Ever since He Dabao and He Erbao were kicked out of the family for getting into a fight, the whole family has been like a fully inflated sheepskin raft, ready to explode at any moment.

Xiao Wan originally had eighty taels of silver, enough to make her incredibly wealthy in the countryside. However, He Zifeng divided the family property, giving her ten taels, building a house twenty taels, instructing Liangzi to set fire to the house for five taels, losing two taels, spending five taels on medical expenses, and having her deposit of twenty taels returned from the soy sauce shop. The family was left with only eighteen taels of silver. Each expenditure was incredibly painful, and now He Donglai was constantly berating her at home.

Xiao Wan didn't dare to go against him. He Da Bao and He Er Bao dropped out of school, and at least twenty taels of silver that had been spent on them went down the drain. Everyone was furious.

The family was no longer willing to spend money to bribe officials to send the two children to school. Xu Li had no choice but to use the ten taels of silver he had saved over the years to bribe the teacher, hoping to get his children back to school. The teacher accepted the gift, only telling them to wait a little longer.

When Wan Hai heard that He Zifeng had actually sent his son to school, how could he not be angry?

Xu Li said, "What's the difference between him giving his gift and us giving ours?" They were sending their children to the most famous private school in the county, Jiming Private School. The school was extremely selective in its admissions, and his two sons, who were exceptionally talented, were admitted despite the high standards. He Zifeng guessed that the ordinary private school he sent his children to couldn't compare.

Wan Hai said, "You don't know, He Zifeng has always liked to compete with me since he was a child. Whatever I do, he does too."

He Zifeng used to always be outmatched by him, which only added to the village's amusement. But now that they've separated from the family and moved out, Wan Hai is free to do as he pleases, which puts him at a huge disadvantage and he gets scolded all the time.

Strangely enough, He Donglai hasn't changed at all. Before, he always cursed He Zifeng, and Wan Hai didn't think much of it. Now that he's cursing him, Wan Hai realizes he can't stand living like this for even a day.

Hearing the shouts and curses outside, he was seething with anger, not knowing who to vent it on. He used to be very gentle and composed, but now his temper was getting worse and worse, and his three children were afraid to talk to him.

Wan Hai then called He Dabao and He Erbao over and said, "It wasn't easy for your father to support your studies. You must make something of yourselves and live a respectable life, so that no one will look down on you."

The two children also felt some regret. They didn't understand why their grandparents didn't like them as much as before, and they were constantly yelling at them in the yard. If they had known that coming back would be like this, they would never have returned, even if it meant death.

"Father, don't worry, we will definitely study hard." They couldn't wait to go back to the private school. Life there was much easier than here.

Wan Hai looked at the two children and said, "If you don't study hard, you'll end up like your second uncle."

Xu Li, listening nearby, frowned. They'd caused such a stir in the village recently; so many people were watching. Why did they have to stir up trouble? If others overheard, they'd start gossiping again. Xu Li was the village chief's youngest son, a respectable man in the village, and he was thoroughly fed up with being constantly embroiled in the He family's affairs. Besides, what did adults' business have to do with children?

Wan Hai said, “You must pack your things and go back to the private school right now. If the teacher doesn’t accept you for a day, you will kneel outside for a day. If he doesn’t accept you for a year, you will kneel there for a year.”

After Wan Hai finished speaking, he waved his hand and let the children run away.

Xu Li frowned beside him. Wan Hai, however, said indifferently, "He Zifeng doesn't even know his own limitations. If you want to compete, then compete!" Wan Hai originally didn't care about He Zifeng, but seeing him taking his child to school made Wan Hai feel very threatened and he became paranoid.

...

The next morning, Qiuyu bought some peach shortbread, steamed buns and other pastries and sent some to Master Lin, and also sent some to her son.

Seeing that Xiao Heran was adapting quite well, Qiu Yu felt a little relieved. She said, "Share good things with your friends, be a good boy, and listen to your teacher."

Little He Ran was overjoyed to see his little daddy the very next day. Qiu Yu squatted down, and Little He Ran said, "I want you to hold me, but it's not convenient right now. Can you hold me when I get back?" Children also have their own competitive nature; if someone is held, they'll be teased for being a baby.

Qiu Yu touched her son's face and said, "Okay."

Xiao Heran winked playfully and said, "Don't forget to pick me up during your vacation."

Seeing my son like this made me feel much more relaxed. He's our only child, and he's never eaten or lived with other children before, so he finds it quite novel. Besides, the rules here aren't too strict, so if I really miss him, I can come and visit.

When Qiu Yu returned, He Zifeng was skillfully making pancakes. Their savory pancakes now have many repeat customers who specifically wait to get up early to buy them.

He Zifeng was extremely busy, and Qiu Yu's timely return greatly relieved his pressure.

A regular customer nearby said, "My wife ate your pancakes and said she'd never make them again. If she wants some, just come and buy some!"

"Why don't you make more? I couldn't buy any yesterday." The people who come here to buy pancakes all live nearby. When they have to wait a long time for the pancakes to be made, they greet each other and chat while they're bored. Now they're like old acquaintances.

