In the courtyard, Lan Niang brought out stools for Steward Li and Sister Wang so they could sit and rest for a while.

"Mom, I need to pee."

The sound of children could be heard from inside the house. Lan Niang quickly bowed to Steward Li and Sister Wang and went inside.

Fortunately, the village was not far from Jiangjia Village. When Lanniang finished tidying up the child and came out, her third grandfather and parents-in-law had just arrived.

"Third son's wife, you really came here?"

As soon as Jiang Shuhe's mother entered the courtyard, she saw her third daughter-in-law holding a child.

"Mother, I just came to see my second sister-in-law, to see my second sister-in-law."

Jiang Shuhu's wife was stunned; she hadn't expected things to escalate to this extent.

In the past, they would sometimes come to my second brother's house to freeload some food and drinks, but otherwise, my second brother would never let them take advantage of him when he was home.

This time, since their second brother went on a long trip, they thought they could take advantage of his absence and, since their second sister-in-law was soft-hearted, try to get some benefits from him.

"No, that's not it. My third aunt came to our house to steal things and even made my mother distribute the things in the house to my eldest aunt and aunts."

Jiang Shuhe's eldest son retorted clearly.

"What nonsense are you talking about, you little kid? Why are you spouting such rubbish?"

"Third sister-in-law, my child never lies. You talked to me about this for half the night last night."

Lan Niang is usually gentle and doesn't like to argue. However, when it comes to her child, she can't let others slander her child.

"Third Master, when I came back this time, Madam specifically instructed me to come and see Steward Jiang's wife and children."

Manager Jiang traveled a long way to help with his family's affairs, so we have a responsibility to take good care of his wife and children.

"I'm troubling you today, Third Master. What do you think we should do about this?"

Butler Li was, after all, a household servant and could not interfere in the affairs of the Jiang clan.

"Steward Li, you're too kind. We will definitely deal with any unworthy members of the clan."

The Shuyun family has done so much for the clan; we remember it all.

Third Grandfather understood that Steward Li was trying to make an example of someone.

Jiang Shuhe was no longer at the manor, and Wang Hu became the steward. Some people in the clan started gossiping, wondering how an outsider could be allowed to manage the Jiang clan's land.

Everyone is making assumptions. That estate was part of Shuyun's dowry, not property belonging to the Jiang family.

Some people are just greedy!

"With the three patriarchs and all the clan elders around, we feel very safe."

Steward Li offered a few appropriate compliments, as his master had said that it was best to maintain a proper distance within the clan.

"Jiang Laosan, Jiang Shuqi, Jiang Shuhu, do you have anything to say?"

"Third Uncle, it's my fault. I didn't discipline them properly and brought shame to the clan."

Uncle Jiang blushed deeply and admitted his mistake in a low voice.

He had many children, seven in total, and raised them all.

Because they had many children and the children's mother was in poor health, his family had always been supported by the clan. Despite the hardships, they managed to raise all the children until they were able to work.

Because they rented Shuyun's wife's land, their family was able to have enough to eat.

Later, Shuhe went to work as a farmhand in the village. With the extra money the family had, they gradually helped their children get married.

With many children, each with varying abilities, he couldn't keep having the stronger ones help the weaker ones indefinitely. After several of the older children got married, the family split up.

I never expected that even after the family split up, so much trouble would still happen.

In the past, the family was so poor that they couldn't even afford to eat. The children were very close, and they would always share whatever food they had.

Now that conditions are better, why is it that things are worse than before? There's no longer any affection between brothers and sisters, only scheming.

"Third Grandfather, it's our fault. We didn't manage the people in the house well."

Jiang Shuqi genuinely had no idea that his wife was involved. Jiang Shuhu blinked rapidly; he was truly jealous of his second brother.

The two brothers were only two years apart. The older brother had the opportunity to work as a farmhand on the estate, and later became the manager, earning more and more wages.

After the family split up, he had the worst life.

The eldest son, being the eldest son, was responsible for supporting his parents and taking care of his younger siblings who were not yet married. He received the majority of the family property.

The eldest and second sisters are married daughters and are not entitled to a share of the family property.

He and his second brother divided a small portion of the family property, which was barely enough to live on.

My second brother works on the farm; he has a house and a salary, and even my sister-in-law earns a salary. They're all born of the same parents; how can he feel resentful?

So, when his wife occasionally came to his second sister-in-law's place to take advantage of him, he pretended not to know and tacitly accepted it.

Third Grandfather looked at the somewhat bewildered Jiang Shuqi and the indignant Jiang Shuhu, and there was nothing he didn't understand.

"Let's go back to our clan. There are some things we need to talk about."

Butler Li, you come along too. Go back and tell Shuyun and her husband.

Butler Li hadn't expected the Third Master to ask him to go over. But then he thought about it and realized that it was probably to let him convey what he had heard and seen to the Master and Madam.

Once Butler Li understood, he readily agreed and they went to Jiangjia Village together.

Wang Hu was also summoned. His third grandfather said that he needed to understand the situation thoroughly.

When they arrived at Jiangjia Village, Jiang's father was also invited, along with the village head and all the members of the Jiang family clan.

Jiang clan members gathered in the open space in front of the ancestral hall, along with some villagers of other surnames who were watching the spectacle.

Third Grandfather stood at the front, with Jiang Qin and Jiang Shuhai on his left and right sides.

"Quiet down, everyone. Do you know why we summoned you here?"

"I wonder, clan leader, is there some good news?"

"Has Shuyun's wife found another way to make money? Didn't she say she went to buy land in a faraway place?"

The clansmen chattered amongst themselves, thinking that if anything good happened, they would also want to benefit from it.

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