Yu Maocai sensed something was amiss, but he dared not disobey these lackeys from Chen's Pawn Shop.

Anyone with a little money in Xining Town knew that Chen's Pawn Shop was run by the garrison commander's wife, Mrs. Ru, who was the concubine's daughter of General Dingbei.

Yu Maocai walked forward with a worried look on his face.

When Qin Ba put his arm on his shoulder, he felt Yu Maocai tremble noticeably.

Still afraid? Qin Ba sneered in his heart.

He asked calmly, "Isn't that butcher from Xining Town? The Gubei Army has been buying meat from him for years, and he's never made any money. How come he's struck it rich this year?"

Qin Ba was the shop assistant of Chen's pawnshop, to put it bluntly, he was a thug. His younger brother Qin Jiu was the shopkeeper. The two of them guarded the tile market and the street, and made many contributions to the garrison's wealth.

Although Qin Ba was a good fighter, he was also a man of great intelligence. After receiving Yu Maocai's advice, he should have checked the situation of the Zhang family.

But he was just a stall owner in the tile market, so he didn't take it too seriously. Besides, he had to help his master collect debts at the end of the year, so he was too busy and neglected it.

Yu Maocai quickly replied, "It is said that he adopted a goddaughter, who seems to be from the capital. The prescriptions were all brought by the goddaughter of the Zhang family from her mother's family. The Zhang family is just lucky to have such good fortune. These should all belong to you, sir."

A goddaughter from the capital? Qin Ba's eyes darkened, and he took it to heart.

He twitched his lips and asked calmly, "Then let me ask you, do you know if the butcher's family knows a Northern Mongolian merchant?"

"Of course I have told Lord Nine that their spicy skewers are weird. Merchants from Northern Mongolia and the Western Regions frequent their tents even more frequently than they do brothels." Yu Maocai did not understand the crux of Qin Ba's question and continued to flatter the Zhang family.

"Even if you don't eat cheap things like pork, you can still eat vegetarian skewers. The tent isn't that big, but you've made a lot of money."

Qin Ba nodded and patted Yu Maocai on the shoulder. "Okay, then I won't wrong you."

Yu Maocai smiled ingratiatingly: "Big... Ouch!"

Qin Bayi slapped Yu Maocai so hard that he spun around on the spot and fell to the ground, and the corner of his lip was broken.

Yu Maocai's cheeks immediately swelled up and he was slapped unconscious.

"Dalun (people)..." Yu Maocai opened his mouth, spitting out a yellow tooth, and tears fell.

Why the hell?

Although he had his own thoughts, didn't both the money and the prescription belong to Chen's pawnshop?

He just wants to do business in peace and quiet!

Qin Ba looked at him coldly, "You know they have close ties with merchants from Northern Mongolia and the Western Regions. How dare a mere butcher mess with so many businesses that make money? Just because they're just ordinary people, how dare they do that?"

Qin Ba kicked Yu Maocai again in anger, "You should have figured this out even with your toes. How dare you use my brothers as pawns and even ask me what I got? I'll kill you!"

Wuliangha was on good terms with General Dingbei, so he would definitely be beaten with a stick when he returned. He would kick Yu Maocai a few times, and he would be so angry that his heart would bleed.

It was like a rich man being supported by a waiter and stumbling back home. As soon as he entered the house, the servants were shocked.

Look at the dirt and footprints all over his body, his messy hair, and then look...

Huh! Finger marks are clearly visible on the swollen face.

The servant came over to help, "Master, whose young wife did you steal? Did the man catch you?"

Hiding by the door, I saw most of the waiters: "..."

"What a foul..." Yu Maocai just murmured, hot tears rolling down his swollen cheeks, making him hiss, grief-stricken, looking up at the sky.

"I have a conflict with that bastard!"

Butler: “…”

You bastard... cough cough, Zhang Sanzhuang and his group finally walked into the house with weak legs.

As soon as he entered the door, Zhang Sanzhuang sat on the ground, but he still did not forget to hold the money box tightly.

