Stockpiling for an Exiled General Through My Store's Back Door

Chapter 192: Chapter 192: The Villagers’ Gaze

It was better for them to bow out gracefully and avoid the awkwardness, lest everyone end up in a highly embarrassing situation later.

However, at that moment, everyone had also noticed the family’s striking appearances. Truth be told, both the young and the old were exceptionally attractive. Moreover, the mother of the household looked remarkably youthful. She didn’t look like someone who had given birth to three children at all. They all secretly agreed that this family was undoubtedly the best-looking group in the entire village. The titles of the village’s most handsome man and most beautiful woman were about to change hands.

”Since your relative is here, we’ll leave you to catch up,” one villager said. ”We’ll be heading out now.”

”Yes, yes, we’re leaving right now. No need to see us out,” another chimed in.

Hanging their heads like defeated roosters, the villagers turned and slinked away in dejection. In truth, they had still achieved their purpose for coming.

Shortly after stepping into the house, Hua Buwan had placed all the items they brought onto the table, displaying them one by one. At that moment, the villagers had gone wide-eyed, staring intently at the table for fear of missing a single detail. To their surprise, Hua Buwan hadn’t brought a single piece of gold or jewelry to support her aunt’s family. Instead, the entire haul consisted purely of highly practical, everyday items.

This formed a stark contrast with the other households, who would always bring along at least some silver or copper coins. Recalling what had happened earlier, the loud CLANG from the head of another household entering still echoed in their ears. The head of that family had generously slammed a massive, heavy bag of silver onto the table. That crisp, resounding crash was like a clap of thunder striking straight into the hearts of everyone present, making them tremble involuntarily.

The Ling family and Hua Buwan watched the villagers leave. Only when their figures completely disappeared from sight did they withdraw their gazes and silently heave a sigh of relief. Without the prying eyes of the villagers, their entire demeanor shifted, all the previous tension draining away.

Ling Qianfan plopped down onto a seat and patted his chest. ”I was breaking out in a cold sweat being stared at by so many people just now,” he said. ”I was terrified they would figure it out. Thankfully, it looks like they didn’t suspect a thing.”

Ling Yunge let out a similarly long sigh of relief. Massaging her face, she mumbled, ”Exactly! Their eyes were practically glued to the table. I didn’t even dare to make eye contact with them.”

Xu Panqing gestured for Hua Buwan to take a seat, glancing at Ling Qianjun as well. It was only after the two sat down that she suddenly remembered they had neither a teapot nor cups in the house. She couldn’t even offer Hua Buwan a glass of water. Yesterday, they had exclusively drank from their own waterskins, so they hadn’t even considered this issue.

She glanced at the items Ling Qianjun and Hua Buwan had brought over and spotted an earthenware pot. That could be used to boil water and serve as a makeshift teapot. However, they still lacked cups. She would just have to bring it up with Ling Qianjun later. After all, they currently had nothing to trade with Hua Buwan. Asking for more right now would make them seem ungrateful.

After sitting down, Hua Buwan also felt a bit thirsty. Just as she was about to ask for a drink, she realized that the Ling family didn’t even own a single cup. She let out a dry laugh and smacked her forehead. ”Oh dear, I forgot to grab teacups! But that’s okay, I brought some bottled water. We can just drink that instead. Hehe.”