Chapter 24

Humans can only adapt to the environment, not change it.

Especially now, without power or wealth, compared to Master Liu who has a powerful backer, he can only submit. Enduring it will do him no good. As for reporting it to the dean, he would probably be the first one to suffer.

Not long after arriving at the county school, Wen Shi noticed that the dean was unusually kind and tolerant towards Master Liu. He wasn't stupid either; he was no longer the straightforward young man he once was.

Lately, the weather has become increasingly hot, and Yingxiang has also switched to summer clothes. Except for the mornings and evenings, the sun shines brightly most of the time, making it really hard for people to go out.

Yingxiang now dresses up a bit, wearing hair ornaments and silver hairpins. They aren't particularly expensive, but they are still quite pretty.

"Fourth sister-in-law, your third brother will be on leave in a few days. I'd like to go to the temple with him to pray. I'd like to ask you to collect the debts that day."

Liu and Old Man Wen haven't returned yet, but no one in the room is worried. Everyone knows how well their elder brother and sister-in-law are doing in the county.

Madam Ma smiled and nodded. She was willing to learn, and Yingxiang was willing to teach. Madam Ma was kind and gentle, so Yingxiang naturally liked her very much.

The second sister-in-law upstairs is busy taking care of the child. The child can now walk and occasionally utter a few words. Raising a child is full of joy.

After Wen Ersao came to the county, she changed her previous bitter look and was all smiles every day. She also gained a lot of weight and looked much more relaxed and happy than before.

In the afternoon, the group tidied up the shop, and Yingxiang told Lao Si to close it for the day. After that, she started calculating everyone's wages.

"Fourth sister-in-law, please call your second sister-in-law down as well."

Before they knew it, a month had passed since they arrived in the county. To everyone's surprise, Yingxiang started calculating their wages so quickly, ensuring they hadn't worked for free for a single day.

"Your second sister-in-law is upstairs watching the child."

Wen Lao Er said with some confusion.

Ma went upstairs to the second floor, and soon Wen Ersao came down with the child. She looked at Yingxiang with some confusion, saying that she was supposed to be paid, but out of the three of them, only Wen Lao Er was working.

Just give him his share, why ask me to do anything? In the small shop, Yingxiang saw that everyone had arrived, she smiled, and then took out the money.

The shop had all the copper coins it had collected ready-made, so it was perfect for distributing to everyone.

Everyone looked at Yingxiang with some curiosity, wondering how much she would give them. Yingxiang had been good to them; they had come to the county empty-handed, had eaten and lodged there without paying a single penny. Although they had worked, Yingxiang hadn't treated them unfairly and was now settling their wages.

"Third Sister-in-law, how many copper coins per person?"

Wen Lao Si asked with some curiosity.

Five hundred.

After Yingxiang finished speaking, everyone looked at her incredulously, somewhat shocked.

“Sister-in-law, when we rented this shop, it was all your and Lao San’s money. You also paid for the daily necessities. Your second sister-in-law takes care of the children all day and doesn’t do anything else.”

“Second brother, we haven’t separated the family, we’re all one family. This child also has the surname Wen. He’s still young and needs someone to look after him. Second sister-in-law takes care of him day and night, all for the sake of the Wen family. How can you say she hasn’t done any work? This money should be given to her.”

After Yingxiang finished speaking, she immediately counted out the copper coins and gave them to the second son and his wife without any reluctance. The fourth son and his wife also had no objections. Yingxiang was fair in her dealings, and it was likely that she would receive a share of the money when Madam Ma became pregnant in the future.

"Thank you, Third Sister-in-law."

Wen Ersao burst into tears of joy. She glanced at the money bag handed to her, wiped away her tears, and knew it was impossible not to be moved.

"This is for you and your fourth sister-in-law."

"And this is for my parents. Second brother, please give it to them for me when they come back."

"good."

After distributing the money, Yingxiang tidied up and prepared to go home.

After Wen Ersao went up, she first hid the money, then looked at Wen Erge with a smile on her face.

"Third sister-in-law, you're really kind of you. You even pay me wages. When the child grows up, we can save up and help him with his studies or his marriage."

