Once everyone had been dug out, they finally had time to eat lunch.

The multigrain pancakes were topped with eggs and wild scallions, and Shen Qingyu was generous with the amount of oil, making them especially delicious.

Everyone was full of praise and even had time to gossip.

"Qingyu, I heard that Changshou and Cuixi are helping you with your work. Do you need any more help?"

Shen Qingyu was about to answer when the village head shouted, "What are you crying for? At least all three of your family members survived. What about Da Song? You should be grateful!"

"I...I..." Widow Xiao's wailing came to an abrupt halt.

Everyone was drawn to Shen Dasong by this remark.

He seemed to have lost all his energy, sitting there blankly like a clay or wooden sculpture.

The village head, being knowledgeable and experienced, immediately sensed something was wrong: Had this person lost all will to live?!

"What are you still squatting for? How can your wife and kids be left to dry like this? Does anyone have any clean clothes? Bring them over so we can change them."

“My family has a thin coffin prepared for the elderly. I’ll give it to you to take care of things first… After that, you can go to work and earn money to pay off your debts.”

The village headman made arrangements, and the group, who had rested for a while, got moving again.

Shen Qingyu glanced at the still-rainy sky, a sense of unease creeping into her heart. She leaned closer to the front of the house and said, "Shouldn't we also take a look at the other mountains around here? Let's not come here again..."

The village head felt a pang of anxiety, glanced at Shen Qingyu, and immediately arranged for people to go and check the surrounding hills.

With this matter settled, Shen Qingyu finally went home.

Under Wenche's guidance, the three children were exceptionally well-behaved and were writing.

Upon seeing Shen Qingyu return, the three children swarmed around her, clinging to her and refusing to let go!

"mother!"

"Mother, are you done with your work?"

"Mother, we've been very good..."

Shen Qingyu could sense that the dead children were all acquaintances of the triplets, one of whom was even the same age, and they were afraid.

"Good children... Mother is here, I'll be with you these next few days."

Xiao Yunqi entered Cheng Ping's room.

Cheng Ping smiled as soon as he saw Xiao Yunqi: "Brother Xiao, you went to rescue someone?"

Xiao Yunqi nodded with a sour face and placed two multigrain pancakes in front of him: "Eat up, it's lunch."

Cheng Ping struggled to eat, and after only two bites, he suddenly blurted out, "Sister-in-law's hands are so soft."

Xiao Yunqi immediately grabbed Cheng Ping's wrist.

A "crackling" sound rang out, and Cheng Ping screamed, "Ouch! My hand..."

Xiao Yunqi said coldly, "You're courting death!"

He actually dared to take advantage of Shen Qingyu and even pinched her wrist until it turned blue.

What is that?!

Shen Qingyu came in upon hearing the noise, and Cheng Ping exclaimed dramatically, "Sister-in-law, my hand is broken! Could you please set it for me? Ouch..."

They just wouldn't say that it was Xiao Yunqi who did it.

After checking everything, Shen Qingyu glanced at Xiao Yunqi and went to her room in a huff.

He closed the door, spent five taels of silver from the cabinet (space mall) to buy the same liniment for bruises and sprains as Xiao Yunqi, and also got a splint, which he then sent to the thatched hut.

Cheng Ping smiled gratefully, "Thank you, sister-in-law..."

"No need to thank me. Including the bruise you gave me last time, the medicine will cost eleven taels of silver. Do you have the money?"

Cheng Ping was stunned: "Huh?"

“You’re Xiao Yunqi’s friend, not mine. You’ve been in my house for so long, so if you don’t have any money, that’s fine…”

Cheng Ping's heart sank back into his stomach, his face full of gratitude: "Sister-in-law is the best, thank you so much..."

"If you don't have money, and you get injured again and need my treatment, I'll use your horse to pay off the debt, and your medical expenses will be deducted from there."

After Shen Qingyu finished speaking, she tossed the splint and medicine into Xiao Yunqi's hands: "You take care of it for him." Then she turned and left.

It's all over!

They've gone completely off track.

Cheng Ping looked at Xiao Yunqi with a deathly pale face.

Xiao Yunqi smiled maliciously: "Come on, Brother Cheng, let me bandage you up..."

"Agh!" Cheng Ping's scream echoed through the sky.

Shen Qingyu wasn't idle either; the village head came looking for her.

“Da Song is an honest man, and that widow Xiao is a nice person too. I was thinking, do you have any spare rooms here? We could let them stay for a while. If you could hire them to do some work, that would be even better…”

The village head was rambling on and on, wanting to tell Shen Qingyu two things.

Shen Dasong doesn't want to live anymore, so we need to find him some work to keep him from doing anything rash.

Widow Xiao had nowhere to live, and with two children, she had no rice to cook. She wanted to ask Shen Qingyu if she could give them a way to survive.

Shen Qingyu asked with some curiosity, "Uncle Village Head, if I don't have anything to do here, what are you going to do to settle them down?"

The village head looked worried: "If all else fails, I'll let Dasong stay in my cowshed for now. I'll force him to pay back the money for my coffin and make him work to earn money. Things should get better after a while..."

"And what about Widow Xiao?"

“Your uncle and aunt’s family have moved to town. Aren’t there two empty rooms? Tell them to tidy them up and move in first…”

Shen Qingyu felt relieved: This was because she had already thought of a second option, and she wasn't trying to morally blackmail herself.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Qingyu nodded: "There is a sick person in my thatched hut who is... the benefactor of my child's father. Dasong can live with him and help me water the bean sprouts at night. We will provide meals, and if he does a lot of work, I will give him some wages."

"Oh, this is wonderful!" The village head was overjoyed to have dealt with Shen Dasong!

"That Widow Xiao..."

Shen Qingyu spread her hands: "I need a lot of pickled cabbage here. If she is willing, she can grow green vegetables, make them into pickled cabbage, and sell them to me. That should be enough for her family to eat."

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