Madam Cui waved her hand dismissively, "What's so presumptuous about that? Go play with your new daughter if you want, I'm not putting up with this anymore! As for you, you better keep your daughter in check. If I find out she's talking nonsense again, I'll tell everyone in the capital when we got divorced. Anyway, I'm free now, and I've received my dowry, so I'm not going to keep my promise. What can you do to me?"

She gave Jiao one last deep look, then her smug smile vanished.

"Don't think I'll come back to fight you for this embroidered straw bag! It's just my leftovers, take it if you want! After all... leftovers and a dog, a perfect match!"

With that, she turned around gracefully, laughing loudly as she left the mansion.

All the servants in the courtyard lowered their heads, wishing they could find a crack in the ground to hide in, not daring to look at the expressions of the Marquis and his wife.

Meanwhile, Old Master Liu and the others waiting outside the door laughed and cheered, "Well done, she is indeed a daughter of the Cui family, she has not diminished the prestige of Grand Secretary Cui!"

Mr. Wen's position makes it difficult for him to stand out, which is why he remained silent until now.

At this moment, he stood at the bottom of the steps, looking up at his junior sister who had washed away the bad luck and regained her radiance. His heart was pounding even harder than when he was young.

Old Master Liu was getting on in years and was somewhat tired. He called Madam Cui forward and instructed her, "We're going back now. You can discuss the remaining trivial matters with your sworn brother. As a woman, it's not appropriate for you to take the lead in making arrangements. Let him do the work for you, and don't be a stranger."

“Alright, Uncle, I won’t stand on ceremony. Now, all I can rely on is our family. How could I be polite to you and my sworn brother?”

Madam Cui readily agreed without the slightest refusal, which made Old Master Liu even happier.

Previously, this child was depressed and didn't have much contact with their family even after his father passed away, for fear that the Fu family would take offense. Now that he has completely broken free of his shackles, he is much more carefree.

Madam Cui then bowed and thanked the other two gentlemen, who were also pleased.

“When we were in trouble, we were fortunate to have your father speak up for us and do everything he could to help. It’s a pity he passed away so young. Now that we can do something for his daughter, we can at least comfort his spirit in heaven.”

Soon, the old men boarded the carriage, and Liu Zhiheng stepped forward and said, "Sister-in-law, I need to take people to take back your estate and shops as soon as possible. If we're too late, the Marquis's mansion might make a move. You should hurry back and pack your dowry. If anything happens, just send someone to find me."

Madam Cui thanked him, saying, "Thank you so much, sworn brother, for your help. I will definitely thank you properly once this is all over."

“We’re family, no need to be so polite.” Liu Zhiheng waved his hand, then turned to Mr. Wen and asked, “Junior Brother Wen, are you going back to the court?”

Mr. Wen nodded, “Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Liu. I will report to the Ministry of Personnel soon. I don’t want to stay in the Hanlin Academy this time. I want to fill a substantive post. I used to regard power as dirt, but now I realize that power is also a kind of armor that protects one’s family.”

"Good, good, it should have been done long ago. If I had my junior brother's talent, I wouldn't be spending all my time dredging up household chores. Junior brother, go find a job. Leave my sworn sister to me." Liu Zhiheng was still worried, so he escorted them to Madam Cui's dowry courtyard before hurriedly leaving.

Madam Cui was concerned about the Li family and others, so she gave some silver to Mr. Wen and asked him to make purchases, planning to go to Suijintan as soon as possible the next day.

Mr. Wen knew exactly what the Li family and the villagers needed most right now, so he quickly went and bought grain, farm tools, and some daily necessities.

Thinking of Jiayin, that chubby little girl, I bought a lot of eggs, pastries, sesame candy, and other treats.

Meanwhile, in the Broken Gold Beach area, the entire village, young and old, is putting all their energy into the construction of their new home.

In just two days, the outhouses were built, and more than a dozen thatched huts were erected, ensuring that each household had one.

With the day coming to clear land, the lack of suitable farming tools caused everyone a headache.

After lunch, the group discussed going to a nearby village to see if they could rent or buy it back.

But no one had much confidence, because the nearby villages were too wary of them.

