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“Go find people to catch a few mice and throw them into the cell. I can’t stand this. If it were me, I’d have their legs broken if they kept making a fuss like this. It’s so annoying.”

“Hey, you and Sir Yuan are on the same page. Do you want to be friends?”

“I heard their family’s food is exceptional.”

“Otherwise, why wouldn’t the magistrate’s parents return home and stay there? I heard the magistrate goes to invite them every year. Otherwise, the old folks won’t go home.”

“Then prepare a gift that is nothing fancy. I’m not trying to flatter him, just trying to be friends with him.”

“However generous your gift is, they won’t care. I heard Madam Qiao gets twenty percent of the profits from the Wang family’s business yearly.”

“Gosh, she must make several thousand taels of silver a year, right?”

“That’s right. Don’t underestimate her snack shop; I did the accounting for her. With that shop, she makes fifty to sixty thousand taels of silver a year. Not to mention she also raises deer and musk deer; their deer antler and musk can fetch a good amount of silver.”

“Wow, I underestimated Madam Qiao.”

“Yes, she grows valuable medicinal herbs in her garden, which also bring in quite a bit of silver.”

“I’ve been looking down on her.”

“A large family like hers has to rely on her to make a living. Don’t forget that although Sir Yuan is an official, he still relies on her for support. With his salary, he can barely support himself.”

“I heard that after he took office, Madam Qiao contributed quite some silver?”

His mentor raised his hand and gestured, “How much do you think she gave him?”

“Fifty thousand taels?”

“Hmm, that amount alone was spent on buying wasteland outside the county, not to mention the expenses for repairing the city wall, the county court and hiring workers to plant trees. Look at how the governor operates, and look at the other county officials in different places. The officials in other places fill their pockets, while Sir Yuan and his family are the opposite. They are rare in this world.”

County Governor Zhu glanced at his mentor, wondering if he needed to boast so much about another man, which might undermine his authority.

“Hmph, with such a wife as his backing, he might as well go home and plant sweet potatoes if he doesn’t perform well in his official duties.”

“Sir, you are the head of County Yi. If you sincerely befriend the Qiao family, she is so wealthy that she will surely support you when you need it.”

“Of course. I must use my thick skin to get closer to her and leech some food and drink if I can’t get any silver. I can’t afford to lose.”

“Haha!”

The master and servant laughed heartily. For nothing else, they were a pair of mischievous fellows.

In the cell, the two pairs of old couple kept glancing at each other. They were like wilted eggplants with no spirit left.

To get a little something from their son and daughter’s families, they entered the cell, which made people laugh at them.

But did they care about these things? As long as they could get money, they didn’t care about their reputation.

But this New Year’s Day, while people enjoyed delicious food and drinks, they were stuck in a cell eating dry steamed buns. At least they saved money for their sons and daughters. It wasn’t a total waste of their efforts.

Although Governor Zhu had sent someone to give them some “special care,” it wasn’t excessive. In terms of food, they had upgraded from the unappetizing steamed buns to soft steamed buns.

As long as their bodies were healthy, they could stay there as long as they wanted.

It was just four people; Governor Zhu could afford them.

During this New Year’s celebration, Old Master and Mistress Wang separated. One was in the county, and the other was in the Qiao family.

Qiao Mai felt a little sorry for Old Mistress Wang. If she hadn’t gone to the county to talk to her, they wouldn’t have been separated.

After New Year’s Eve, she waited for Yuan Jiaqi to fall asleep and entered the space.

Sitting by the computer, she took a deep breath, opened the platform, and searched for something.

The old lady loved animals, so why not get her an adorable one? She immediately thought of getting a cat.

Dogs were cute, but she couldn’t carry them around all day and night.

There were already two flashy and cute dogs at home. So why not change it up a bit and go with something fresh?

Dogs could guard, and cats could catch mice; they had different roles.

She started browsing through various types of cats on the platform. Eventually, she chose a short-haired, reddish cat with a gentle temperament, was affectionate, and highly intelligent.

Thinking of Ling’er, she decided to buy two. She got in touch with the customer service.

“Hello?”

“Hello, distinguished customer.”

Qiao Mai was now a diamond-level customer on the platform. Each seller treated her with great respect.

“I’m interested in a cat from your collection. I want to buy two. Do you have them?”

“Yes, we have them. In fact, we have plenty.”

“Is this a spiritual beast or just a regular cat?”

“It’s a regular cat, but we also have spiritual beast-level cats.”

Greeny suddenly appeared by her side. “Wow, Master, this cat is so beautiful.” “Yes. Do you have any suggestions?”

“Why not take advantage of our space and get a variety of cats? I can take care of them. Is that okay?”

“The space doesn’t have rats.”

“Master, why is your thinking so narrow?”

“What?”

“Cats don’t just eat rats. Don’t forget that our pond is overflowing with fish and shrimp. With these cats, they will be continuously captured. Our space needs ecological balance.”

“Did you sneak in so many of them without my notice?”

“There’s barely anything there.”

“Alright, go ahead and choose as you see fit.”

Under Greeny’s guidance, Qiao Mai purchased several pairs of cats, all of which were unrelated. That way, they could grow up and interbreed.

She also bought several pairs of dogs. Greeny had the time to take care of them, so she would let it take charge.

After buying what she wanted, Qiao Mai didn’t interfere anymore. “Greeny, feel free to choose whatever you like if it benefits our space.”

“Thank you for your trust, Master.”

With the owner’s permission, Greeny became bolder.

Qiao Mai came out of the space with a pair of cats. These two kittens were just two months old and were a little scared when they suddenly found themselves in a new environment.

They kept meowing. Qiao Mai quickly fetched a piece of ham, broke it into small pieces, and put them in front of the cats. She also provided a small bowl of spiritual river water.

The two clever kittens immediately ignored the ham and went straight to drink the water, filling their little tummies in no time.

She smiled and petted their tiny heads. Then, she remembered something and went back into the space. She purchased cat food, a litter box, cat bowls, and a cat bed for them.

After setting up the litter box and putting food in one bowl and water in the other, she placed the kittens inside the bed.

“Time to sleep. We’ll introduce you to your new owner tomorrow!”

“Meow.”

The kittens licked each other’s fur and snuggled up together. Qiao Mai glanced at the sleeping Yuan Jiaqi and then laid down herself.

It was still dark outside when Yuan Jiaqi was awakened by the kittens’ meowing.

He lay on the bed and was startled to see two little creatures running around on the floor.

“Wife, wife?”

Qiao Mai didn’t open her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“When did we have two little fellows in our room? And what’s with the pile on the floor?”

Qiao Mai rubbed her eyes and calmly lied.

“Last night, I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk and found these two little things. I brought them back. Aren’t they cute?”

“Are they foxes?”

“No, they’re cats.”

“Cats? Cats with reddish fur? Why do they look like red foxes?”

“You didn’t hear their meowing?”

“Hehe, I forgot about that. They have such short fur, and it’s so cold in winter.

If you hadn’t saved them, they might have frozen to death.”

“Yes, last night, I dewormed them. I plan to give one to Grandmother and one to Ling’er. As for those rascals, forget it. They have Wu Zhui and Sai Xue and the horses.”

“Yes. I don’t like boys raising such cute animals; it makes them look girly..”