Chapter 47 You Owe Me Some Compensation

Fang Ning looked over and saw a plump woman standing at the entrance of Li Dashit's house. With her arms crossed, she eyed Fang Ning sideways with a sarcastic expression.

She was Mrs. Xu, the wife of Li Dayong. Li Dayong and Li Dashit were cousins, and their families lived quite close to each other.

Mrs. Xu let out another cold snort, "I say, Second Uncle, are you all out of your minds? Don't you know what kind of people the main branch of the Fang family are? How can you still associate with them? Aren't you afraid they will take advantage of you?"

Hearing this, Old Man Dashi's face sank. "You're a married woman, yet your reach is long enough to meddle in my family's affairs? You can mind the heavens and the earth, why can't you mind that mouth of yours?"

"Second Uncle, I'm only doing this for your own good," Mrs. Xu said. "Don't come crying with nowhere to go when you get swindled by the Fang family's main branch."

"The tiger that Li Dayong failed to catch—does that mean I'm taking advantage of someone surnamed Li?" Fang Ning sneered. "If you're not convinced, let's go see the village chief right now and hash it out to see who is in the right!"

"You brat, was I talking to you?"

"You cursed me and I'm not allowed to talk back? By your logic, I'm cursing you right now, so shut your mouth too!"

"You can't even sort out your own household affairs, yet you come over here spouting nonsense! If you keep yapping, see if I don't get Dayong to put you in your place!" Old Man Dashi raged. "Get out of here!"

Mrs. Xu's expression turned very ugly. "Bah, unable to appreciate kindness. You'd better not regret this."

With that, she turned around in frustration and hurried away.

"Pay her no mind. What was it you said you came to see me about?" Old Man Dashi's tone softened.

"I want to make a set of game pieces. Wait a moment, I'll draw it for you to see." Fang Ning found a twig, squatted on the ground, and sketched out the board for Chinese checkers.

Old Man Dashi looked at it carefully. "Is that it? How simple!"

"Not quite. This is just what the board looks like." Fang Ning pointed to the intersections of the lines drawn on the board. "Every single one of these spots needs a small grid carved out, and we also need sixty game pieces—squares or circles will do. Do you think you can make this?"

"What kind of game is this? I've never seen it before."

"Oh, I just figured it out when I had some free time. I call it Chinese checkers, and it should be a lot of fun."

"You're getting smarter by the day. I heard you even came up with some kind of cement? It makes very sturdy walls?"

"Hehe." Fang Ning feigned shyness and scratched the back of his head. "Just messing around."

"Well, I can make these game pieces, but it will take two or three days." Old Man Dashi didn't have much on his hands lately, so he agreed.

"How much for the labor?"

"What money? It doesn't take that much effort. Last time, you folks helped set my son's arm back in place. Making a few little toys—there's no need to be so formal between us."

Old Man Dashi waved his hand, refusing to take Fang Ning's money.

Fang Ning thought for a moment. "Alright then, thank you, Grandpa Second Li."

Fang Ning planned to draw some furniture styles that didn't exist here and give them to Old Man Dashi later. That way, he could take on more jobs, which would serve as compensation.

Old Man Dashi didn't think too deeply about it.

Although the Fang family's main branch had been unruly in the past, they were merely annoying and hadn't actually done anything truly wicked.

In short, he kept the fact that the Fang family's main branch had saved Li Dashit firmly in his heart.

"Then we'll head back first. We'll come back to pick it up in a few days."

"Would you like to stay for a meal?"

Fang Ning shook his head. "My mother has already made dinner, so we won't disturb you. We're off."

With that, she led her brothers, sisters, and Si Yuheng away from Li Dashit's house.

Old Man Dashi sighed, "I never could have imagined the Fang family's main branch would turn over a new leaf."

"This is great," Li Dashit said. "Let's not dwell on the past. The Fang family has been a great help to us now."

"That's true." Old Man Dashi nodded, then squatted back down on the ground to study the game board Fang Ning had drawn.

"Fourth Brother, is that Chinese checker game very big? Is it hard to play?" Fang菲 looked up at Fang Ning.

Fang Ning smiled and said, "It's not hard at all. When the time comes, the five of us siblings and the young master can play together. Young master, do you want to play?"

Si Yuheng originally wanted to refuse.

However, seeing Fang Ning looking at him with a smile, the words of refusal swallowed themselves back down.

"Mm."

He was a man of few words.

"That's great! I hope Grandpa Second Li can finish it soon."

"Once he finishes it, we still have to paint them."

At this, Fang Ning suddenly paused. If the wooden pieces were painted and used every day, the color would soon rub off.

"Feifei, can your mother do needlework?" Fang Ning asked.

"Yes, all our clothes are made by my mother."

Fang Ning decided to buy scraps of fabric in different colors and sew them into small round balls to serve as game pieces.

"Let's go, we're going home to eat!" Fang Ning sprinted toward the Fang household.

Seeing this, Fang Ling and the others chased after her.

Watching the children's figures, Si Yuheng felt a slight sense of trance.

Before he was found by that person, he too had once possessed such a carefree childhood.

But later...

"Young master, hurry up!" Fang Ning suddenly turned her head and shouted to Si Yuheng, "If you're not enthusiastic about eating, there's something wrong with your head!"

Si Yuheng: "..."

His sentimental thoughts vanished without a trace because of Fang Ning's remark.

---

The next day.

Yu Dong came looking for Fang Ning early in the morning.

"I've asked around. The fields over at Huangni Hollow—aside from Li Dayong's family, everyone else is willing to rent them to you," Yu Dong said, his brow slightly furrowed. "They absolutely refuse to let them go, and they won't exchange them either, saying that you must go beg him!"

Fang Ning raised an eyebrow. "Is Li Dayong's plot in the middle or somewhere else?"

"Oh, it's right at the entrance of Huangni Hollow."

"All of it?"

"Yes."

"Then we just won't rent it. Uncle Yu, toward evening, have those people who are willing to rent their fields to me come over to our house so we can discuss the rent."

"Got it. As for the cement side of things..."

"Don't worry, I'll find a way. There's still quite a bit of cement left at Uncle Jiang the Third's place. You guys can haul it over to Shitong to build those racks; they'll last for many years."

Fang Ning also told them the proper ratio for river sand.

"What about the silver?"

"It's not that much money, just take it and use it first."

"Good, good."

Yu Dong decided that on his way back, he would mention to the households with fields in Shitong that Fang Ning had come up with such a method and even provided the cement for free. When the time came for Fang Ning to raise seedlings, they would definitely need to help out.

After Yu Dong left, Fang Ning ran to find Si Yuheng. "Young master, I'll give you a list of quantities for the raw materials for the cement. Please help me buy them back, and we'll settle the accounts for the silver later."

"I don't want silver; I want a share of the profits."

"That's not right, shouldn't we settle accounts clearly?"

"Seventy-thirty on the profits. You get thirty, I get seventy."

Fang Ning: "What if we don't make any money?"

"We will make money," Si Yuheng asserted with certainty.

Especially the borderlands; they were in desperate need of such materials, and their uses went far beyond just city wall defense!

"Forty-sixty."

"Twenty-eighty!"

"Fifty-fifty."

"Ten-ninety!"

Fang Ning gritted her teeth. "Fine, you're vicious!"

Si Yuheng wore a half-smile. "You've dumped so much trouble on my back; shouldn't you compensate me?"