Their prices are reasonable. The security escort agency ordered forty, and others bought two or three at a time. The restaurant staff even ran errands for customers in the morning, buying a dozen or so at a time. Now, it's getting harder and harder to buy their cakes.

Qiu Yu said, "Let's make more tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, everyone laughed and said, "That's great. Sometimes we crave your savory pancakes for lunch, but unfortunately they're not available."

"Thank you for saying that. I'm planning to buy two more tickets, so I won't have to worry about what to eat for lunch."

He Zifeng sold out of pancakes early. He even closed up shop earlier than yesterday. He picked up a sheepskin bag; it wasn't filled with wine, but with well water that morning. Although it didn't have the refreshing coolness of freshly drawn water, it still had a natural sweetness and was very thirst-quenching.

There were too many people earlier, so He Zifeng didn't ask. Now, after quickly packing up his stall and leaving some heavy cooking utensils at their rented backyard, he returned to the city lightly equipped with iron pots and sauces: "Did you see Ranran?"

"Hmm." Qiu Yu felt that her son was stronger than herself. She said, "I guess he wanted to go after seeing He Dabao and the others studying before. He just never mentioned it." This child is so sensible: "Since my son wants to study, I must support him."

A trip to the shop selling writing brushes and ink costs three hundred coins for such a small item. He's only just begun his education; if he continues studying, who knows how much it will cost? He needs to earn more money.

Actually, their business has always been quite profitable. It's just that they were penniless before, but now they've acquired land, built houses, and sent their children to school. They're spending money faster than they're earning it, so they need to save more money.

After Qiuyu returned, she bought another sixty catties of soy sauce. Uncle Cripple asked, "Will you be able to use it all?" He was taking things too quickly. The soy sauce jar, which was as tall as a person, was almost empty.

Qiu Yu said, "Uncle, please make a few more vats. I'll come to you whenever I need soy sauce."

Uncle Cripple said, "Don't worry, I still have two big vats. I'll add five more this year, so it won't delay your business."

Qiu Yu felt relieved after hearing his words, and then went to the ceramics shop to buy small bottles. Quite a few people buy their chili sauce these days. If you don't bring a bowl, you'll have to borrow theirs; this time she planned to order some small bottles specifically for pickles.

Upon arriving there, I discovered tiny bottles, about the size of a palm. They even had lids, and the most amazing thing was the spiral pattern on the lids. If sealed tightly, the contents inside wouldn't spoil for a month. Apparently, their master craftsman even went to the provincial capital to pay for training to learn this craft. Each tiny bottle cost two coins, no bargaining.

Qiu Yu saw that the bottle could probably hold half a pound of sauce, so she bought a hundred of them.

Qiu Yu and He Zifeng were originally unremarkable people in the village. But seeing that he had built a big house and sent his son to school, they realized he had some ability and started paying attention to him. They discovered that Qiu Yu went to Uncle Cripple's place to buy soy sauce every day.

Some gloating people told He Donglai about it. Everyone knew that He Donglai's forty vats of soybean paste had been returned, and he was worried about what to do. Upon hearing this, He Donglai immediately told Wan Hai to contact He Zifeng to sell the soybean paste.

Wan Hai had barely managed to send his son back to the private school and hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath when He Donglai started causing him trouble again. He refused. In Wan Hai's eyes, going to He Zifeng would be admitting he was inferior. He said, "It's just a few dozen catties of soy sauce; I can sell it all outside!"

He Donglai cursed loudly, "Go ahead and sell it! You talk a big game all the time, but when it comes to actually doing it, you turn into a coward. If you don't sell me a jar of sauce today, you're not allowed to eat."

Wan Hai felt a bit humiliated after being scolded by He Donglai, but this emotion vanished quickly. He said to He Donglai, "I'll go to the market; I'm sure I can sell them." He used to wait for customers to come to him, so going to the market was already a step down for him.

The two were talking outside the courtyard when they heard a loud shout from inside. Wan Hai and He Donglai rushed in and found that it was Liangzi, who had disappeared for several days. They didn't know how he had sneaked in in broad daylight. Xiao Wanshi in the courtyard was terrified.

Liangzi wasn't afraid in front of Wan Hai and He Donglai, and said, "It was Aunt Wan who told me to burn down He Zifeng's house. She hasn't given me the money she promised."

Xiao Wan said, "You're talking nonsense." He clearly gave the money. Liangzi is indeed a scoundrel. He dared to come looking for trouble after doing such a thing.

Liangzi said, "You say you gave it, but who can testify?"

Xiao Wan went alone because he was afraid of being discovered. How shameless of him, he clearly took money.

Liangzi had made up his mind. Knowing that the He family wouldn't dare to make a fuss, he said fearlessly, "If you don't pay up, don't say I'll tell everyone, we'll all be finished."

He Donglai was so angry that he was trembling all over.

Wan Hai knew they were being extorted by a scoundrel, and they dared not make a sound. Especially him, who had just sent his child back to the private school, spending ten taels of silver. His son had been sent back because of a fight, and if it were revealed that his grandmother had set fire to his stepson's house, the child's reputation would be ruined. He would even be expelled. His eyes were almost red with anger, his teeth clenched, and he felt like beating his mother. She was truly more trouble than she was worth.