When Mu Xinghe saw that Qiao Xier intended to touch the large cleaver, his heart tightened and he took half a step back.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her withdraw her hand.

The Qiao family is truly something else; they're all incredibly ruthless.

Qiao Xi'er looks the quietest, yet she still carries a large cleaver.

Qiao Xi'er thought about it and realized that the two families had a decent relationship. The Mu family and the Shen and Song families didn't have much contact. She got up and walked out.

"Brother Xinghe, is there something you need?"

Since she was the only daughter in the family, she didn't invite anyone in.

“I—” Mu Xinghe’s face showed some awkwardness and embarrassment.

"Go ahead and say it. We're all from the same village, so there's no need to be so formal."

"Little sister Xi'er, I was thinking..." Mu Xinghe sighed and looked into the courtyard again.

Are there any other people living in your house?

“They’re all in the farmland below, some have gone up the mountain. It’s the same if you tell me. You need to tell my grandparents, and I’ll pass on the message to them when they come back.”

Seeing Mu Xinghe's expression, Qiao Xi'er knew he was facing a problem.

"Alright, I'll tell you." Mu Xinghe steeled himself. Whether it was a deal or not, he would say it first. If he kept it to himself, when would he ever find a solution?

"I want to borrow money from your Qiao family."

Qiao Xi'er was somewhat surprised: "Huh?"

Mu Xinghe lowered his eyes: "I'm sorry to bother your family with something like this. I'm really desperate, that's why I came to you."

“My mother died a few days ago. I spent all my savings on her funeral. Now I have to go to take the provincial examination. It’s a long way from here, hundreds of miles away. The expenses for lodging, food, and travel are all quite high. I don’t have enough money. My relatives at home have no money to lend me, so I can only trouble my fellow villagers.”

As Mu Xinghe spoke, his eyes reddened.

The family had worked hard to save money for his exams, but his mother suddenly fell ill and died.

He lost his father when he was young, and now he has lost his mother. He doesn't want to think about these things too much, otherwise he simply can't bear it.

"The date is getting closer and closer. If we don't leave tomorrow, we'll miss the exam, and all the preparations we've made over the past three years will be wasted."

Qiao Xi'er remembered that Mu Xinghe had already passed the county and prefectural examinations and was a student. However, the Mu family was low-key and had only mentioned it to the villagers once, but never talked about it again. Some people even mocked them for lying to save face.

Judging from this, he really is going to take the provincial examination. If he passes the provincial examination, he will become a scholar and become famous in the surrounding villages.

In the past ten years, Datian Village has never produced a scholar who passed the imperial examination.

Everyone cherishes talent, and no one wants to see talent wither away. Qiao Xi'er said, "Just tell me, how much do you want?"

"I'm afraid, I'm afraid it will cost five taels."

"After all, time is of the essence and we can't afford to delay. If we can borrow it, I'll set off right now."

"Wait a minute." Qiao Xi'er ran into her room.

She pulled a small box out from under the bed, opened it, and found loose silver and copper coins inside.

After the family started making money, Grandma Qiao would occasionally give her grandchildren some pocket money. She no longer had to hand over the money she earned from her handicrafts to the public fund, but kept it for herself.

The three taels of silver that Feng received as dowry back then are also with her.

Over the years, they had been so poor that when Mrs. Feng wanted to contribute three taels of silver to help with household expenses, Old Mrs. Qiao firmly disagreed, saying that she wanted to give it to her granddaughter as part of her dowry.

No matter how poor a family is, if a daughter gets married without any dowry, wouldn't people laugh at her?

Once the family was established, there would be no need for those three taels of silver anymore, so Madam Feng handed them over to her.