Wang Sanni's tears flowed, she wiped them with her sleeve, sniffed, and continued, "If my mother had been more capable and had controlled my father, if my sister-in-law had been more capable and risked her life to go out with my eldest brother to live another life, then our family wouldn't have been torn apart. I don't want to live like my mother and eldest sister-in-law. I want to... oh, that's what you just said about being self-reliant and independent, so that no one can bully me. Even if I'm entrusted with the wrong person, I'll find a way to control him, or live my own life together... Otherwise, I'd rather not marry, set up my own household, and then adopt a son to take care of me in my old age."

When a family experiences a sudden change, some people might resign themselves to despair, while others might bravely face the situation and learn from it. Both Wang Sanni and Wang Jincai chose the latter. Especially Wang Sanni, who had such awareness in ancient times, it was rare.

Xu Lanyin glanced sideways at Wang Sanni for a few seconds and said, "That's how it should be. You have to change your own destiny..." She then wondered if, if she established a daughter-in-law household, she should also adopt a son to support her in her old age. She preferred daughters, but in ancient times, girls generally had to marry and couldn't live with their mothers. Those who, like her and Wang Sanni, considered establishing a daughter-in-law household were mostly those who had suffered setbacks or had bad reputations.

The two talked all the way, and when they parted, Wang Sanni still insisted on forcing the two purses and two sachets that Xu Lanyin had picked out onto her.

After returning home, Xu Lanyin told Qin about Wang Sanni.

Qin was stunned for a long moment before she said pointedly, "When you're poor, you try to change. When you have no other way to survive, you have to find another way to survive...Alas, that child has changed so much."

Looking at Qin's expression, she must be thinking about her own experience, right?

In the afternoon, the old couple and Mrs. Gu came to the second room early with their two children.

Xu Lanting proudly told them about his trip to the provincial capital, especially the story of how Zhao caught the murderous rapist in just a few moves. The men's eyes widened when they heard it.

Old Man Xu took advantage of no one's attention to secretly tell Xu Lanting that he was a boy and asked him to work with his brother to look after the Xu family business.

Although the old man didn't say it explicitly, Xu Lanting still heard his grandfather telling him to be wary of his mother and sister.

He was very unhappy and said, "My mother and sister are very frugal and will not spend money recklessly."

The old man was so angry that he wanted to say something, but Old Lady Xu glared at him and scolded him, "Don't worry about it. I'm not a fool. Why do I need you to say this, old man?"

The old man wanted to scold Xu Lanyin, but was stopped by the old lady.

The old lady warned the old man at home that the family and the shop all depended on Yin Yatou, and if she got angry and harbored selfish motives, the Xu family would be the ones to suffer.

The old couple exchanged glances, and Xu Lanyin understood what they meant, but pretended not to see it.

In the evening, Zhao Wu and Xu Lanzhou came back together, and Zhao Wu also got a pound of braised beef.

It was difficult for ordinary people in this era to eat beef.

Old Man Xu sniffed and said with a smile, "Hey, Brother Zhao brought this rare beef for us peasants to taste."

Zhao Wu said, "The Wei Xizi murder case is a major interprovincial case. The police from several provinces spent more than half a year trying to catch him, but I caught him single-handedly. The day before yesterday, the provincial clerk came to the county government office and brought me fifty taels of silver as a reward. Lord Min was so happy that he transferred me to work as a horse driver under Uncle Jiang." He handed a few silver ingots to Xu Lanyin and said generously, "Sister, keep them for me. If the family is short of money, you can use them."

He didn't smile foolishly like before, but pretended to be serious, really like a mature detective who had chased a criminal for thousands of miles.

Old Lady Xu's eyes narrowed with a smile as she repeatedly praised Zhao Wu's ability. She had a plan in mind: she had to privately remind Qin Shi to treat Zhao Wu even better. If Zhao Wu didn't find a cousin in a few years, and Yin Yatou didn't get married, she would match them up. Zhao Wu's family was completely empty, and he didn't harbor any selfish feelings towards Yin Yatou now. If they got married, he would have even less selfish feelings...

After the meal, after sending off the people from the main house, Xu Lanyin grabbed Zhao Wu to help her with the chores, baking two large plates of peanut sandwich cookies and preparing snacks for the next day. She did this because she didn't want Xu Lanzhou to come and talk to her alone. She wanted to give the child the cold shoulder.

Xu Lanting ran over again and told Xu Lanyin what Old Man Xu said.

Xu Lanyin pinched his little face and smiled, "I'm too stingy, so I can only dig for food in the fields. You should learn from our father and your elder brothers Zhao and Hong. Be generous and righteous, and broaden your horizons and mind. Only then will you have a promising future."

She didn't have the awareness that younger people shouldn't talk about their elders, and she spoke very loudly. I believe Xu Lanzhou in the main hall could hear it.

Xu Lanting nodded and walked away with her chest puffed out.

Now they were alone, Zhao Wucai said, "Lord Min also said I had a bright future. When the opportunity arose, he would recommend me to Lord Min Hu and have me serve under him." A hint of sarcasm crossed his face, and he added, "I think Lord Min acted this way not only because I was capable of catching the 'rapist', but also because he knew that my sister was helping Lord Min Hu 'cure' his illness. Perhaps he also wanted me to follow Constable Jiang and bring down Zhang Gangdan..."

This child is much more mature and his analysis is very logical.

Xu Lanzhou, who didn't have a chance to talk to his sister, went to complain to Qin again, "Sister treats Brother Zhao better than me, her younger brother..."

Ever since the old lady reminded her of that, Qin Shi also felt that it was feasible. If the two children had not found their ideal partners in a few years, regardless of whether Zhao Wu was fond of or respected his daughter, it would be much better for them to live together than for his daughter to live alone.

Qin taught Xu Lanzhou a lesson again, asking him to respect his elder sister and treat Zhao Wu as his real brother.

Xu Lanting on the side immediately said, "I like Brother Zhao. He is so good to me and us. We should also be good to him."

When Xu Lanzhou saw that little Xu Lanting expressed this, his face turned red again, and he felt that he was indeed petty.

The next morning, Xu Lanyin and Zhao Wu made some sweet-scented osmanthus glutinous rice dates and a past-life internet-famous snack called "Snow Meringue." Since butter doesn't keep for long, they'd used up all the stock they'd bought. Calling it "Snow Meringue" wasn't appropriate for monks, so they called it "Xue Tuan'er." They took the initiative to make a snack with butter and milk, genuinely hoping to appease Jie Chi's stomach and pry his mouth open.

Xu Lanzhou also stood up to help. He worked silently without saying a word, hoping to please his sister with practical actions.

After breakfast, Zhao Wu took a lunch box containing three kinds of snacks and went to Daxiang Temple on the northern slope of Yefengling with Xu Lanyin.

It was just the hour of Chen, the red morning sun hung in the eastern sky, the morning breeze was blowing gently, and the lush vegetation exuded fragrance and moisture.

Walking on the path that the original owner and she used to walk on, Xu Lanyin did not feel burdened for the first time. Instead, it felt like a relaxing morning exercise, with a handsome little sparring partner beside her.