Sure enough, after Zhao Minggeng and his two sons returned home, Zhao Qingyang brought his father a silver note containing 2,000 taels of silver.

Zhao Qingni locked himself in his study, and when it was time for dinner, he brought out a painting.

"Father, this painting was done by your son."

You can have it framed and sent to a painting studio. The price might be high, but you should be able to sell it for around three to five hundred taels.

That's about all the skill my son has; after all, it's not easy to draw a good picture.

"I was inspired to draw this today."

Zhao Minggeng received the money and the painting today, and he was very happy, although he felt somewhat ashamed.

In other families, it's the father who gives money to the son, but in their family, it's the other way around.

Zhao Minggeng even had the illusion that he was already living a life of retirement.

His son gives him pocket money regularly, so he has no worries about food and drink and is very happy.

He shook his head, as if trying to shake the water that had just gotten into his brain.

"Father thanks you both for your filial piety. Father doesn't have much money right now, so I'll accept it without hesitation."

Dad is planning to go back to the surrounding countryside to buy some land, so that at least the produce from the land will be enough for our family to eat.

If we raise some more poultry and livestock, then our household will have enough to eat and use.

Although your older sister has been providing for our family's food and drink all these years,

But your sister also has times when she's not feeling well. We can't just starve then, can we?

Buying groceries outside is not only expensive, but the food is also not very tasty.

It's more convenient for us to raise and grow them ourselves..."

After rambling on and on, the two brothers concluded that their father was always thinking about potential dangers even in times of peace.

At the same time, it was indeed because he was short of money that he felt frustrated, and having money gave him confidence.

Zhao Qingyang also offered constructive suggestions.

"If possible, Father, please buy a larger plot of land, preferably one that is all connected, like a manor or something."

It will be easier to manage then.

If Dad doesn't have enough money, he can tell his son, and the son can lend it to him.

Zhao Minggeng wanted to continue being polite, but Zhao Qingyang raised his hand to stop him.

"Father, there's no need to be so polite. If you never remarry in this life, all the property you have now will belong to us three siblings."

Consider this my investment in advance.

As for my sister, she has made the greatest contribution to our family, so Dad, please don't bring her into this.

My abilities are limited to the monthly travelogue commissions and some money from selling paintings.

I'm doing alright here; my monthly income is pretty good for now.

However, just as my father said, it seems we should indeed acquire some land.

After all, I'll need to buy another house to live in when I get married.

Young man, you should start making preparations on your end too.

As for where to buy houses and land, Father will have to put in more effort.

My brother and I are currently very busy preparing for next year's imperial examinations.

After saying that, the two brothers went back to their rooms, leaving Zhao Minggeng standing there bewildered in the wind.

"You two brats, why did you push the work onto me? I'm busy too."

Silence was Zhao Minggeng's only response.

"Sigh, everyone says that raising children is for old age security, but if you ask me, even if you raise a son, you'll still get old eventually."

What's the use of raising a son? He can just throw a tantrum and walk away, and no matter how much you shout, it won't make a difference.

Zhao Minggeng muttered to himself, and his two sons indeed went back to their study to continue reading.

I missed reading quite a few pages of my book today because I went on a picnic in the morning, which wasn't worth it.

Early the next morning, several luxurious carriages arrived in front of the Zhao residence, and servants went up to knock on the door knocker of the Zhao residence.

The doorman opened the door from the inside.

"Young man, who are you looking for?" the doorman asked.

The doorman was also very polite, clasping his hands in greeting.

"Young man, I am from Princess Yan Yue's family."

I am grateful to Master Zhao and his two sons for protecting my princess from disaster yesterday.

"I have come today on the orders of my princess to deliver a gift of gratitude to your esteemed household."

This young man, whether in appearance or demeanor, was extremely distinguished, far superior to the boys they had picked up from the dilapidated temple.

The doorman quickly asked someone to wait a moment while he went in to inform them.

Only the Zhao brothers, Zhao Qingyang and Zhao Qingyang, were at home. So, the two young masters came out to greet the group of people from the princess's residence who were bringing gifts.

The two brothers met Uncle Wa, the head steward of the princess's residence.

He's called Uncle Wa because when he was born, his father's wish was for the family to save enough money to replace the roof tiles with new ones.

That way, you won't always have to worry about the thatch on the roof being blown away on windy days, or about leaks on rainy days.

Uncle Wa was given the name of a tile from birth.

Later, when Uncle Wa was six years old, his hometown suffered a disaster, making his already impoverished life even worse.

The family had no choice but to flee the famine.

When they arrived outside the capital, they happened to run into a palace eunuch who was on his way to buy servants. The eunuch said he wanted to buy servants, so Tile Father made a tough decision and sold Tile.

Tile Father knew perfectly well what the little boy would experience once he entered the palace.

However, rather than let their son starve to death along with the rest of the family, it would be better to send him to the palace, where he could at least survive.

Of course, these words can only fool small fry.

When the imperial court had already stated that it could provide resettlement places for displaced people...

Tile Father even sold his son, not only for the 10 taels of silver, but also because he wanted Tile to earn a monthly income for his family after he entered the palace.

That's the real, continuous benefit.

Sometimes things are just like that; man proposes, God disposes. After the tile entered the palace, it found a good master.

Master has stayed in the palace for so many years,

He's seen it all, both good and bad, and he teaches Tiles all the time, whether there's a reason or not.

Tile also realized that his father's so-called "having no choice" was all for his own good, and that it was complete nonsense.

The tile-covered father, who spends his days at home anxiously waiting for his son to bring back his monthly allowance as a sign of filial piety,

He died without ever receiving a single copper coin from the roof tiles.

Once he entered the palace, he had no connection with his original family. Even if his father wanted to sue his son for being unfilial, he would not have the opportunity.

The tile worked very hard in the palace and was later assigned to serve in the palace of the eldest princess's mother.

When the eldest princess got married, she came to the princess's residence as part of her dowry and became the steward of the princess's residence.

The small tile became an old tile, so everyone in the princess's mansion would respectfully call him Uncle Tile.

As for his surname, nobody knows; Uncle Wa doesn't even bother to mention it.

Which man would want to be childless for the rest of his life? But his father was willing to let his son go through the ordeal.

When Zhao Qingyang and his brother met Uncle Wa, they were very respectful.

This respect is not like respect for power, but rather the courtesy shown to an elder.

Upon entering the house, instead of serving ordinary tea, they brought out a pot of fruit and flower tea.

"Uncle Wa, have a taste. This fruit and flower tea is made from various dried fruits. It tastes slightly sweet and is very thirst-quenching and refreshing, especially suitable for this dry autumn."

And those cakes, they're also homemade, made with fresh hawthorn, they're very appetizing.

If Uncle Wa doesn't mind, we'll have someone pack some more for him later.

In this weather, it should keep for three to five days without any problem.