After more than 10 rounds, Xiao Hanzheng grabbed Shi Qingluo's hand.
He leaned forward and whispered into Shi Qingluo's ear, "My wife, you've lost."
The more he fought just now, the more frightened he became.
He didn't expect his little wife to be so good.
Her moves weren't flashy, but each one of them hit the exact spot as if she had been trained in the military camp.
Shi Qingluo's body had always been a little weak. Now, she was already panting from exhaustion.
"I didn't realize that old Xiao's martial prowess was so high!"
Right now, because of her weak body, she would not be able to keep up with his moves, but she was certain that even when she was at her peak in her previous life, she would not be able to defeat her young husband.
She turned her head to look at him with sparkling eyes and asked, "Do you know qinggong, the kind that can fly over roofs and walk walls?"
Xiao Hanzheng couldn't help but laugh. "Not that kind of exaggerated qinggong. It's easy to climb over walls, but it's impossible to fly across the roofs and walk along the walls. Of course, it's possible if you use a tool."
Shi Qingluo immediately walked forward and took out a handkerchief to wipe Xiao Hanzheng's sweat.
"Brother Zheng, then teach me qinggong. I want to learn it too."
Although she couldn't fly over roofs and walls, it was still good to climb over walls.
Xiao Hanzheng watched as she wiped his face with a handkerchief.
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, I'll teach you."
When his little wife wanted him to do something, she was especially good at pretending to be obedient and attentive.
She would also change from calling him old Xiao to Brother Zheng.
"Hehe, Brother Zheng, you're the best. I like you the most!" Shi Qingluo's eyebrows and eyes curved into a smile.
Hearing Shi Qingluo's words, the corners of Xiao Hanzheng's lips curled up.
It turned out that his little wife liked him so much. Very good!
He said, "In the future, I'll practice martial arts with you guys in the morning and teach you qinggong at the same time."
If he wanted to protect his family and his little wife, he had to quickly revise the martial arts skills he mastered in his previous life.
Shi Qingluo nodded. "This is a good start."
The next morning, Shi Qingluo and Xiao Hanzheng got up and helped to make tofu.
After tabulating the tofu, Mother Xiao told the two of them to go back to their rooms to rest while she watched over.
Because the other two who were making tofu were married women, there wouldn't be any gossip.
Shi Qingluo and Xiao Hanzheng were also relieved.
It was a good opportunity to train Mother Xiao.
The two of them were still preparing to go up the mountain during the day, so they took some rest.
By the time the two of them got up, the tofu was almost sold out.
Mother Xiao and Xiao Baili were also working hard to learn and change their lifestyles.
After eating the breakfast that Xiao Baili had prepared, Shi Qingluo and Xiao Hanzheng carried the basket on their backs and went up the mountain.
They didn't go to the mountain behind their residence but to the largest and most primitive mountain between the two villages.
There were wild beasts there, so the villagers didn't dare to go deep into it.
Shi Qingluo and Xiao Hanzheng's martial prowess wasn't low, so they weren't afraid of encountering wild beasts and went straight into the depths.
Shi Qingluo realized that Xiao Hanzheng was very familiar with the deep mountains. "You've been here before?"
Xiao Hanzheng held her hand. "I've been here many times. I even found a hundred-year-old ginseng here."
In his previous life, his mother and younger siblings had passed away.
His family still owed money and he had to earn a living.
As a result, he was often forced to go to the mountains to get food, to catch rabbits and pheasants, or to dig up some medicinal herbs to sell.
Once, he was chased by a group of wild boars, lost his way, and accidentally found a hundred-year-old ginseng.
After selling it, he was able to leave Xiaxi village to study medicine and martial arts.
Shi Qingluo held Xiao Hanzheng's hand tightly.
Her husband must have suffered a lot in his previous life, and her heart ached a little!
She asked, "Do you still remember where that ginseng is?"
