Inside the main room, Fan Jin said apologetically, "The matter of Magistrate Wu involves your sister. I'm so sorry, we..."

Bai Manshan hurriedly interrupted: "She brought it on herself! Governor Ling told me that the money she received in the past was used for her and her children. Whether she knew it or not, she will definitely be punished."

This has nothing to do with you. It just shows that my brother-in-law's wicked intentions have brought disaster upon his wife, children, and family. My sister only cares about money and doesn't care whether it's earned honestly or not; it was only a matter of time before she met this end.

Even if there were no Shanshui Village, there would be other villages; even if it weren't Fan Jin and Shuiqing, there would be other people!

He can clearly distinguish right from wrong.

Fan Jin understood this to be true, but he wondered, "Brother Bai's mother is getting old. Will she be able to bear knowing about this?"

When children make mistakes, parents will feel heartache even if they know it's wrong. Judging from the last time, Madam Bai clearly dotes on Bai Ling, and I'm afraid she might not be able to accept it and something bad might happen to her. If that happens, her older brother Bai, as her son, will also be saddened.

Bai Manshan forced a smile and sighed, "My mother thought love meant spoiling and indulging her, giving her whatever she wanted, whether she wanted people or money. Little did she know that if she didn't have the ability to protect her wealth, she would be harming her. And without good character, she would easily turn to crooked ways to obtain money if she encountered even the slightest hardship or setback."

To be honest, I had long expected my brother-in-law and his family to end up like this. But in the past, I was of low status and my words of advice were not enough for them to listen to me. I never thought they would be so vicious!

After my mother learned of their crimes, she stayed indoors for more than ten days, filled with remorse, saying that she had harmed her own daughter, and that she would spend the rest of her days eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures to atone for her sins.

In the past, his mother would have forced him to spend money to pull strings and bribe his way out of Bai Ling's case or reduce her punishment. After this incident, especially after the Bai family suffered a great calamity, if it weren't for the fact that Hu Yu's fellow disciples risked their lives to protect them, they and the entire Bai family would have ceased to exist!

For over a year, amidst bandit attacks and extortion by government officials, the mother had come to hate the officials who colluded with the bandits. Now, her own son-in-law was involved, and her own daughter was enjoying the ill-gotten gains. The mother couldn't convince her to accept it.

"To be honest, I'm the one who should feel sorry for you. If it weren't for the Bai family's wealth, my brother-in-law might not have become the county magistrate, and you wouldn't have encountered this situation."

Butcher Hu tried to smooth things over, saying, "No, let's not take the blame! It was their own doing, and they deserved their fate. We should just raise our own children well and live our own lives!"

Bai Manshan smiled genuinely, her jawline becoming even more pronounced, and replied, "Yes, we've overcome many difficulties, and I hope for better days to come."

Just then, Bai Ziqian's voice came from the courtyard, calling for dinner to be served.

The people in the room exchanged smiles. Fan Jin stood up and said gently, "Let's go. A good life is one where we're well-fed and satisfied."

Shuiqing and the other three people in the tea room also came out.

Looking at the emaciated Li Huyu and Bai Manshan, Hu's mother felt heartbroken: "You two should eat more later, and Manshan too, you've become so thin you look unrecognizable! Look at us, we're still in the village, and neither of you has lost any weight, you've actually gotten quite strong. How come you've lost so much weight in the capital city of Nandu?"

Qin Yilin, still plump, followed behind, thinking with emotion that not only the villagers had benefited from Shuiqing's good fortune, but it was their group who had truly enjoyed the blessings of Shuiqing's family!

Amidst floods and war, and the chaos and danger outside, Wen Hua led a team to the prefectural city to purchase various necessities such as grain, cloth, salt, and sugar.