Liu Fang's fiancé came to visit... Liu's mother wondered whether Liu Fang's fiancé knew that the families had separated and that the relationships between the families were not what they seemed on the surface, even though they still had some interactions.

In fact, the eldest branch will never forget that the other branches decided to split up when Liu Yanjing's legs were injured.

"Let him in." said Liu's mother.

Regardless of whether the other person knows about it or not, it would be bad to leave him out when he comes to visit with something.

Zhen Wen Ze is the nephew of the prefect Zhen Da Ren, just two generations apart. Zhen Wen Ze knew that Liu's father had restored his title, so of course he couldn't think of Liu Yulian. He was not much older than Liu Yulian, so it was Liu Fang.

Liu Fang is a concubine's daughter and Zhen Wen Ze is a scholar, so they are a good match.

If Zhen Wenze was the prefect's biological son, perhaps he wouldn't think so. It was mainly because his own status wasn't that high, so he just wanted to establish some kind of kinship.

Zhen Wen Ze thought about the restoration of the Liu family's title, and thought that if the Jingning Marquisate was willing to help him, he would be able to do better.

Mother Liu asked Zhen Wen Ze to sit for a while. She didn't want to entertain Zhen Wen Ze for too long, so she decided to let Father Liu come.

When Father Liu returned home, he heard from the servants that Liu Fang's fiancé Zhen Wen Ze had arrived. He could not help but frown, as he did not really want to get involved in Liu Fang's affairs.

"My Lord." Zhen Wen Ze said hurriedly when he saw Liu's father come in.

Even if Liu's father wasn't dressed that well, Zhen Wenze knew that he'd been working the fields a lot since arriving in the northwest, so it was normal for him to be a little shabby. If he didn't have any sense of taste, how could he make a living?

"Take those things and go to the third branch." Father Liu said directly, "We've already split up the family, so these things should be given to them."

"You are Fangmei's biological father," Zhen Wenzhe said quickly, "it's only natural for my nephew to send you something."

"No need." Father Liu said, "All you need to do is live a peaceful and stable life from now on."

It was impossible for Father Liu to say that he would not help Zhen Wen Ze at this time. After all, Zhen Wen Ze did not ask for his help.

"That's for sure," Zhen Wenze said. "Even though I came to visit you, I didn't see you when I went to Fangmei's place earlier."

"What? You want to seek justice for them?" Father Liu sneered. As soon as he saw the person in front of him, he knew that this person did not simply want to marry Liu Fang. This person clearly had other plans.

"No." Zhen Wenzhe didn't expect Father Liu to say that.

"If you have nothing else to do, go to the Third House as soon as possible." Father Liu waved his hand. "I don't have much to say to you. Since you are already engaged, just live your life well and don't mess around with other things."

Zhen Wen Ze was a little surprised. Why didn't Marquis Jingning say much to him and just let him leave quickly?

Generally speaking, no matter if it is a legitimate daughter or a concubine's daughter, a father should always consider his children. Why would he drive her away like this?

Zhen Wen Ze always felt that something was wrong here, so he had no choice but to take his things and leave.

Only after Zhen Wenzhe left did Liu Yulian bring in some pastries.

"You let him go so soon?" Liu Yulian asked.

"Don't let him leave. Let him stay for dinner." Father Liu said, "Your half-brothers weren't even invited to dinner, so why should he be allowed to? Just because he's your future son-in-law, should I give him face?"

Liu's father didn't want to give Zhen Wen Ze any face at all. There was no need to let Zhen Wen Ze hold too high hopes. If Zhen Wen Ze really treated Liu Fang sincerely, then Zhen Wen Ze would not be unhappy about this matter.

But Zhen Wen Ze would probably be unhappy. Father Liu thought that Zhen Wen Ze was not someone who was content with the status quo.

"They picked and chose, and it seemed that they picked a good one, but it was just someone who was interested in their status." Father Liu had been a marquis for so many years and had also been in the court for so many years. How could he not see Zhen Wen Ze's little thoughts?

Perhaps Zhen Wen Ze still thought that the division of the family property was not a big deal, so he wanted to go to Liu's father first.

Father Liu saw through Zhen Wen Ze's intentions, so there was no need to say more. Furthermore, even if Zhen Wen Ze was an honest man, Father Liu didn't need to say too much. The relationship between the various branches was like that, and it was impossible for an outsider to change it drastically.

