After Huang Xiaosan left, Jiang Nuan and the other two followed him out.

After wandering around for an hour, buying a bunch of things and spending all that was left was the money for a chartered car, we reluctantly returned to the courtyard.

After resting for a while, it was nearly dusk when we left the county town.

Before leaving, Jiang Nuan didn't forget to take out the IOU and wave it in front of Manager Jin, "My dear in-law, friendship is friendship, and business is business. Remember, hurry up and raise the money. The family is waiting for this money to save their lives."

Jiang Nuan had just spent all the money she had earned, and she wished she could chop off her hands.

However, the family is lacking too many things, and they can't afford not to spend the money. In a few days, another fifty taels of silver will be deposited into the account.

Thinking about it this way makes it less painful.

“Mother-in-law,” Manager Jin said, feeling a little heartbroken, “you don’t need to remind me again and again, I won’t renege on my debt.”

He signed the contract in black and white; there was no way he could renege on it.

Moreover, he couldn't possibly ignore his own daughter's situation.

"Then hurry up," Jiang Nuan waved her hand, "I'm leaving first, I'll wait for you to bring the money at home, hurry up~"

After saying that, Jiang Nuan sat in the carriage and drove away from the county town with a clanging sound.

In Huangjiakou, Wang looked at the two oxcarts full of cabbages and was somewhat bewildered.

"Hey guys, did you come to the wrong place?"

"Is this Huang Lin's house in Huangjiakou?"

“That’s right,” Wang said hesitantly, looking at the visitor. “But no one in our family buys cabbage.”

There are so many cabbages, we can't finish them in three months.

Spring is here, and all sorts of fresh vegetables will be available. Are we buying so many cabbages to feed the pigs?

But isn't that a huge waste?

“That’s right,” Dashan explained with a smile. “My aunt-in-law bought it from the shopkeeper. She’s behind us and will be back in a bit. If you have any questions, just ask her.”

After Dashan finished speaking, he carried the cabbage into the yard to unload it.

"My mother?" Upon hearing this, Madam Wang's eyes flickered, and she did not refuse again.

Jiang Nuan's family was frantic last night because they couldn't find her, and they're planning to ask the villagers for help in finding her.

It was only when they met a relative visiting Huangjiakou that they learned that their mother and second brother and sister-in-law had gone to the county town.

She guessed he was going to see his mistress, and that put her worries at ease.

I was supposed to come back yesterday, but I ended up spending the night in the county.

After Dashan and another worker finished unloading all the cabbages and left, Jiang Nuan approached Huangjiakou.

By this time, it was already getting dark, and a cold wind swept through the treetops, making a whistling sound that was quite eerie.

“Mom,” Huang Xiaosan shook his arm, “I’m a little scared.”

"Mom," Xie Jiao clung to Jiang Nuan's arm, refusing to let go, "I'm scared too~"

Cough cough...

Jiang Nuan looked at Huangjiakou, which was right in front of her, and was somewhat speechless. "We'll be home soon. Just hang in there a little longer."

"Auntie," the young man driving the cart chimed in, "I've been driving people for two or three years now, and this is the first time I've seen anyone go home this late. Why didn't you come earlier?"

If it weren't for the extra ten coins, he could have stayed at a nearby relative's house and would never have done this business.

There are mountains everywhere, and it takes courage to travel in the dark.

"I didn't pay attention to the time, and I've been dawdling until now," Jiang Nuan said dismissively.

"Be more careful next time," the driver earnestly advised. "It's not safe at night, so try not to travel at night."

“I’ll remember,” Jiang Nuan smiled gratefully. “Thank you for reminding me, sir.”

As Jiang Nuan approached the Huang family's residence, she saw a yellowish halo shining through the crack in the door.

Huang Xiaosan tried to shout, but Jiang Nuan covered his mouth and said, "Don't make a sound."

With a glance, Xie immediately went up and knocked on the door.

Inside the courtyard, the adults of the Huang family gathered in the hall, sitting around the table where they usually ate.

"Wife," Old Huang said listlessly, his voice becoming languid, "Didn't you say Mother was coming back today? Why isn't she back yet?"

“That’s right,” Huang Lao Er said anxiously. “My wife has been gone for two days, why hasn’t she come back yet? Da Ya keeps crying for her mother.”

"It should be soon, don't rush." ​​Wang rubbed her forehead, feeling annoyed by the two brothers.

Every now and then, after a cup of tea, the two brothers would ask again, taking turns. Even the good-tempered Mrs. Wang found it hard to bear.

"Second brother, don't rush your sister-in-law," Huang the eldest frowned and glanced at Huang the second, "She's not our mother, how would she know these things?"

These words made Huang Lao Er extremely angry.

Clearly, it was the eldest brother who was pushing the most, and now he's pretending to be a good guy. How annoying.

Just as I was about to speak, my ears twitched and I heard a knock on the door.

Madam Xie pressed her face against the door and whispered inside, "Husband, open the door."

"My wife is back!" Huang Lao Er looked up in surprise and ran out to open the door.

"Wife, you're finally back," he said, pulling Xie back into the courtyard before looking outside. "Where's Mother?"

“Here it is,” Jiang Nuan’s voice came from inside the carriage. “Second brother, call everyone in the family over. Be careful when moving things.”

The Huang family was large, and the things on the carriage were quickly emptied.

After seeing the young man off, Huang Xiaosan closed the door and returned to the hall.

"Mother," Old Huang's voice trembled slightly, "why did you buy so much stuff?"

There was everything—food, clothes, and other necessities—pile up half the room.

This was the first time in his life he had seen so many things.

"Not many, I suppose." Jiang Nuan rested her chin on her hand and glanced at the table.

Aside from salt, wine, chili peppers, and the usual odds and ends Huang Xiaosan uses, there's only this cloth and brown sugar pastry...

"You call this not much stuff?" Huang Lao Er exclaimed in surprise. "Mom, our family hasn't bought this much in all these years."

In addition to fabrics, brown sugar candied fruits and pastries, there were also beaded hair ties, embroidery thread, and a small iron pot...

He remembered that his family had never bought so many things when his father was alive.

He roughly estimated the price in his mind; this pile of stuff was enough to marry a wife.

My goodness!

How come he didn't know there was so much money in the family?

Could it be that there's gold buried in the house?

In an instant, all sorts of random thoughts flashed through Huang Lao Er's mind.

“Husband,” Xie Jiao pinched Huang Lao Er’s soft flesh, “Don’t make a fuss, Mother will explain.”

“That’s right,” Jiang Nuan nodded. “Nothing serious. I made a little money and bought some things for the house. It’s too late today, so I’ll tell you the details tomorrow.”

“Mom, we’re not sleepy,” Huang Lao Er said, looking at Jiang Nuan with great enthusiasm. “Just tell us now, the kids at home are already asleep.”

He knew his mother would definitely cause some trouble, so he sent Xiao Si, Xiao Wu, and Huang Yi to put the children to sleep early on.

Those kids should have been asleep long ago.

Jiang Nuan looked around and found that Huang Laoda and Wang Shi were also very interested, so she decided to start talking about it.

"I sold ten recipes in the county town this time, which will earn me eight hundred taels of silver. Five hundred taels will be used for the Xiaosan contract, and the remaining three hundred taels will be paid by Manager Jin in half a year, with fifty taels delivered each month."

"Eight, eight hundred taels of silver?" Upon hearing this, even the usually composed Boss Huang's voice trembled.