It's not easy for the women to go in and exchange for radishes and cabbages. Besides, spring plowing is just around the corner, and every household needs farm tools, so how could they possibly lend them out?

If we were to buy, those people would probably ask for an exorbitant price, and we'd be ripped off.

Jiayin sat in her father's lap, listening to everyone's discussion. She also frowned, her mind wandering, equally worried.

These past two nights, she has been busy planting apple trees. The nursery, which is less than 50 square meters, is now full of saplings as thick as a finger, totaling more than a thousand trees. Presumably, they will need to be transplanted in another five or six days.

In the front yard, all sorts of hoes, plows, and other tools that had been collected from various households before the famine had been sorted out and piled up, filling half the yard.

Once we take it out, everyone will have nothing to worry about.

But how to get it out? That's a huge problem!

The villagers aren't stupid; if they find a pile of new farm tools by the roadside, they can imagine that someone accidentally dropped them.

But it's quite surprising that he picked up the pickaxe and hoe that he used when he was in Qingshui Village from the roadside!

I doubt anyone would dare use it; they'd probably suspect they're being followed by some unknown force...

Just then, the boys playing at the mouth of the valley suddenly cheered, and Jiaxi and Jia'an ran over to deliver the news.

"Mr. Wen and his men have returned with their carriage!"

Everyone was pleasantly surprised and quickly got up to greet them.

Mr. Wen jumped off the cart and helped Mrs. Cui out. He then smiled and said, "The village hasn't started clearing land yet, has it? We bought a lot of farm tools in the city. Take a look and see if they're useful."

The villagers were so excited they almost jumped for joy, and they all rushed toward the two carriages behind.

Madam Cui picked up Jiayin, kissed her little face, patted the back of her head, and said with a smile, "Fu Niu's injury is much better."

Jiayin hugged her neck and said in a childish voice, "Fu Niu missed her aunt. Auntie has worked hard."

For some reason, Madam Cui suddenly felt a pang of sadness and almost shed tears.

It was as if a child who had been wronged outside had seen family, but she was clearly holding a one-year-old baby girl in her arms.

She forced back her tears and choked out, "It's not hard, Auntie won."

"Master Aunt is the best!" Jiayin gave her a big kiss on the cheek, which made Madam Cui laugh through her tears.

Grandma Li's injuries hadn't fully healed, so she walked slowly. When she approached, she was very surprised. "What happened, Jinrou? Did Fu Niu make you angry?"

"No, Auntie, I just miss Fu Niu so much." Madam Cui quickly wiped away her tears and smiled. "Auntie, I brought some eggs and pastries. Please put them away and bring Fu Niu with you for every meal so she can nourish herself."

Grandma Li didn't stand on ceremony and helped her by the shoulder to lead her inside.

“Okay, then I won’t stand on ceremony with you. After our village is built, I’ll raise chickens, and you can come and stay at my house. We’ll cook delicious food for you every day.”

On the other side, villagers of all ages were gathered around a horse-drawn cart, unloading hoes, picks, and other tools—it was even more lively than the Lunar New Year.

The women happily cooked the meat and vegetables that Madam Cui had brought, and also cooked a large pot of white rice.

Everyone in the village was beaming with joy as they ate.

The village chief thanked Mr. Wen and Mrs. Cui, saying, "You've gone to so much trouble. Please don't buy any more in the future. Now that we have a place to stay in the village, we can earn our own living by digging our own soil, whether we eat well or not."

After thinking for a moment, Madam Cui said, "Uncle Village Chief, we came here this time for the same reason. This gravel beach is really not a good place, and it would be too much trouble for the village to clear the land. I have two farms in the southwest of Xindu, and we are short of manpower to manage them. Everyone can move there. There are ready-made courtyards on the farms, and I don't need the harvest from the fields. You can settle down and live there without worry."

This is the third update on time today! We're just 50 five-star reviews away from the next four-chapter bonus update! Please keep clicking the five-star review button, my darlings! I need your support! Also, please don't let the chapter get too long; come back and check for updates often. I update quite a lot every day! And these words aren't in the main text; I'm still updating 6,000 words a day—that's not short of the word count!