"No way, really? In this world, are there really people who don't know how to ask for favors? Could it be that he's taking advantage of his old age and frailty to gain sympathy and has become addicted to acting like the village boss?"

Gangzi's words struck a chord with Yun Laoniang and Yun Ruoxia. They finally understood why Yun Ling had hired Gangzi into their home. This boy had a very clever mouth and was quick-witted. He knew when to speak and what to say, which was extremely rare.

As for Liu, it wouldn't have mattered if other members of the third branch of the family had said anything to her, but it was this young upstart who spoke to her—no, even insulted her. Her anger flared immediately.

"And who are you? You're just a live-in son-in-law. What right do you have to interfere in the affairs of our Yun family? Those capable people all marry and have children, and let the children take their own surnames. Unlike you, a good-for-nothing, your future children will all have the surname Yun."

Gangzi chuckled and said:

"You're not surnamed Yun either, and you're here pointing fingers too, aren't you?"

"Let me tell you, I'd love to be a son-in-law of the Yun family no matter what, but unfortunately my boss has high standards and doesn't think much of me. Let me formally introduce you, this is my boss, and those young ladies are also my boss's people."

"The third branch of the Yun family was incredibly powerful during the years you were a frog in a well. The wealth they possessed was beyond your wildest imagination. If you hadn't suffered this calamity, you wouldn't even have had the ability to meet them."

Liu was taken aback by these words. She had noticed Yunling and her group's clothes from the beginning, as well as the two horses and the donkey they were leading. More importantly, the annoying little white dog and the big black dog were actually quite fat. Judging from this, it would be hard for the third branch of the family to be poor.

Besides, it hasn't been long, and that brat Yunling is already using servants, with so many servants at her beck and call.

No matter how angry Liu was, their lives were gradually getting better. They had left Dongtou Village, which had made them lose face. But the third branch of the family was shining brightly in Dongtou Village. Wouldn't those opportunistic villagers compare the two branches, praising the third branch and belittling the first branch?

A mixture of shame and dissatisfaction spread through Liu's heart. Desperate to regain her home-field advantage, she said:

"Alright, alright, we're all frogs in a well. Only your third branch seems capable. Fellow villagers, our Kengkou Village can't accommodate this bunch of big shots. I think we should..."

"Or what?"

Yunling rubbed her wrist and continued:

“What have we done to you? Firstly, we don’t plan to live in the village, and secondly, we don’t plan to fight over land. Why have we provoked you to turn on us like this?”

Upon hearing that they weren't there to fight over land, the villagers were incredibly relieved. They all found a comfortable spot to lean back and sit, engrossed in watching the gossip.

Liu's face showed slight embarrassment, but Yun Erzhuang and Yun Sanzhuang's wives had no time to notice her expression and rushed to the front, their eyes moist.

"Ling'er, I beg you, your aunt is begging you. What happened between our two families in the past was all our fault. Please, for the sake of our blood ties, tell your aunt about Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu's situation. I beg you."

"Yes, yes, yes, all the mistakes are ours as adults, and have nothing to do with the children. Of course, Auntie is not saying that she hopes you will forgive our family. She is just thinking that the fifth and sixth children are really pitiful. Please be merciful and tell us, okay?"

Yunling wasn't moved, perhaps because she had never been a mother, or perhaps because she wasn't familiar with them. Whatever the reason, she had achieved what she wanted.

"Don't be in a hurry, ladies. I haven't finished speaking yet."

"Tell me, tell me."

“What I mean is, we don’t live in the village, but we want to live in the mountains. You know how difficult it is to build a house in the mountains. When our family came here, we didn’t bring any tools or anything. It would be great if we had an axe, hoe, sickle, winnowing basket or something like that.”

"We have some at home."

Yun Erzhuang's wife quickly looked at Yun Erzhuang behind her.

"Hurry home and get it."

As soon as Yun Erzhuang ran back, Yun Sanzhuang followed to help.

After a while, Yun Erzhuang was seen carrying a hoe and a sickle, while Yun Sanzhuang was carrying an axe and a winnowing basket. They had nothing else.

Yun Ruoxia couldn't hold back any longer and immediately said:

"Oh, one of these, who's going to use them all? Ling'er, I think you should only share a little of what you know."

Yun Sanzhuang was a little guilty. Erzhuang had just said to bring the three hoes and six sickles from home, saving the axe and winnowing basket, but he felt that he didn't need so many, so he only asked for one item.

Yun Sanzhuang's wife was extremely anxious. They were the ones asking for help, not the other way around. How could this man be so clueless?!

She quickly slapped Yun Sanzhuang's arm and muttered under her breath:

"Do you still want to save Xiao Liu? Do you have any conscience at all?"

Yun Sanzhuang was so ashamed by the scolding that he immediately turned to leave, but just as he was about to go, Yun Ruoxia spoke up again.

“Oh dear, we’ve come all this way and are exhausted. It’s been a long time since we’ve tasted rice. Especially Ling’er, if she could have a bowl of rice to eat, she would be able to work even harder, whether it’s for chores or anything else.”

Yun Da was now unhappy. The tools they had were just borrowed; they could be taken out and then returned. But rice was a different story. Once it was ingested, it could only be excreted; it could never be returned.

Furthermore, these three families have no land or fields. Getting involved with them would mostly just mean getting a share of their rice, which is unacceptable.

"This is insatiable. The tool we agreed on is just a tool. Don't try to take advantage of us. If we keep going along with you, will you make us move out of the house and let you move in?"

"Who's so greedy? You all owe us so much already!"

Yun Ruoxia counted on her fingers and said them one by one:

“After my great-grandfather passed away, we separated our households. My aunt’s family is large and efficient, and they are always the only ones in the village to finish the autumn harvest…”

"Alright, alright, is it glorious?"

Liu quickly stopped Yun Ruoxia from speaking. She hadn't expected that this stingy Yun Ruoxia would actually remember the amount. If she let her continue, she probably would reveal how many sausages the eldest son's family owed the third son's family. So she quickly looked at Yun Sanzhuang and continued:

"Third brother, you know we didn't harvest much grain this year..."