To Ye Zhinan's surprise, the villagers just came to watch the fun and didn't even flatter them.
Everyone looked cold, only a few craned their necks, clearly wearing expressions of looking forward to a good show on their faces.
It seemed that the Wei family's heyday was over.
Seeing that no one was showing support, Mrs. Wei forced out a few laughs and told her son beside her to set up the greenhouse.
"Everyone, look. This greenhouse we made with silk has better light - transmittance and is more breathable. It's so warm inside that I feel hot all over as soon as I come in."
Ye Zhinan frowned tightly. Even if one wanted to show off, one shouldn't tell such blatant lies.
She wanted to speak up several times but finally swallowed her words.
Just as everyone's eyes were shining with interest, a strong gust of wind blew through the air.
The Wei family's greenhouse was like a piece of torn paper and was blown to pieces.
Mrs. Wei didn't have time to dodge and was trapped inside the greenhouse.
"Quickly save me. Are you all blind?"
Some of the villagers couldn't hold back their laughter.
The rest held their faces until they turned purple. If it weren't for the powerful people behind the Wei family, they might have laughed their heads off by now.
It took the Wei family's son a long time to fish his mother out of the greenhouse.
Ye Zhinan stood by, watching the farce in front of her.
"Silk does have good light - transmittance, but it's not strong enough. Not only is it expensive, but it's also not the best choice in terms of material."
There's no such thing as a perfect thing in the world. For everything, there's always a gain and a loss.
For a greenhouse, one can only choose either light - transmittance or firmness.
"Everyone, don't be impatient. We've already found the best fabric. Now we're just discussing mass - production with you. When we get the result, I'll inform you to have a meeting in the fields."
Ye Zhinan stood with her hands behind her back, looking very much like a leader.
But this time, no one challenged her. Everyone nodded in agreement.
Ye Zhinan never showed off and never took advantage of the villagers' hard - earned money. She just worked diligently for everyone's well - being.
"Miss Ye, it was our fault before. We didn't recognize the situation clearly. We also had our own difficulties. Please don't take it to heart."
Ye Zhinan waved her hand. She could understand.
If the knot in her heart couldn't be untied, let it be there. Anyway, it didn't matter.
Seeing that the Liu family was about to leave, she quickly stepped forward.
"Wait. I have something to say to you."
The man of the Liu family was thin and small, quite different from the burly men in the northern border.
His eyebrows and eyes were softer, with less hostility.
He looked more like a scholar from the south of the Yangtze River.
"Please speak."
He bowed respectfully, exuding an indescribable air in his every move.
This made Ye Zhinan at a loss.
"I've received the cloth you made. After several comparisons, your family's cloth is the best - woven, even better than the one I use. So I'd like to ask you how you made it."
She looked around but didn't see any female family members. Seeing that the man from the Liu family was still hesitating, she added a few words.
"Maybe I can go and meet the female members of your family. It'll be more convenient for me to discuss with them."
Ye Zhinan thought to herself that maybe this seemingly gentle man was actually restricted by male - chauvinism.
Even for something as small as making a greenhouse, the man had to make the decision?
"There's no need to discuss. I can make the decision."
Ye Zhinan was a bit unhappy. Even though she got a positive answer, she still didn't like the concept of male superiority.
Before she could voice her objection, she saw the man in front of her nervously say,
"Actually, I wove the cloth."
Ye Zhinan's mood took a big turn. She stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, not knowing how to continue.
She thought for a while in her heart and still felt very surprised.
How could a man have such a skill?
Maybe seeing the doubt in Ye Zhinan's eyes, he explained on his own.
"To be honest, I've been interested in needlework since I was a child. But unfortunately, I'm a man, so I've never had a chance to show my skills. I could only study it behind closed doors."
Ye Zhinan nodded, indicating that she understood.
No wonder Liu Ruonan from their family seemed so lively. It turned out that good genes were in her bones.
The cold wind was howling outside. She shivered all over.
Only then did the man react and invited them into the house.
"Let's go inside and talk."
Ye Zhinan quickly followed. Just as she was about to step forward, a familiar voice came from behind.
"I'll go with you."
Qin Yihuai was wearing a dark - brown robe. Standing in the cold wind, his face was cold and his whole aura was overwhelming.
But when he saw Ye Zhinan, the look in his eyes softened.
There was even a hint of doting.
Ye Zhinan nodded. After all, they were going to a stranger's house. It made sense to have a man to give her courage.
"Since Inspector Qin is concerned about the villagers, then come with me."
She took a few steps back to keep a safe distance.
The two of them seemed so strange, just like the relationship between an official and a commoner. There was no private affection at all.
Qin Yihuai's face turned cold again. He just snorted and strode forward.
"Liu Dongxing, I'm telling you. If you keep playing with women's things at home, you can just get out."
As soon as Liu Dongxing opened the door, a sewing kit was thrown hard at him.
His vision went black and he almost fell.
Ye Zhinan stretched out a finger and propped it against his back, barely giving him some support.
The woman inside roared so loudly that she felt the ground tremble.
It was better not to get too close.
Qin Yihuai protected Ye Zhinan behind him. Liu Dongxing averted his eyes when he saw their intimate actions.
"My wife is like this. Please don't mind."
Liu Dongxing invited them in. The yard was in a complete mess.
Liu Ruonan was chasing chickens in the yard, and Mrs. Liu was tidying things up inside.
She walked out angrily. Seeing there were still people standing in the yard, she immediately calmed down.
"I didn't know there were guests. I'm really sorry. Are you Miss Ye?"
Ye Zhinan was a bit afraid to answer when she saw how quickly Mrs. Liu changed her mood.
But it was not good to just stand there awkwardly. So she took a deep breath and stepped forward boldly.
"Yes, it's me!"
Her voice suddenly rose, even scaring Mrs. Liu.
"Did I scare you? Actually, I have a good temper. It's just that my husband is so useless."
Mrs. Liu's name was Wang Zhilan. She was married from the neighboring county.
Although most women in the northern border were forthright, there were really not many as forthright as Wang Zhilan.
But most of these women just shouted at their husbands. In fact, they had good tempers.
"He's not useless. If it weren't for Brother Liu, we wouldn't have been able to develop the cloth so quickly."
Wang Zhilan gave Liu Dongxing a fierce look.
"It was just a random study. I'm glad it could help you. I just hope he would put his mind on farming so that our family wouldn't be so poor."
Ye Zhinan looked around the yard. There were chickens, ducks, geese, and dogs. It couldn't be considered poor.