After being thrown out, Chen felt extremely resentful.

She tried to paddle like a dog, but couldn't get anything up at first. Then, Chen heard a cracking sound, as if something had broken.

Xiang'er and Cuizhu are quite capable.

It's a rib, dislocated.

So, Chen shamelessly went again the next day, but this time she was stopped at the door by the servants.

I've seen people forcibly seize land, but I've never seen land forcibly sold.

"Sir, please let me in. My family is struggling financially, and I have no other choice but to swallow my pride and do this disgraceful thing."

Chen spoke in a pitiful tone.

“Grandma Chen, two acres of paddy fields only cost ten taels of silver, but your dry land costs twenty taels of silver.” Little Fu Bao saw the scene of Chen being blocked at the door.

Ms. Chen said, feeling wronged:

"It's all because our family is poor!"

Fine, you're poor, so you're right!

"Here's what I'll do: I'll give you fifteen taels of silver, and you'll only need to spend fifteen taels of silver." She spoke as if the Niu family was begging her to sell their land.

"Throw her out," Little Lucky said.

Chen was thrown out again. She got up and muttered to herself as she walked:

"What a load of rubbish! Fine, don't buy it! Just because you have a little money doesn't mean you know who you are! Bah!"

She cursed as she walked.

Completely unaware that a person emerged from under the large banyan tree at the village entrance: "This lady..."

Startled, Chen sized up the newcomer. He was dressed in a brand-new brown suit, wearing a hat resembling a cockscomb, and fine shoes. Initially intending to be angry, Chen softened her voice and said:

"Who are you? What do you want with me?"

The man didn't initially reveal his identity, only saying:

"Why are you looking so disheveled, elder sister?"

The man's words only fueled Chen's anger, and she said:

"That family has become rich now and looks down on poor relatives like us! I thought that since we are from the same clan and neighbors, they should at least help us out, but who would have thought that they would order their wicked servants to throw me out."

After saying that, Chen realized she didn't know this person and said, "Why should I tell you all this? Who are you?"

"I am from the Tao family," he said. "This family recently offended Young Master Tao." As he spoke, he took out a string of coins from his pocket, stuffed it into Madam Chen's hand, and said:

"Young Master Tao wants to vent his anger."

Chen put the string of coins into her pocket, raised her chin, and said:

"We are all honest and law-abiding people from the countryside."

The man suppressed his earlier laughter and thought to himself: This old peasant woman is truly greedy and cunning.

He composed himself, took out another two taels of silver, and said, "If you can use some tricks to make this family suffer a loss, especially their pickle shop, not only will these two taels of silver be yours, but you'll also get ten taels later."

When Chen heard that it was ten taels, her eyes lit up.

"At the same time, you must tell me in every detail, including when they go out, how many people go out, how many people stay behind, what they buy, when they lock themselves in to sleep, how many shifts the servants take at night, and when the courtyard is empty."

Chen raised her head slightly. It seemed that the Niu family was about to face a great disaster. Offending Young Master Tao was no laughing matter.

She quietly accepted the two taels of silver and said with a smile, "Sir, you can rest assured that I can handle things! But, how should I contact you after it's done?"

"My surname is Tao. I am the steward of the Tao family and also a relative of the Tao family," said Steward Tao.

"Aunt Chen, what are you doing here?" Yan Wu Niang's words startled Chen Shi, and Steward Tao also quietly hid behind the banyan tree.

Turning around, Chen saw it was Yan Wu Niang. Fearing she would be discovered by Steward Tao behind the banyan tree, she quickly stepped forward and smiled:

"It's Lady Yan! What are you doing here?"

"Go back to my parents' home."

"Miss Yan, your aunt needs to speak with you!" Yan Wu Niang had only taken two steps when Chen Shi stopped her.

Butler Tao took the opportunity to slip away.

Yan Wu Niang was the wife of the former scholar Niu Da. Her family was well-off, and she received a generous dowry. In addition, Niu Da passed the imperial examination and lived a very good life in the village.

She was also one of the people Chen was jealous of.

Chen pulled Yan Wu Niang aside and said some irrelevant things, only stopping after Steward Tao had walked away.

After returning home, Chen happily hid the money, sealed it in a jar, and buried it in the soil under the bed.

A pair of eyes appeared above the Niu family's head.

After receiving these coins, Chen racked her brains to come up with a solution.

Niu Da and his wife, along with Niu Cuihua and Sang Yu, returned on the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, just in time for the Laba Festival.

Chen saw it all.

"Little Fu Bao, look what Daddy brought you!" As soon as Niu Dayi entered the door, he picked up Little Fu Bao with one hand and Niu Bao Lan with the other.

He brought local specialties from the capital.

Roast duck, preserved fruit, and cheese shortbread.

These items are not suitable for long-distance transport.

Xiao Fubao and Niu Baolan had never eaten crispy mountain delicacies or cheese, those sweet and cloying things.

Little Fu Bao took a bite, the milky aroma lingering on her lips and teeth, silky smooth and tender, sweet but not cloying. She squinted her eyes happily, thinking, "This is so delicious!"

Xiao Heng silently noted it down: So, she liked sweets in her past life.

On Laba Festival, every household decorates with lanterns and cooks Laba porridge.

Several men who were on good terms with Niu Da came to talk to him, and even Niu the Mute, who couldn't speak, came.

Holding a bowl of Laba porridge, Niu Da said contentedly, "As the saying goes, there's no place like home. It's so comfortable to be home."

The family members each talked about what had happened at home or in Dingdu.

"The roads in the capital are different from ours. Their roads, whether main streets or alleys, aren't paved with cobblestones or stones, but with marble slabs—they're so easy to walk on!" "It's just that marble is quite expensive."

“Next year, I’m determined to build a road as good as the one in Dingdu for our hometown!” Niu Da said.

The roads leading to the capital were all paved with marble.

Even though the roads in Niushan Town and Jiangzhou are somewhat easier to travel on, they are only paved with ordinary stone slabs, not with high-quality materials like marble.

Most of the buildings that Niu Da donated to build in the past were paved with rammed earth, and it was rare to see bluestone slabs laid on top of the rammed earth.

“There aren’t many people like you who, even after making a fortune, still think about their hometown!” Xiao Niu said politely.

The news that Niu Dajia was going to build a road for Niushan Village spread quickly.

Xiao Fubao's family started slaughtering pigs on the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month. People lined up to buy pork from midnight to 9 pm on the first day, for a whole day.

In order to buy that half a pound of meat to eat during the Chinese New Year.

The villagers of Niushan Village bought the most meat, with each household buying about 20 to 30 jin (10-15 kg). After all, they have money now, and everyone wants to live a good life where they can eat meat every month.

Over seven consecutive days, a total of 21 pigs were slaughtered, yielding more than 20,000 jin (approximately 10,000 kg) of pork. Most of the pork was sold in the shop, while a small portion was bought by nearby villagers.

Because it was Chinese New Year, Niu Da and Shen Yu brought many good things from Dingdu, some of which people from other places had never even seen before.

"I bought this radiant silk from a man from the Southern Yue region. Such fine silk surpasses any other silk or satin."

"I'm thinking of buying these as birthday gifts for our fourth and fifth daughters in their 20th birthday celebrations." "Our fifth daughter is outstanding; once dressed up, she'll definitely be the most beautiful girl in our Niushan Village."

The prettiest girl in Niushan Village is currently eating cheese, while Xiao Heng next to her is carefully wiping Xiao Fubao's little mouth.