"yes."

Brother Wen sat to the side, not saying a word, but he was also moved. With money, there was really hope for the future.

He used to work almost day and night in the village, but now, although he is still busy and has to get up in the middle of the night, he only works until noon. After cleaning up, he rests indoors.

"I wonder when my parents will be back? They've been gone for days."

The second sister-in-law didn't say anything, but secretly she wished the old couple could live with the eldest couple forever. They were already biased, and now they were living there enjoying themselves, they must be so happy.

One family rejoices while another grieves; the one who grieves is none other than Xiuyu.

Old Man Wen and Liu are not easy to please, especially since they lied to the family in the past. With the old woman still around, Old Man Wen insists on not leaving until he gets the money.

These past few days, she hasn't been eating or sleeping well, and she looks visibly haggard.

“Husband, why don’t we try to scrape together some money? I think our parents are determined to ask us for money.”

It was late at night, and a light rain was falling outside. The two children's beds were not big to begin with, and after several days of trying to squeeze in, they couldn't fit anymore, so they had to sleep on the floor.

Xiuyu also wanted the old couple to leave quickly.

"Where are we going to get so much silver?"

Wen Chuanzong also dreamed of the old couple leaving, but this time the old couple was too determined. He almost wore his lips out trying to persuade them, but they remained unmoved and insisted on getting money.

They won't leave unless they get paid.

What could he do? If he kicked him out, he would lose his official position if someone reported him later. He could give money, but even if he wanted to, he didn't have that much money.

"Why don't you borrow from the third brother? He's your own brother, how can you not lend him money? We can pay him back later. Since our parents are so biased, the money is going to be given to them anyway. If you ask me, it's fine if we don't pay it back."

Xiuyu finished speaking, somewhat indignant.

She, the scholar's wife, was truly aggrieved. Just thinking about how her in-laws had teased her for eating an extra piece of meat at dinner made her feel terrible.

Thinking of this, she got up and sat up.

"No, I'll go borrow from my third wife."

“I think the third son only knows how to study and probably doesn’t care about the household. Why don’t you give him a try?”

Xiuyu rolled her eyes at her husband and lay back down.

In the latter half of the night, the rain gradually intensified, pattering loudly. However, such a rain in the summer was good news for the people, as the timely rain meant a good harvest.

The next morning, it was foggy outside. Yingxiang subconsciously opened her eyes, squinted as she dressed, and prepared to go to the shop.

Unexpectedly, Wen Shi got up with her.

"I'll go to the study to review my books first."

Take care of yourself.

"good."

Yingxiang left in a hurry without even having breakfast. Wenshi was home alone and, not minding the so-called gentleman's disregard for the kitchen, steamed two eggs and added two potatoes for himself. That was his breakfast.

When Yingxiang arrived at the shop, Brother Wen had already opened the door, and there were already two or three customers inside.

Plain white porridge doesn't sell very well, so she wanted to add lean meat porridge to sell, but she had to make it first and make sure her family thought it was delicious before she could sell it.

This price is definitely a bit higher than plain porridge, but it's also very fragrant. Over time, Yingxiang has developed a precise understanding of the customers who come to the store.

They are neither poor nor rich. Occasionally, there are merchants from other places who are willing to spend money, so they can add some expensive dishes, but the amount prepared each day cannot be too large.

Doing business can certainly make money, but with the whole family to support, expenses are inevitable. She went back yesterday and did the math. After deducting all costs, she only received one or two taels of silver this month.

The restaurant business is simple and easy to run, so she plans to gradually let go. If her family can take over, then it's good for them to run the business. The Wen family hasn't split up, so they're all one family.

She could also take the opportunity to open another shop and do what she wants; Yingxiang is still ambitious.

I opened that small restaurant to make things easier for my family. Since I chose to bring them here, I have to find a way to help them make a living first, otherwise they won't have a peaceful life.

No one from the Wen family held them back. When they arrived in the county, no one caused trouble; they all behaved themselves.

If things continue like this, life will definitely not be bad.