"I don't think so," Xie said, her eyes wide. "It's one thing for them to throw themselves at us, but what about my husband and the others? They're men, aren't they?"

As he spoke, he clenched his fist tightly.

If any woman dares to pounce on her husband, she will tear those vixens to shreds!

"Don't worry, it shouldn't be that bad," Jiang Nuan's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. "We moved to the mountain just to avoid getting involved in trouble and to escape the heat. If anyone really has bad intentions, I won't let them get away with it."

However, Jiang Nuan felt that this was unlikely.

Just by looking at how those people fawned over them today, you can tell they didn't dare offend their own family.

Thinking of this, Jiang Nuan felt deflated.

If orphans want to grow up safely, they inevitably have to go through trials and tribulations, various struggles and schemes. With more experience, they will learn these skills without being taught.

However, despite possessing a wealth of skills, he had no opportunity to use them. After arriving here, there was no domestic intrigue, no business warfare, and even his top-tier combat abilities were quite weak...

Life is too comfortable!

I'm getting a little bored.

“No,” Xie said, still worried. “You two talk, I’ll go out and take a look.”

What if her husband is so stupid and gets bullied by others?

After saying that, he left in a hurry.

“I’ll go take a look too,” Jin explained, blushing. “It’s not that I’m worried about my husband, but I have something to discuss with him.”

She couldn't bring herself to protect her husband as openly as Xie did.

The way this seemed like a cover-up amused Jiang Nuan. "Go if you want," she said.

As for Wang Shi, who was standing to the side seemingly lost in thought, Jiang Nuan subconsciously ignored her completely.

She used to try her best to treat everyone equally, but some people didn't understand her good intentions.

Since that's the case, we might as well live life according to our own wishes.

That's right, she simply prefers the clever and quick-witted Xie and Jin, and there's no need to hide it anymore.

Perhaps because she had been in the shadows for too long, she came to crave the sunshine. She wanted to live a sunny life herself and was impatient with those around her who were gloomy.

Xie's worries were in vain; the Huang brothers were busy with their shop in the county town and had not encountered any excessive enthusiasm.

Xiao Si and Xiao Pang, on the other hand, returned home half-crying.

"Mother, your youngest son can no longer go to school."

"Hmm?" Jiang Nuan raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Mother...you..."

Huang Xiaosi wanted to act coquettishly, her voice sounding aggrieved and lingering.

“Don’t speak,” Jiang Nuan interrupted him. “Little Fatty, you speak.”

"The teacher told us to come back," Huang Yi said, touching his nose, "saying that the two of us were affecting his teaching."

"What happened?"

“I want to know too,” Huang Xiaosi pouted. “I don’t know what’s going on these past few days, but suddenly there are more than a dozen people in the school, and they’re always hanging around the two of us.”

"The Master shouldn't be that petty."

"Well," Huang Xiaosi lowered his head and explained in a low voice, "they insisted on sitting next to us and even argued about it, which was caught by the teacher."

Thinking about this filled Huang Xiaosi with endless resentment.

It's not like I had a conflict with anyone, so why did I send those brothers home?

What he didn't know was that the Master had been forced to drink countless amounts of alcohol and attend countless banquets because of these brothers. His health was already poor, and he still had to teach during the day, so he was exhausted and had no choice but to send the culprit away.

"Then don't go to school yet. Come with us to the mountains to escape the summer heat and study on your own first. I'll think about which academy to send you to."

The town school wasn't bad, but it couldn't compare to the academy where a great scholar presided.

Whether for the sake of the imperial examinations or to broaden their horizons, both sons should be sent to an academy.

I didn't have connections to get in before, but now that I have the chance, I definitely can't miss it.

"How about Lin Yuan Academy in the prefectural city?" Huang Xiaosi suggested excitedly. "That's the best academy in all of southern Henan."

He paused for a moment, then said wistfully, "Actually, the best university in the country is the Imperial Academy. I heard that princes and nobles all study there, and the teachers are all great Confucian scholars of the time, with extensive knowledge and illustrious reputations. Unfortunately, I can only dream about it."

"You really dare to dream," Jiang Nuan couldn't help but scoff. "Only the direct descendants of officials of the third rank or above can go to the Imperial Academy. Our family is just an ordinary farming family. Go wash up and go to bed early."

"Mother," Huang Xiaosi's face fell, "Can't I even fantasize about it? What if it comes true?"

“There’s no ‘what if’,” Jiang Nuan retorted. “Even if you could go to the Imperial Academy, you can’t go now.”

"Why? How could Mother bear to refuse such a wonderful opportunity?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Xie couldn't help but speak up, "Putting aside the possibility of it being possible, even if you were incredibly lucky and could actually go, how could I possibly feel at ease with you two little kids who are not even twelve years old?"

"You guys can come along too~" Huang Xiaosi said weakly, pointing at his finger.

"What are you dreaming about?" Jiang Nuan couldn't help but tap him. "If you want to study, no one will stop you. After the fourteenth, you can travel freely. You want your whole family to follow you around just to study? Dream on."

"Mother, I'm your youngest son!"

Huang Xiaosi felt wronged.

"Neither can I!"

"What if it were Xiao Wu instead?" Xiao Si asked, unwilling to give up.

"Xiao Wu," Jiang Nuan paused, then mumbled, "we'll talk about it later."

She really felt sorry for this little girl.

She is sensible, obedient, and well-behaved. Since she started learning medicine from Dr. Gu, she has been studying diligently every day without complaining or feeling tired.

Now he climbs mountains to collect medicinal herbs every day.

"You're being unfair!" Huang Xiaosi said indignantly. "Mom, can't you be a little fair?"

Jiang Nuan pretended not to hear this and changed the subject, "Go pack your things. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll be staying on the mountain until the end of summer, which is more than three months."

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered Manager Jin, "Yingying, after your father moved out, he's been living with Qiushan and the others?"

"Yes, he's much better now and they're discussing going into business together."

"Didn't you say you wanted to settle down with us? Have you changed your mind?"

"No, my dad doesn't have much money and doesn't want to take advantage of our family for nothing."

Settling down is not just about changing your household registration; you also need to buy a house and land.

Jiang Nuan hadn't brought this up, and Manager Jin didn't feel comfortable bringing it up either. So they decided to take the opportunity to do some business and make more money, and then use the money to buy it later.

“He’s overthinking it,” Jiang Nuan said, somewhat speechless. “I only care about getting them registered; I don’t care about the house or the land. They have to pay for it themselves.”

“Mother,” Jin looked up in surprise, “Didn’t you have a house built for us to live in?”

With over a dozen courtyards, does Mother intend for each person to have their own?

"No, the houses are being built now to prevent people from building haphazardly in the future, for the sake of planning, but if you want a house, you have to buy it with money."

“I see,” Jin said with a sudden realization. “It seems my father misunderstood.”

“Even so,” Madam Xie said with certainty, “Mother will definitely not let your father suffer any losses.”

“Whether it’s a house or land, you only pay half price, but,” she added, changing the subject, “only your father gets this treatment.”