"The engagement is settled, and there should be no regrets." Liu Yulian said, "Why, Fourth Sister is still your daughter."

If Zhen Wen Ze canceled the engagement, it would be like stepping on the face of the Jingning Marquisate. Therefore, Zhen Wen Ze could not cancel the engagement. At most, after the marriage, he would occasionally give Liu Fang the cold shoulder, but he would not dare to treat her too harshly.

"So what if she's a daughter?" Father Liu said, "Don't forget, she was eager to be separated from her mother and brother, and she even wanted a dowry."

At the time, Liu Yulian was ill and bedridden, unaware of the details of the family division. However, Liu's father remembered that after discussing the pension payments, Concubine Chai and Liu Fang had been thinking about the dowry. If they wanted to marry into the first wife's family, they would have to give Liu Fang some dowry.

This was quite ridiculous. The betrothal gifts were received by the third wife, but Liu Fang still wanted the first wife to give her a dowry. The first wife didn't owe Liu Fang anything. Liu's father was in a very complicated mood at the time, wondering why these illegitimate sons and daughters were such people.

“…” Liu Yulian blinked, she didn’t understand.

"There's no need to pay any more attention to them," said Liu's father. "Don't let them climb up the ladder. Your father has reached this age, and that's all he has."

"How is it?" Liu Yulian asked, she was a little curious.

"What else can I do? I just need to stay with your mother and live my life like this." Father Liu said. He and his wife were originally married by their parents and matchmakers, and they didn't have such deep feelings for each other.

After being exiled to the northwest, Liu's father realized how devoted his wife was to him and how she never left him. So, what else could he think of? There was really no need to take a concubine. He didn't want to fall into poverty one day and have people flee from him, fearing that they would spend too much money on him.

He had spent a lot of money on Aunt Qing and others in the past, not to mention the monthly allowance, but also on jewelry and rouge.

Father Liu was a man who had been bitten by a snake once and was afraid of ropes for ten years. He kept his distance from those women. He was not young anymore, so he was not that keen on that kind of thing.

"Oh." Liu Yulian smiled.

In Shiyuan Village, Widow Zhang and the village chief's wife were having a good chat. The village chief's wife's niece came. Widow Zhang had thought this girl was good, so she told the village chief's wife about it, and the two families got engaged.

This girl is a hardworking girl. Even though she hasn't gotten married yet, she knows how to help with some things.

The main reason is that Widow Zhang's family has to help the eldest branch of the Liu family take care of so much land. It is the season for harvesting watermelons recently, so they have to keep an eye on those petty thieves and not let anyone steal the watermelons in the fields.

Widow Zhang's family also planted some watermelons. Widow Zhang saw that the eldest wife of the Liu family was planting watermelons, and thought that if she followed suit and bought some culture medium, she might be able to make some money.

Most of the people in Widow Zhang's family were helping the Liu family's main branch. There were not many people at home, so Mrs. Zhang, the village chief, saw this and asked her niece's granddaughter to come and help.

Both families are engaged, so it's okay to come and help out occasionally.

Widow Zhang has been much more generous recently. Although she didn't give Miss Shi any money, she asked her to bring back a few watermelons and to have dinner at Zhang's house. You can't let someone work and then ask Miss Shi to eat at the village chief's house.

"Why are you being so polite? Bring such a big watermelon here." When the village head's wife saw the big watermelon on the ground, she thought that Widow Zhang was a good person.

No wonder Widow Zhang’s family is so valued by the Marquis of Jingning’s Mansion. This is also because Widow Zhang is good at doing things and being a good person.

"I grew this myself. Try some," Widow Zhang said. "I see I'll be busy later. The watermelon harvest is still a while away. Once the watermelons are harvested, I'll let them get married. What do you think?"

"Her family shouldn't have any questions," the village chief's wife said. "Don't worry, we won't ask for more of the betrothal gifts we agreed on earlier."

The village head's wife had already told her family that Widow Zhang was a powerful person, and if they changed their minds at the last minute and asked for more betrothal gifts, it would be bad for their daughter. Widow Zhang's family was living a more and more prosperous life, and if their family was not happy, there were other girls willing to marry into their family.

The Shi family wasn't stupid; they knew Widow Zhang's family was indeed doing much better now, and they were willing to come and lend a hand. Although there was no money involved in this kind of help between relatives, it was a favor.