Xiao Hanzheng replied, "I still have an impression, but there are wolves and wild boars roaming over there. With our current fitness level, it will be troublesome if we encounter them.
"When the opportunity is ripe in the future, let's go look for it again."
They had to at least be able to protect themselves.
Shi Qingluo wasn't an impulsive person. "Yeah, it would be a pity to sell the hundred-year-old ginseng. In the future, if we find it, we'll keep it for ourselves."
Xiao Hanzheng pinched her hand. "Okay!"
The two strolled around for a while, and Shi Qingluo stood under a tall tree.
"Hey, there's actually a sumac tree here."
Xiao Hanzheng didn't know much about these things. "What does a sumac tree do?"
"We can cut raw lacquer from the phloem of the trunk. The seeds can be extracted for oil. The dry lacquer also has medicinal value. It can heal the meridians, repel insects, and suppress cough."
"The oil extracted from the seeds can also be used to make ink and soap. The peel can become wax to make candles and wax paper. The leaves can be extracted with tannin extract. The leaves and roots can be used as soil pesticides.
"Its whole body is a treasure.
"This large plot of land is filled with lacquer trees. We can extract a lot of lacquer."
In this era, lacquer was already used in architectural painting and furniture.
Xiao Hanzheng did not expect that the lacquer found in shops was actually from this kind of tree.
"The selling price of the paint isn't low. We can get someone to cut the paint in this area. We can also use the seeds."
Shi Qingluo nodded. "Indeed. If we cut it ourselves, it will be too strenuous and inefficient.
"After earning some money, we can open another paint workshop. Aside from paint, we can also sell soap, candles, wax paper, and many more."
Xiao Hanzheng supported her. "That's fine."
Shi Qingluo added, "But I want to earn money first. I want to build a new courtyard and properly improve the toilets and bathing areas."
She really couldn't stand the toilet and bathing facilities in ancient times.
If she could build a new house, she would build a separate toilet and bathroom.
Then, she would build a toilet that could flush and a bathroom where she could stand and bathe.
Xiao Hanzheng realized that his wife had a deep resentment towards these.
However, since she wanted them, he should support her.
Hence, he said, "We'll build a house first, then buy a mountain farm and start a paint workshop."
"I'll go to the county town tomorrow to see if I can sell my manuscript at a higher price. If it's still possible, I'll work hard and write more."
It wasn't difficult for him to earn money.
He added, "Actually, I also know how to provide a medical diagnosis. I'll go out next month and help to see a patient. The pay shouldn't be low."
With a small sum of money, he should be able to satisfy his little wife's desire to build a house within two months.
Although Shi Qingluo could earn enough to build a house on her own, she was very happy to hear that her little husband was responsible and indulgent towards her.
In this era, there were very few men who allowed their wives to do whatever they wanted.
They were especially chauvinistic.
After all, this was an ancient era where men were superior to women.
Therefore, her taste was really good.
She had chosen her young husband at her first glance.
She leaned over and kissed Xiao Hanzheng's side face. "Brother Zheng, you are doing well. Here's a reward."
Xiao Hanzheng's warm lips landed on his face.
He was stunned.
He did not expect his young wife to kiss him.
He lowered his head and saw stars in her eyes.
Her smile was as bright as a small sun.
Her heartbeat sped up and her ears turned red instantly.
His wife wasn't shy at all.
However, this feeling seemed to be pretty good.
After Shi Qingluo kissed Xiao Hanzheng, her ears turned red as well.
Aiya, this was her first time kissing a man.
Thus, she pulled Xiao Hanzheng along and marked this sumac forest.
Both of them took note of the location so that they could come over to extract paint.
After walking for a while, Shi Qingluo looked at the plants in front of her, and her eyes lit up again.
"There's a field of wild beets in front of us. Our harvest today is really good."
Xiao Hanzheng asked, "What can this field of wild beets do?"
Shi Qingluo smiled and replied, "Make sugar."