Uncle Geng saw that he was having a hard time carrying the things on the way and wanted to help him share the burden, but he couldn't do it.

The Zhang family's women rushed over and asked, "What's going on?"

Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Erzhuang were also very scared, but Donkey Egg was quickly pulled over by Adala and didn't think too much about it.

"When we were closing our stall today, someone came and robbed us!"

"What?" Madam Zhang almost cried out in surprise. "How much did you steal? Is everyone okay?"

"It's okay, it's okay. Later, an uncle from Northern Mongolia helped us drive away the bad guys, and asked Uncle San to say a few words to Grandpa Qiao." Lu Dan said again.

Yang was so anxious that she slapped her son on the forehead and said, "What are you going to say? Hurry up and say it. You are making me anxious to death."

Donkey Egg covered his forehead and muttered, "How should I know since they weren't watching us? My Ada and the others were so scared that they couldn't speak. Why did they hit me? Humph!"

Women’s Army: ...this.

The adults were a little embarrassed. Their legs were still as weak as cotton and their hearts were pounding.

They are all ordinary people. Uncle Geng was also a peasant before he sold himself.

When they encounter someone who has killed someone and is threatening the lives of his family, they understand better than children how dangerous it is.

To be honest, they didn't know how they walked back, let alone replied.

Zhang Sanzhuang was a little stronger, mainly because the heavy money box was pressing on his legs, giving him some confidence. He fluttered for a while and reached out to Uncle Geng.

"Uncle, give me a hand. Give the money to Awan first. I'll talk to Qiao Ada if you have anything to say. You guys just do what you need to do."

That being said, how can my family feel at ease?

Twenty years ago, the Western Tibetans were burning, killing and looting in the northwest at will. It was only after the late emperor formed an alliance with the Northern Mongols that the situation has improved slightly in the past ten years.

There are petty thieves, but it is rare to see anyone trying to steal money in this town.

Seeing Zhang Sanzhuang and the others like this, the family members recalled the fear they felt when the Xiban people broke into the town, and their faces turned pale.

Madam Zhang took a deep breath and said, "You guys continue sweeping the floor first. San Zhuang and I will go to the Qiao family to ask Brother Qiao what's going on."

When he arrived at the Qiao family, Zhang Sanzhuang saw Qiao Shengwen and finally came to his senses.

He whispered to Qiao Shengwen what Bayin had said, "He said he would wait for Ruichen to come back and ask him to come for tea when he's free. What kind of people are those... maggots? He can protect the Zhang family's business, but some things need to be arranged in advance."

Qiao Shengwen comforted Zhang Sanzhuang: "You're just a thorn in my side, aren't you? I get it. This was my negligence. Ruichen and I thought these people would only come after we opened the shop. Don't worry, this won't happen again."

Qiao Shengwen hasn’t thought about Yu Maocai yet.

However, as a former assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he was quite familiar with the position of garrison. In addition, Chen Sixu was not in the northwest, and Qin Mao was a greedy person.

He and Qiao Ruichen thought that the Qin Mansion and its people would not miss such a good opportunity. They must be too busy to take care of Wa City.

Everything was indeed calm before the New Year, but something went wrong on the last day.

If Bayin hadn't been sending people to keep an eye on the restaurants on this street... huh? Qiao Shengwen seemed to understand something, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

After hearing what Qiao Shengwen said, Mrs. Zhang felt much more at ease.

Both families, even the Sun family, trust Qiao Shengwen very much. He is the top scholar, and if he says it's okay, then it must be okay.

But she still pulled Geng aside and said, "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. How about we find a master to come to our house and perform a ritual? He will protect us from all evil and dispel all bad luck."

Miao Wan is quite sensitive about this, don’t!

It would be fine if someone with no ability came to perform the shaman dance, but there are children at home and it would be too noisy.

If she were to meet a capable alien soul like her... she would be a little scared.

Originally Miao Wan was an atheist, but she encountered the time travel, so she had no choice but to be careful.