"You have good taste, and your family is good too," Widow Zhang said, knowing how to speak well of the village head's wife. "Originally, I thought my eldest grandson was a complete blockhead, and I was afraid you wouldn't like him." "What's wrong with a blockhead? As long as he loves his wife, that's good." The village head's wife replied, "As it happens, this girl from my family can read a few words. Her educated brother taught her. It would be more convenient for you to let her do things, though her handwriting might not be that beautiful."

Many children learned a few words from their older brothers who had gone to school, but this learning was superficial. But for a country person, knowing a few words was a great thing.

"If she does a good job, after they get married, she'll let the young couple live on the farm," Widow Zhang said. "The Marquis of Jingning, his wife, and the county lady are all very good people."

"Yes." The village chief's wife nodded.

"I'm old now, and I'm not someone who needs to be tight-fisted with money all the time. I haven't asked those people at home to hide their money," Widow Zhang said. "You said, wouldn't it be enough to ask them to pay a little every month? How can they give it all out? When we were young and married to other people, didn't we also hide our money secretly?"

Widow Zhang spoke a lot in front of the village head's wife. She was very interested in this marriage. The important thing was that the girl from the Shi family was capable, and Widow Zhang also wanted her to give birth to a smart great-grandson.

Many people in Shiyuan Village knew that Widow Zhang's family and the village chief's wife's family were going to get married. They were all quite emotional. They never thought that Widow Zhang's family would get married with the village chief's wife's family.

This widow’s family is really going to be on the rise!

Widow Zhang’s family is pretty good, let’s take a look at the other illegitimate children of the Liu family.

People in the village thought that the other concubines' daughters of the Liu family were not bad either. Aunt Chai's daughter Liu Fang was engaged to a relative of the prefect's family. The second branch of the Liu family bought a shop in the town, and the third branch worked as a helper for the second branch. Only the fourth branch was a little worse off.

But many people in the town knew Liu Yanqing and his wife, and those people did not dare to gamble with Liu Yanqing, for fear of being chopped to pieces by Liu Yanqing's wife Lin Xiaowan.

Lin Xiaowan, the third wife, lived in the village. Knowing that Liu Yanyuan's wife had a miscarriage, how could she not come?

"Third sister-in-law." Lin Xiaowan didn't bring any chicken soup to this third sister-in-law, but came to help with some simple chores. In order to avoid those people ignoring Liu Yanyuan's wife and letting her go hungry.

"We'll move to town in a couple of days." Liu Yanyuan and his wife had already made plans. They wanted to have children, so they had to get their health back. "We'll come back before Fang Jie'er gets married."

When Lin Xiaowan heard this, she knew that the couple from the third house planned to let Aunt Chai and Liu Fang continue to live in the village, while Liu Yanyuan and his wife lived in the town.

"Have you rented a house?" Lin Xiaowan asked.

"No." Liu Yanyuan's wife shook her head. "We're just staying with my second brother and his wife first. The backyard of their new shop is bigger and there are some empty rooms, so they let us stay there for a while."

This suggestion was made by Su Qiuya. Su Qiuya originally wanted to let Liu Yanyuan and his wife rent a house, but she wanted to give them a better life, so she simply let them stay at home for a month or so.

Su Qiuya thought that by doing so, the third wife would definitely remember the kindness of the second wife. Su Qiuya was a businessman and did not like to do charity. She did so to make the third wife more grateful to them.

"Okay." Lin Xiaowan didn't say much. The second wife was always so nice to the third wife.

Every time Lin Xiaowan saw Su Qiuya, she felt that Su Qiuya was a very shrewd woman. Such a shrewd woman would not let her sister-in-law live there casually. You know, sisters-in-law living under the same roof are bound to have conflicts, and Su Qiuya might have other ideas.

But this is not Lin Xiaowan's business. She just takes care of her own room.

"If you have any questions, just tell me." Lin Xiaowan said, "My family doesn't have much money, but we can still do some manual labor."

"Okay." Liu Yanyuan's wife nodded.

When Lin Xiaowan returned home, she saw Aunt Zhao washing vegetables in the yard.

"Mom, there is still some money at home, right?" Lin Xiaowan said.

"Aren't you in charge?" Aunt Zhao was a little nervous about what Lin Xiaowan was going to do.

