"Damn it, how dare you hit my older brother? I'll fight you to the death!"

The man with triangular eyes roared and swung his machete at Zhao Qingyan.

Madam Huang observed the enemy formation from the carriage, completely unconcerned about whether her granddaughter would be injured.

Just fight it out; what I hate most is having to talk nonsense before you can even start.

Since they had already notified her, Zhao Qingyan naturally had to respond.

He dodged the big guy's stick by sidestepping, then rolled to the side of the triangular-eyed man's legs. No need for formalities; one blow sent the triangular-eyed man staggering a meter away.

The cleaver naturally flew out as well.

Having solved two, there were three left, and Zhao Qingyan felt completely at ease.

He could wait for the other party to come forward again, then jump up and deliver a flying kick, one kick for each of the three standing men, who fell to the ground with a "thump, thump".

Carrying a baseball bat and chewing on a foxtail grass, Qingyan is a complete hoodlum.

"You'll have to train for a few more years to beat me."

After saying that, he didn't forget to wipe his nose with his thumb, looking quite smug.

Back to Huang's side, "Grandma, they're all lying down, what do we do down there?"

After thinking for a moment, Huang said, "Why don't we break his leg and throw him by the roadside?"

Zhao Qingyan thought about it for a moment,

"No, I want to tie them all up and write a big word on their faces."

He reached into the small basket as a cover and took out a hemp rope from inside.

They went back to the group of "mountain clearers," tied everyone up, and the process was smooth, accompanied by screams of agony.

Take out an oil-based marker and write "robber" on everyone's face.

They robbed the robbers of all their money, and then unloaded the horses from the carts the robbers had brought over, tying them to the back of the mule cart.

I jumped onto the mule cart and followed my grandmother home.

The road ahead was smooth, and in the afterglow of the setting sun, the grandfather and grandson finally arrived home.

Fortunately, everyone had closed their doors and were preparing to go to sleep; otherwise, the mule cart that the grandfather and grandson had driven back would have been surrounded by onlookers.

The sight of the mule cart returning fully loaded nearly made the Zhao family's eyes pop out of their sockets.

The women: "We're doomed, we've run out of money..."

The men said, "Mother must have sold the ginseng for a good price..."

Old Master Zhao said, "My wife is always so thoughtful..."

Children: "Grandma bought some delicious food, that's great..."

Zhao Minggeng: "My daughter is the most capable..."

Looking at the things laid out on the floor of the main room, even the Zhao family, who had prepared themselves mentally, did not expect that Huang Shi and Zhao Qingyan would bring back so many things today.

Dividing the spoils—no, distributing the supplies—is the most enjoyable thing.

"These fabrics today were purchased per person."

As for whether you use the cotton to make clothes or quilts, I, your old woman, don't care. We'll give each room some cotton back later.

Don't think you can send all these things to your parents' home just because you have a lot. Today, my daughter and I went to the city and we were robbed on our way back.

Prices in the county town are also soaring every day, especially for food.

I saw many beggars in the city; I heard they came from nearby counties.

For a long time to come, we won't be buying anything new for the family. I can't say for sure whether it will be a year, two years, or longer.

To the eldest son's wife, the second son's wife, and to all the daughters-in-law of Qingshan and Qingling, tomorrow I will give each of you two taels of silver so that your husbands can accompany you back to your parents' home for a visit.

Whether you want to leave the money to your parents' family or keep it for yourselves, this old woman doesn't care.

You are not allowed to mention anything about your husband's family.

After tomorrow, no one in our family is allowed to leave the house, understand?

After Huang finished speaking, the daughters-in-law gradually calmed down from their initial excitement. The eldest aunt, Wang, was the one who thought things through the most.

"Mother, you mean it's possible..." Huang nodded, leaving the rest unsaid.

If cotton, fabric, and candy are what women and children like, then writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones are what the men of the Zhao family like the most.

"Mom, why did you buy all these things? Are they for Dad?"

Even the usually composed Uncle Zhao Changgeng was so excited that his mouth was trembling.

Huang looked at her eldest son, then at her other children and grandchildren, and felt a pang of sadness.

"These writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones are for you."

Your father was well-versed in literature from a young age, but unfortunately, he had terrible luck in exams and always encountered problems.

In particular, when he was 17 years old and preparing to take an exam, he was caught in a famine and came to the foot of Daqingshan Mountain with his clansmen.

When you were little, we wanted to send you brothers to school, but we didn't have the money.

Your father's health isn't good either. When you grow up, he'll have to find you wives.

Then, with the birth of your grandchildren one by one, we haven't had the money to send any of your male children to school all these years.

I feel guilty just thinking about my wife.

My dear daughter is so lucky; she found a ginseng root in the mountains.

I sold them today and bought all these things back. From now on, your father will teach you how to learn.

The writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone can be used by the men first.

The women should start by making a sand table, sketching it out with twigs. Everyone in our Zhao family must learn to read and write.

Don't be blind to the truth, or you'll end up being sold out and still counting the money for the seller.

I heard a story from someone in the city.

A wealthy man's family said they were looking for a long-term worker and needed to sign some documents. After pressing their fingerprints, they realized that what they thought was a document was actually a contract of indenture.

When his family found out, they went to make a scene and he was beaten and had his leg broken.

Even the county magistrate was helpless; it was all clearly written in black and white, so he could only accept his bad luck.

Starting tomorrow, I will spend an hour every evening after dinner learning to recognize characters.

Alright, that's enough for now. Those of you going back to your parents' homes, don't bring the little ones. Go early and come back early.

With a wave of his hand, everyone in the main room immediately dispersed.

Hug your things and hurry back to your room.

Zhao Qingyan's two younger brothers, Qingyang and Qingyi, carried the candies and snacks given to them by their sister and went back to their room to enjoy them.

Zhao Qingyan stayed behind, waiting to tell Grandpa Zhao about the valley and her storage space.

After closing the doors and windows, Madam Huang pressed the old man into a chair and began to recount the journey up the mountain and Zhao Qingyan's secret. The old man's eyes widened in disbelief.

Finally, his eyes and mouth were wide open, and he couldn't close them for a long time.

Huang couldn't bear to watch any longer and reached out to shut the old man's mouth.

"Old woman, pinch me! Is this for real?" Old Master Zhao was utterly shocked.

Huang gave him a flick on the forehead, but she held back, otherwise Old Master Zhao's head would have exploded.

"Look at you, so easily frightened. What's the big deal? Back in the mountains, my sweet girl made that giant python disappear in an instant, and I wasn't even surprised."

Zhao Qingyan covered her mouth and chuckled.

"You're not making a fuss over nothing, you're just exhausted and all you can do is gasp for breath."

Huang's sharp eyes swept over them. "You brat, don't you know how to give your grandma any face?"

Grandpa Zhao finally recovered from his shock and stared intently at his granddaughter.

With a slap on her forehead, Zhao Qingyan knew it was time for her performance again.