She hugged Madam Zhang's arm and whispered, "Mom, we have to clean the house today, buy food tomorrow, and prepare for the ancestor worship. We really don't have time for the ritual, right?"

Then she patted the money box again. "I think after dinner it's time to take stock of our gains from the previous year. All the money from December has been collected together, and it's time for us all to divide it up! Nothing can compare to the care of the God of Wealth. All we have to do is prepare more offerings to the God of Wealth, and next year will bring us abundant wealth, and we won't have to worry about anything!"

Madam Zhang's eyes followed the glittering gold coins in the cash box, and she couldn't help laughing. "That's true. Even during a ritual, someone still pretends we've encountered something dirty. I'm sure someone will tell people about it. Awan is really smart."

She also wanted to reassure her family.

But what could be more reassuring than seeing the money distributed among everyone?

Miao Wan chuckled, and just happened to meet her father-in-law's eyes. She quickly followed up with a flattering compliment, "It's all thanks to my parents' good teachings. Next year, when the money is divided, I'll set aside some money to send the boys to private school, and let my mother teach the girls."

No matter it's a boy or a girl, they all have to learn from her, and they all have to do work for her. Miao Shiren thought domineeringly in his heart, this is how we treat everyone equally!

After dinner, everyone, including Sun Laohuo, gathered in the Zhang family's main hall.

When the Zhang family built their blue brick and tile house, they thought about the prosperity of their family and that there would definitely be more and more people in the future.

Mrs. Zhang fantasized that if she and her old man were lucky enough to live longer in the future, they might even be able to celebrate several birthdays.

When the family members and relatives and friends gather together, the main house will be bigger than that of an ordinary house.

Anyway, the labor is all done by my mother's family, so I just need to buy some more bricks and tiles. I've already spent the money on the ninety-nine steps, so this little bit won't make any difference.

So now there is still room for everyone to sit in the room. The women, led by Geng, sit on the benches near the stove with their children in their arms, while the men, led by Sun Laohuo, sit by the window.

Sitting on the kang were Qiao Shengwen and Zhang the Butcher, the pregnant Miao Wan, and Sun Yaozu, who was responsible for recording the expenditure accounts.

Originally, Miao Wan had not planned to order him around so early, but Sun Yaozu felt that he could not just stay at the Qiao family and eat for nothing, so he strongly requested help.

Miao Wan thought about it. She had already calculated the accounts and the forms were clear at a glance. She just needed to count the money and distribute it, and then tick the corresponding boxes for each person. Sun Yaozu could do this job, so she gave it to him.

Sun Yaozu was happy in the afternoon that he was useful, but he didn't expect that he would attract so much attention, mainly because the cash box was right to his right.

At this moment, looking to his left, he saw Qiao Am sitting below, and to his right, he saw Ada also sitting below. Sun Yaozu's hands were sweaty as he held the pen, and his head felt like it wanted to stick into his chest.

Qiao Shengwen felt a little pity for the child and looked at Miao Wan, asking if it would be okay to let him take his time after a while.

Sun Yaozu was really smart. He had a very solid grasp of the parts of the Four Books and Five Classics, and was not much worse than others in mathematics. It was just that he was too soft-hearted and not good at dealing with people.

Miao Wan shook her head at her father-in-law with a hint of uncertainty. Today was the best time - the Miao Shiren Group was holding its first annual meeting and mobilization meeting.

There is no need for Sun Yaozu to deal with people.

He only needs to hand over the money to get brilliant and warm emotional responses from others.

This is exactly what Sun Yaozu needs most right now - to be recognized by others.

Miao Wan showed her neat little white teeth and began her year-end bluffing.

"Dear elders, dear children, we've worked so hard for over three months, and it's finally time to reap the rewards! How about we...divide the money first?"

When everyone saw Miao Wan holding up her little hands with great passion for a long time and finally uttering these words, they were all amused and nodded in courtesy.

The children stretched out their voices, "Okay——"

Miao Wan couldn't help laughing and scratched her forehead. She overestimated herself. Fortunately, she didn't have a thick face.

