingting was completely dumbfounded. He had found it strange before why the Xiao family had given him so much top-quality land. It turned out they were waiting for him. Perhaps some people didn’t mind letting their land lie idle, but his land would definitely be checked. His uncle and aunt were really calculating. Xiao Jingting couldn’t convince himself that this was a coincidence.

“I rented out the land for a while before,” Xiao Jingting said.

“The mansion calculates the idle time from the transfer of the land title to your name. The time when you pawned it and the time it was pawned are also included,” Xiao Jinfeng said.

Xiao Jingting: “…So, it’s been about two to three months, which means I have to pay at least one thousand taels of silver.”

“Brother, do you know when the mansion will come to check?” Xiao Jingting asked.

“In October,” Xiao Jinfeng said.

Xiao Jingting breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there was still time.

“What if I don’t have the money by then?” Xiao Jingting asked.

“Go to jail,” Xiao Jinfeng said.

Xiao Jingting took a deep breath. That was harsh.

“Brother, let’s go back first. Let’s talk about the land later. There’s still time, and we can earn more money. I think Mu’an and Shuyu should be back by now, and it’s time for dinner,” Xiao Jingting said.

With many debts, Xiao Jingting was surprised for a moment, but then he quickly became optimistic.

Xiao Jinfeng nodded and said, “Okay.”

“Brother, Mu’an sold five barrels of wine today and still has so many grapes. I think we should have enough money to buy the detoxification pills for you,” Xiao Jingting said.

Hearing Xiao Jingting’s words, Xiao Jinfeng felt a warmth in his heart.

Xiao Jingting turned his head and looked at Xiao Jinfeng’s expression, saying, “Brother, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Brother just didn’t expect you to do all this for me,” Xiao Jinfeng said.

Xiao Jingting smiled gently and said, “Brother, we’re brothers! If I were poisoned, you would definitely help me, right?”

Xiao Jinfeng nodded and said, “Yes.” Although he and Xiao Jingting were not close, if Xiao Jingting were really in trouble, he wouldn’t stand idly by.

“Brother, are you dating Shuyu?” Xiao Jingting asked.

Xiao Jinfeng was stunned for a moment, his face slightly red.

Xiao Jingting raised an eyebrow, thinking there might be something going on. “Brother, Shuyu is really good to you! In that situation, she didn’t leave you. Don’t let her down.”

“I know. By the way, your wine is really good! Selling it for one hundred taels of silver is actually quite cheap. I’ve had one hundred and twenty taels of wine, and it doesn’t taste as pure as yours,” Xiao Jinfeng said with shining eyes, reminiscing.

Xiao Jingting smiled helplessly and said, “This place is small after all. If it’s too expensive, it won’t sell. Besides, my wine isn’t famous yet. It takes time for people to recognize it.” He needed money urgently, so he had to sell it quickly.

“Your spirit wine is very beneficial for third and fourth-grade Qi cultivators. It’s very useful for third-grade Qi cultivators,” Xiao Jinfeng said.

Xiao Jinfeng’s words implied that although spirit wine was beneficial for fourth-grade Qi cultivators, its usefulness was limited.

Xiao Jingting smiled and said, “Spirit springs aren’t omnipotent. Although I used spirit springs to grow grapes well before, the effect isn’t as significant when planting higher-grade spiritual plants. After reaching the fourth level of Qi cultivation, I also found that the rate of spiritual energy recovery from spirit springs was greatly reduced. If the quality of spirit springs can’t be improved, they will become very useless when my strength increases. If there’s no way to improve the quality of spirit springs, then they will be wasted.”

“That wine being sold like this is truly a pity,” sighed Xiao Jinfeng.

Xiao Jingting looked at Xiao Jinfeng’s reluctant expression and said, “The wine being sold is from the first batch. The second batch should be ready in a few days, and it’ll be even richer. If you like it, we can keep more.”

Xiao Jinfeng awkwardly smiled and said, “I don’t have any other hobbies, just this drink.”

Looking at Xiao Jinfeng, Xiao Jingting asked, “Brother, drinking too much can lead to trouble. Have you ever gotten into trouble while drunk?”

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Xiao Jinfeng’s face.

Observing Xiao Jinfeng, Xiao Jingting said, surprised, “Brother, you haven’t really gotten into any trouble, have you?”

Xiao Jinfeng hesitated before responding, “No.”

Seeing Xiao Jinfeng’s expression, Xiao Jingting felt a bit skeptical, but since it was Xiao Jinfeng’s personal matter, he didn’t press further.

Back at home, Xu Mu’an had already set the table.

Xu Mu’an took out some silver notes and said, “This is the money from selling the wine and grapes, totaling eight hundred taels.”

Rubbing his chin, Xiao Jingting said, “I have a little over a hundred taels left in my hands. We’re still a bit short!”

“I have some savings, probably around two hundred taels,” Mu Shuyu hurriedly added.

Xiao Jinfeng took out a storage bag and said, “I still have three hundred taels. When I left the Xiao family, I was stripped of everything, and the rest of my assets remained with the family.” Xiao Jinfeng’s eyes flashed with resentment as he spoke.

Looking at Xiao Jinfeng, Xiao Jingting said, “Brother, don’t be angry. Think of it as avoiding disaster by losing some money.”

“The town is too small; we asked around but found nothing. But Qingcheng should have it,” Xu Mu’an said.

Xiao Jingting handed the silver notes to Xiao Jinfeng and said, “Brother, why don’t you and Mu go there.”

Xiao Jinfeng took the silver notes and nodded.