Li Zhiyuan almost fainted.

He roared, "What does her business have to do with me? Did I have to come all this way to tell you?"

"How can it not concern you?" Granny Zhao retorted, "When you got married, I specifically told her! Now that she's built a big house, of course I have to tell you!"

"You have no idea how well she's been doing since she left you. She's made a fortune selling spicy soup! Now she's even built a huge courtyard. That courtyard, just the fenced area alone, is two acres! Tsk tsk."

Hearing this, Li Zhiyuan felt a surge of bitterness and hatred. That bitch!

Without him, she would live like a stray dog.

Why should they live better and better, and even build a big courtyard!

Moreover, although he felt very happy after marrying Shui Niang after divorcing her, he also felt extremely tired, and his quality of life was not as good as before.

Previously, the Ye family mother and daughter took care of all the big and small matters at home, but now only the mother can handle it.

But that damn woman is so fussy; she'll start arguing endlessly over the smallest household chores.

He used to only need to focus on his studies, but now he has to spend a lot of time copying books and annotating them so he can sell them at the bookstore for money.

Now, not only do I have to support a large family, but I also have to pay for Li Ziming's schooling, and now I also have to support a cripple.

The other day, just treating that cripple cost him two taels of silver, which really broke his heart.

He hasn't changed his pen in a long time, and he's even switched to using the worst paper.

Thinking about it, Li Zhiyuan's face darkened.

"Anyway, Caiping is quite capable and successful now!" said Granny Li.

"Pah!" Li Jiaojiao rushed forward. "What skills does she have? She's just a lousy street vendor; I don't even know if she's earned ten taels of silver!"

"The reason she was able to build such a big house is all because she cheated me out of my money! She cheated me out of a full two hundred taels!"

Zhang Shuiniang quickly chimed in, "Yes, she's a fraud. She used Jiaojiao's money to build a house. What's so great about that?"

Zhang Shuiniang felt a surge of bitterness in her heart.

That lowly peasant woman has already developed a foxy face; we can't let her steal the spotlight anymore.

What skill do you have? He just cheated Jiaojiao out of her money!

"Hmph, petty theft and swindling!" Li Zhiyuan flicked his sleeve.

He admitted that she no longer had feelings for him.

But he didn't think she had any ability or skill.

That spicy soup must have been made by chance, and it just so happened to be quite popular.

But that's all she's capable of. What can a small vendor achieve? At best, she can only earn a few taels of silver.

"Oh, so now you're calling him a swindler?" Granny Zhao laughed. "He didn't force you to buy the jade. Everyone in the village knows it was a bargain; you bought it yourself!"

"And you're even willing to spend two hundred taels to buy it! You're just being a fool, and you blame others for cheating you out of your money? How can you people be so shameless?"

Li Jiaojiao's face turned pale and then red; she had no way to refute these words.

She can't deny it; isn't she just a fool, eagerly handing over money to others?

"Auntie, you should leave now. We don't welcome you in the Li family!" Li Zhiyuan said with a dark face.

Granny Zhao clicked her tongue a few times and said as she walked out, "Not only did she build a house for herself, but she also built one for her second brother. It's also a big brick and tile house, twice the size of yours!"

As he spoke, he had already reached the door, but he was still reluctant to leave, clinging to the door and saying:

"And another thing, she bought a lot of cloth for her family, buying it bolt by bolt. The cloth alone cost more than ten taels of silver. She also bought a cow! Do you have a cow?"

"I also heard that she gave each of her two older brothers thirty taels of silver, and also gave her parents thirty taels of silver. Oh my, how filial she is!"

"Get out of here!" Li Zhiyuan was furious and rushed forward.

Granny Zhao ran off in a flash, saying as she went, "And he calls himself a scholar? Can't even say a few words to him!"

Li Zhiyuan almost vomited blood and slammed the courtyard gate shut.

"That Ye family member will suffer a terrible death!" Li Jiaojiao said sarcastically, hands on her hips.

"She finally managed to swindle two hundred taels of silver, and just like that, she squandered it all. She used it to build a house, buy cattle and cloth, and even gave money to her family. Tsk tsk, she doesn't know how to cherish what she didn't earn herself. She's definitely a village woman who's never seen much money before. She gets carried away as soon as she gets rich."

"This will take up most of it, and then when we hold the banquet, we'll have nothing left!"

Li Zhiyuan was still so angry that his head was spinning.

Even if we spend it all, we still have a big courtyard, right?

Li Zhiyuan was somewhat blaming Li Jiaojiao. If she hadn't insisted on buying that broken jade, how could it have ended up being so cheap and given to that vile woman, Ye Shi!

Li Jiaojiao could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his eyes: "Dad, are you blaming me?"

Zhang Shuiniang immediately put on a stern face: "Zhiyuan, without Jiaojiao's two hundred taels, you can't even support us?"

"Besides, when you proposed to me, Jiaojiao didn't have the money."

Li Zhiyuan was taken aback, and a wave of guilt washed over him.

"No, I didn't blame Jiaojiao... I just didn't expect the Ye family to be so rampant. It's one thing to use the money they cheated Jiaojiao out of to build a house, but they even sent someone to provoke us! I'm a little angry."

Zhang Shuiniang frowned slightly: "What's there to be angry about? No matter how big her house is, it can't surpass yours. You're a scholar!"

"Next year is the triennial autumn imperial examination. Do your best and come back as a successful candidate! Then let's see if she'll still be smiling then."

Li Zhiyuan's eyes lit up. "That's right! Of all professions, only studying is noble!"

He shouldn't be focusing on the Ye family; he should be studying hard!

He is determined to win the imperial examination next autumn!

"Thank you, Shui Niang, I understand!" Li Zhiyuan looked at Zhang Shui Niang's face with even more tenderness.

Sitting to the side, Gu Han was deeply moved by their warm atmosphere.

Such a harmonious family is truly something to aspire to and envy.

He wants to protect this beautiful thing forever.