Granny Liu looked at Liang Shuyan and said, "Auntie, thanks to you, otherwise I'm afraid my daughter-in-law would have tormented me to death long ago."

"Let's not talk about the past. Listen to me, you have a reason to stay in our house now. Besides, given our current situation, we can provide you with food and clothing without any problems."

Thinking about the senior living apartment, Liang Shuyan then went to the village head's house.

Li Zheng and his wife were sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), seemingly discussing Qiu Dong and Jin Xia's affairs. Through the crack in the door, it seemed to be about Jin Xia going to school.

Last time, Liang Shuyan brought Jin Xia's two children to the school. Jin Xia probably went to the school to visit her two children.

Liang Shuyan coughed lightly, and Li Zheng put down his pipe and quickly came out, smiling as he said, "Oh, it's her aunt! Come in quickly!"

Jiao quickly put down the shoe sole in her hand, hurriedly lifted the curtain, and welcomed her in: "Come in, sit down, I'll pour you some tea. You haven't come to my house since the outbreak of the epidemic."

When the topic of the pandemic came up, Jiao's eyes turned to Liang Shuyan.

"That's right. Fortunately, our Daling Village didn't suffer any losses from the epidemic, which is already quite good. What's wrong? You still look unhappy. Is it because of Jin Xia's matter?"

Liang Shuyan's words hit the nail on the head regarding Jiao's feelings. Jiao's eyes darted around before she nodded: "I didn't expect that you would find out. Qiu Dong is so stubborn, always siding with Jin Xia. Look, today she took all the boiled eggs from the pot to the school. I know it's all because of those two children."

Li Zheng shook his head: "Let's not talk about this kind of thing. It's not shameful to talk about it. Things have already turned out this way, so let Jinxia go. Besides, even if we keep Jinxia at home, she'll still make a scene. It's better to just let her go."

Liang Shuyan pondered for a moment: "Actually, Jin Xia was doing it for the children. The two children are indeed pitiful. I heard that when they were at home, that man tore at the two children every day, and the stepmother also kept causing trouble. As the children's mother, she had no other choice but to do this."

Jiao nodded: "That's true. Anyway, that's how it is in autumn and winter. There's no use in saying anything. Let her be."

"Don't worry, Qiu Dong is a smart kid. He won't do anything foolish. Jin Xia also knows her own situation and won't do anything out of line. She's just taking care of the child. She'll be back in a little while. Don't worry about it."

Just as Liang Shuyan finished speaking, a voice came from the courtyard: "Mother, I bought a roast chicken for you and Father. Do you want it heated up or served cold?"

Through the curtain, Jiao said somewhat reluctantly, "Eat however you like, your aunt is here!"

Jin Xia quickly came in and said with a smile, "Auntie, you're here. Please chat with my parents first. I'll go to the kitchen to get busy. I won't be leaving today. Please stay and have dinner with us."

Liang Shuyan nodded: "Yes, that's perfect, I'm hungry too."

Li Zheng knew that Liang Shuyan had come for more than just this matter, so he said, "Auntie, is there something important you need to discuss?"

"Yes, is there any progress on the matter of the senior apartment in our village? I'd like to get one for my in-laws!"

Liang Shuyan has already invested a lot in the senior living apartment project, not only in money, but also in materials and manpower. Li Zheng has a clear understanding of the situation. He then slapped his thigh and said, "It's nothing. As instructed by the county magistrate, we have already prepared five sets for you! Why are you being so polite? We are all from the same village."

Liang Shuyan's eyes widened in surprise: "What? Such a thing actually happened? When did it happen?"

"He reserved the apartment as soon as our village started building the senior citizens' apartment. He even paid a deposit of 500 taels of silver for it. But it's best not to tell the magistrate about this for now, otherwise, he might cancel my position as the judge."

All the shops are now closed due to the pandemic. Liang Shuyan continued, "No need. I also have a house at home. I don't need that many senior apartments right now. It's better to just distribute them out so that people who need them can live there."

Li Zheng picked up a cup of tea, pondered for a moment, and said, "Actually, if the epidemic situation improves even slightly, construction will begin, and we can move in by the end of the year. You're worried that Ruyan's mother will be taken back by her son."

Li Zheng immediately guessed what Liang Shuyan was thinking.

Liang Shuyan nodded: "Well, in that case, let's transfer my in-laws' apartment to my name. She can stay there indefinitely, and if anyone else tries to covet her assets, there's nothing they can do about it."

Li Zheng gave a thumbs-up from time to time: "Great idea, your method is really brilliant. This way, no one will dare to covet this little bit of property. Let's do it this way?"

Li Zheng flipped through the ledger to Liang Shuyan's entry and was surprised to find that all the assets in that entry were in Liang Shuyan's name. He took out a pen and carefully traced over them.

Liang Shuyan then took out 200 taels of silver from her person and handed it to Li Zheng: "This silver is the rent I paid in the village. Please accept it first. Once the apartment is actually built, I will invest some money for a simple renovation."

Jin Xia prepared the meal, brought it in, and placed it on the table.

"Auntie, thank you for coming up with this idea. It allows me to take care of my family and these two children at the same time. Thank you."

For so many years, Qiu Dong had always been obedient to his wife. He smiled shyly at Jin Xia and then said, "Auntie, it's all thanks to your help. Otherwise, we really wouldn't know what to do."

Seeing her son so happy, Jiao smiled and said, "Alright, as long as you can live a good life, your father and I don't mind if we work a little harder. How about this, let those two children come back home. We have a place to stay, as long as you don't mistreat my grandson."

"Mother, no, your grandson is my child, isn't he? How could I mistreat him? I'd love him to the core."

Jiao picked up a piece of meat and handed it to Liang Shuyan, saying with a smile, "To be honest, this is all thanks to you. Otherwise, we really wouldn't know how things would have turned out."

"It's alright, it's all as it should be. Qiu Dong is a good boy, and it's really good that he has such a virtuous and good daughter-in-law as Jin Xia."