Chapter 474: Chapter 461: Are You Sure?

“As for Manager Cheng, Brother Wencheng shouldn’t say anything. Just pretend you don’t know. I have some business dealings with Manager Cheng, and if you say something inappropriate, it might cause misunderstanding…”

“I understand.”

Zhuang Wencheng understood the complexity of Zhuang Qingning’s situation, and as it was all for his sake, Zhuang Qingning had helped him. He naturally couldn’t put Zhuang Qingning in a difficult position, so he nodded urgently, “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”

Seeing Zhuang Wencheng’s agreement, Zhuang Qingning breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

The so-called butterfly effect refers to exactly this situation.

She merely lied to carry out a task, and even if this lie wasn’t malicious, she now had to constantly cover up this loophole, telling a lot of lies.

She really hoped that there would be fewer unreasonable tasks like this in the future.

[Host, are you sure you want fewer tasks like this?]

A voice in her mind echoed hauntingly.

Zhuang Qingning shuddered.

True, this task was a bit complicated and required a lot of alibi, but the soap recipe provided was genuine, and something Zhuang Qingning had wanted for a long time.

If there were fewer such tasks, it would mean saying goodbye to those prescriptions.

It would also mean that paying off her hard-earned value was an impossible dream…

One can lose their head, bleed, but not lose the prescription.

She was just complaining casually earlier. Hope that voice won’t take it seriously…

[As the system is here to sincerely serve the host, the system will assign the upcoming tasks based on the host’s preferences and thoughts. So, the host should think thrice before speaking.]

Why did she feel a strong sense of threat from the voice?

No matter, she doesn’t have much choice at the moment due to her limited strength.

Just wait until she is fully prepared, and has amassed a lot of hard-earned value. Then it will be her turn to take up the advantage!

Zhuang Qingning made a determined decision.

After spending a while at the County Government Office with Zhuang Wencheng and seeing that he was well and not overthinking about this matter, Zhuang Qingning finally felt at ease.

When it was lunchtime, she went to Zhuang Yutian’s house. After lunch, Zhuang Qingning and Mrs. Wen began their journey back home.

Zhuang Yutian drove them back.

Compared to Zhuang Yutian’s silence, Mrs. Wen’s chatter was unstoppable.

From the moment they boarded the carriage, she was non-stop, talking about the strange stories she had heard, to a chipped teacup at home, to choking on food the day before…

In short, at this moment, Mrs. Wen was like a bird just out of its cage, twittering incessantly.

Zhuang Qingning found Mrs. Wen, the haughty old lady turned chatterbox, very amusing. She played the role of a patient and faithful listener, occasionally pitching in a few words, which made Mrs. Wen even more excited, and her speech became uncontrollable like a flood.

It looked like a few days in the county town had really made Mrs. Wen restless.

Zhuang Yutian, who was driving up front, couldn’t help but be amazed.

It turned out that filial piety was not just about his own heart, but more importantly, it was about satisfying Mrs. Wen’s heart.

Zhuang Yutian no longer felt disheartened about Mrs. Wen’s decision to return home. His gloomy face was gone, and he created a beautiful whip flower with the whip in his hand.

Mrs. Wen did not stop talking until they reached home.

On the carriage, the audience was Zhuang Qingning. Once they got back home, it was Mrs. Han.

Mrs. Han, who had deeply missed Mrs. Wen and her sister being away from home for so long held their hands and did not let go. The two sisters walked into the house, leaving Zhuang Yutian and Zhuang Qingning to unload the baggage from the carriage.

Clothes, quilts, cakes, vegetables, pickles, meats…

All sorts of things, a good amount.

Once all the things were sorted, Zhuang Qingning returned home, washed her hands, changed her clothes, took out the spices she had bought from Cheng’s spice shop a few days ago, and began to make the Moon Incense according to the prescription.

Making incense was something completely new to Zhuang Qingning.

Incense burning, grinding, frying…

Different ingredients had to be treated separately to achieve the optimal effect when mixed together.

But these seemingly simple steps required strict control of quantity, timing, and technique in the production process. Therefore, even with the highly detailed prescription, Zhuang Qingning had to do each step multiple times, sometimes six or seven times.

Due to this, and the fact that she was interrupted a couple of times by various chores, Zhuang Qingning was tempted to give up on the Moon Incense…

Fortunately, poverty made her persevere!

In a blink of an eye, a few days passed, and Zhuang Qingning’s dark circles deepened.

The Moon Incense finally completed in theory. The only thing left was to see whether the aroma was as magical as described in the prescription.

Lighting some Moon Incense in the burner, she let the smoke rise gently from the burner. The pleasant fragrance gradually filled the small courtyard.

The fragrance was ethereal and lasting, but it was not just a straightforward fragrance, it had a touch of elegance and spirituality, like the hazy moonlight, giving a feeling of being unreal and dreamy, yet exquisite and unique.

Indeed, as described in the description, it was the elegant fragrance that scholars and men of letters preferred.

“Wow, it smells so good.” Zhuang Qingsui took a sniff and praised, “It smells better than flowers.”

“This fragrance…”

Zhuang Qingsui tilted her head, “It smells… like the moon.”

“Your little head is very clever. This incense is indeed called ‘Moon Incense’.” Zhuang Qingning tapped her forehead, “But, what is the smell of the moon? Does the moon have a smell?”

“I can’t explain it, but the fragrance makes me think of the moon,” Zhuang Qingsui laughed, “The fragrance is so beautiful, let Jinzhou smell it tomorrow and see what he says.”

“Alright.” Zhuang Qingning laughed, affectionately tousling Zhuang Qingsui’s hair, “I’ve been busy these past few days, and haven’t been able to ask you about your studies. How are your lessons going?”

“Mr. Fan says I’ve made great progress. He also said that by next spring, I’ll definitely pass the women’s academy examination,” Zhuang Qingsui held her little face high, full of confidence.

“Then, I’ll be waiting for your good news.” Zhuang Qingning laughed softly.

As the sisters continued their conversation, there was a knock on the door from outside.

The two looked at each other.

“It’s already late, I wonder who it is. Let me go check.” Zhuang Qingning got up, picked up a lantern, and walked to the courtyard door.