"I'm just asking how much money you've hidden," Lin Xiaowan said. "You've seen how good the watermelons from the eldest family are. They're not cheap, but many people buy them and even ship them to the capital to sell. Their grapes will be ripe soon. We can't just sit there and do nothing, can we?"

When Lin Xiaowan walked around in the village, she often heard people talk about how well off Widow Zhang's family was now. Wasn't Widow Zhang's family just following the lead of the eldest branch of the Liu family in doing the same things?

Other families can do it, so why can't they?

Although the Fourth House didn't have that many people, it could still hire people. Didn't the First House hire people? Lin Xiaowan didn't want the family to just sit around and do nothing. They couldn't just rely on that little embroidery work. They still relied on her to go hunting in the mountains.

This is not a long-term solution, they still have to find other ways out.

Lin Xiaowan thought about it and decided that it would be a good idea for them to follow the eldest wife and plant more crops. The main reason was that they didn't have much land, so they had to buy some.

"You want to farm with the eldest wife?" Aunt Zhao asked. "You've never farmed before, so don't lose money."

"The eldest wife and her family have never farmed before." Lin Xiaowan said.

"How can this be compared? They even have culture medium." Aunt Zhao believed that the eldest wife and her family could save money by preparing the culture medium themselves, and there were other things, and the eldest wife might not have shared all her experience with them.

In reality, what experience could a big wife have? Liu Yulian hadn't been farming for very long either. There was a clear difference between farming in the game and farming in real life.

In reality, farming cannot be done with just one click or by pressing the mouse.

"Just buy it." Lin Xiaowan said, "Widow Zhang's family has made a lot of money."

"That's because they have a large family and don't need to hire anyone," said Aunt Zhao.

"You just don't want to spend more money to buy more land, right?" Lin Xiaowan understood. "You just hold on to that little bit of money. What will you do when it's all gone?"

Lin Xiaowan also had some money, but she thought it would be better to buy more land. If she kept the money, it would be easily spent by them.

"It's my fault. How can a daughter-in-law ask you about money?" Lin Xiaowan said, "The money is yours. You can do whatever you want."

Lin Xiaowan was too lazy to say anything more. If it weren't for the lack of someone in the family who could hold the fort, she wouldn't want to do these things. They all knew how to hide their wealth. No wonder the eldest wife didn't like these illegitimate children and concubines.

When the family business was divided, these people hid their belongings and only divided up the things belonging to the eldest son's family.

"Please keep your things," Lin Xiaowan said. "I'll think of another way."

Lin Xiaowan thought that she was just thinking about the silver in Aunt Zhao's hands for a moment, and it was very normal for Aunt Zhao to worry that she would lose the silver.

A new day began and Sui Xin's shop opened again, but Liu Yulian did not go over to keep an eye on it. She just let others sell watermelons.

Those watermelons were huge, and even though they weren't as expensive as strawberries, even at a penny per pound, few people would buy them. The town was so small, and a watermelon weighed over ten pounds, which meant it cost over ten coins. They wouldn't buy them, preferring to buy meat instead.

Some people want to try watermelon but are reluctant to buy such a big one.

The guys in the shop would cut the big watermelons into pieces and sell them, so that people could buy a watermelon together and weigh them individually.

"Why is it so heavy?" Someone bought a quarter of a watermelon, thinking that this quarter of a watermelon was not that heavy, but he did not expect that such a small amount of watermelon weighed four or five kilograms.

"We have smaller ones," the waiter said. "The watermelons here are all excellent. We pulled them from the fields this morning. If the watermelons aren't red, we'll replace them."

This time, Su Qiuya and the others had bought a new shop, so they didn't see many people buying watermelons at Suixin Shop. She thought that such a big watermelon was impossible for ordinary people to afford.

"Boss, don't you give away free watermelon here?" a diner asked. "Some places give away a slice of watermelon."

"It's just a small business, how can we give it away for free?" Su Qiuya said.

Some other restaurants and pubs gave away a few slices of watermelon, but that was also to make money for those shops, as the diners ordered a lot of food. Su Qiuya thought that the things sold in her shop were not expensive, and she had never heard of a shop selling mixed noodles giving away watermelon. That would be a huge loss.

Su Qiuya thought she had to come up with some new ideas, like selling some stir-fried dishes, to make more money. If she did make money, she would go to the big house and ask if they could sell the watermelons at a lower price. They would buy more, or at least they could get the watermelons at the same price as other restaurants.