When the pig farm holds a meeting, she is also in charge of distributing money and making plans.

Those high-sounding speeches were the job of the village party secretary grandfather, while the job of appealing to people's emotions and convincing them with reason was done by the village chief father. She really couldn't think of too many words.

She simply picked up the account book and distributed the money to everyone.

"Of the children at home, Donkey Egg has been working at the stall since the beginning, Gou Dan has also been working every day since late October, and the other children started cutting pig bristles for the family in mid-October. Although the work was taken over by the Yu family at the end of the year, the children helped us a lot during these three months. The wages for October and November have already been paid, and the wages for December and the year-end bonus will be paid next!"

The children cheered and even Goudan couldn't help but stand up and jump. They got the money before the adults!

"Donkey Egg's wages are 600 coins, and the bonus is 3 strings of cash!"

"Goudan's wages are 600 coins, and his bonus is 2 strings of cash!"

"Cui Ya and Chang Shou will work with the children. Each person will receive 500 coins as wages and a bonus of 1 guan (a Chinese coin)!"

"The other children will each receive 300 wen as wages and 500 wen as bonuses!"

Qiao Rui pouted in Geng's arms, but she also knew that she was not good at work. She was always taken out to play by Tiedan and the others, and Changshou had to come to find her. She was indeed no match for Cui Ya.

She turned her head and put it on Geng's shoulder, and whispered a promise, "Mom, if I work hard next year, I will definitely get more than Cui Ya."

Geng smiled and touched Qiao Rui's head. "It's fine now. Cui Ya is two years older than you."

The young lady, who had been carefully raised since childhood, can now help with housework. There is no need to compare with others. Seeing that Qiao Rui is more lively than when she was in the capital, Geng is very satisfied.

The mothers of the children were also very happy. Not to mention how much they could get, just collecting the children's money would be a considerable sum, and they would have a lot more money in their hands!

Donkey Egg was sharp-eyed and immediately noticed that Am Yang was overjoyed, so he quickly stuffed the money back into Sun Yaozu's hands.

"Aunt, can we keep the money with you? We can ask you for it when we need it later."

As soon as he said this, Goudan, Tiedan and the others were also moved, as were Cuiya and Qiaoya... but seeing the glaring expressions of the mothers, they didn't dare to say it out loud, but they also stared at Miao Wan eagerly.

"You can deposit your money with Ada Am, why do you have to deposit it with me?" Miao Wan asked Lu Dan, trying not to laugh.

Donkey Egg thought without hesitation, "Saving money with my mother is like throwing meat buns at a dog. I have never seen my New Year's money again."

Yang was so angry that she stood up and looked for something. "Who are you calling a dog? You little bastard, I think you'll feel bad if you don't get a beating before the New Year!"

"Ah! Am, I was wrong... I was wrong!" Donkey Egg also reacted and hid behind Ada while screaming.

Yang held the broom and threatened him, "Do you still dare? I am collecting money for you, not saving it for you to marry a wife, you little heartless person."

Goudan spoke for his brother and also defended himself. His mother, Yu, was also eyeing him covetously.

"But my Ada and my second and third uncles all have wives, and I've never seen them get the money back after giving it to Am and my second and third aunts! I saw my second uncle wanted to buy a few ounces of wine, and he begged my second aunt for a long time, and he was even hit by the ears." Goudan felt his ears hurt when he thought about it.

He faced Am's unfriendly gaze and stiffened his neck, "We have to save money ourselves. If we save... we can buy wine for Ada!"

After saying this, Goudan felt happy in his heart. He was really smart and filial.

Several strong men from the Zhang family: "..." Although, there's no need to talk about such sad things during the New Year, right?

The author has something to say:

Goudan: We have never understood. Am always said that he took the money to help us find wives. Then he also took Ada’s money. Was it to help Ada find another wife?

Donkey Egg: +1

Iron Egg: +1

Cui Ya: +1

Da Zhuang: +1