Old man Xu cursed again, "Bullshit, bullshit, the money they earn at Old Xu's house belongs to Old Xu's..."
Old Mrs. Xu ignored the old man and gave Xu Lanzhou a thumbs-up, saying, "Well done, grandson Lanzhou is right. It's better to rely on yourself than on others. Be ambitious, like your late father." She then scolded Old Man Xu, "You old pervert, why don't you teach your grandson to make money? Why do you always think about other people's things, and women's things at that? What kind of future will you have..."
After hearing what Old Lady Xu said, Xu Lanzhou suddenly felt like his deceased father, a man of integrity. A feeling of heroism surged in his heart, and he couldn't help but straighten his chest.
Old Man Xu's face turned red as he defended himself, "You old woman, I'm not after women's things. I just want my grandson to take good care of our Xu family's fortune and make sure it's not ruined by women." He added, "If it really doesn't work out, we two old guys can move to the second room and help my grandson take care of the family business."
Old Mrs. Xu shook her head and said, "We have all the documents for the division of the family property. Our eldest son and grandson are still alive and well. Why should we let our widowed daughter-in-law and our grandson, who is one generation older, raise them? It doesn't make sense, and people will find fault with us. Most of the money in the second house is earned by the maid, so we should give her a larger betrothal gift. If we really hurt her feelings and she starts to have her own little schemes, then our grandson will suffer the most." She then said to Xu Lanzhou, "My dear grandson, go back quickly. Don't tell your mother and your sister what your grandfather said. Save his face."
She was afraid that Old Man Xu would say something bad again and her grandson would hear it and spread it back to the second wife, which would be embarrassing.
When Xu Lanzhou walked into the yard, he could still hear the old man Xu cursing in a loud voice.
Gu was also listening in the yard. Seeing Xu Lanzhou coming out, she smiled and said, "You two are really promising. You even bought a house in the county town."
Xu Lanzhou said, "Don't worry, auntie. With your dividends plus the money my brother Dashi earns, we'll be able to buy a house in the county town soon."
When he got home, Xu Lanzhou didn't say that he was beaten. Instead, he told her about what Old Lady Xu had said praising him and how Old Man Xu had wanted to move in with the second wife but was stopped by Old Lady Xu.
Even if Xu Lanzhou hadn't explained it in detail, Qin and Xu Lanyin could already imagine what Old Man Xu had said. He actually wanted to move into the second branch! That family division document wasn't written in vain, unless Xu Qingming and his grandson were both dead, or Xu Qingyan was still alive and took the initiative to bring his parents over to live with him.
If the old man was as sensible as the old woman, they would be fine living together. But the old man would not be a good influence and would even lead the children astray. Neither of them wanted the old couple to move in with them.
However, Xu Lanzhou had made progress, which pleased Qin and Xu Lanyin, and they praised and encouraged him. Xu Lanyin's praise was particularly exaggerated, which made Xu Lanzhou blush and feel that he should do better.
The next morning, after Zhao Wu released Ma Zi, he went out to work again.
Old Mrs. Xu, Mrs. Gu, and Xu Yuan came to the second house. They wanted to go to the county town to see the newly bought house, so Xu Lanzhou had to take them there.
Xu Lanyin did not go. She was told by Zhao Wu to stay at home to pick up Ma Zi who had flown back.
At 9:00 PM, Zhang Manniang came again, unexpectedly bringing Zhang Tiedan with her and a set of fine porcelain bowls as a gift. She was thinner than last time.
Xu Lanyin asked Xu Lanting to accompany Zhang Tiedan to play in the yard, and also brought a lot of snacks and placed them on the stone table in the yard.
She pulled Zhang Manniang into her room and sat her down, then took out some golden silk cake to treat her.
Zhang Manniang couldn't eat anything, no matter how delicious it was. She took Xu Lanyin's hand and said, "Sister Xu, my eldest brother is dead, and our family will never be the same again. My father is going to take us back to our hometown in the countryside..."
Xu Lanyin was stunned. Giving up the territory the Zhang family had fought for decades so quickly didn't sit well with Captain Zhang. With his personality, he'd fight Captain Jiang even with a broken leg... No, now that he was Captain Jiang, he'd fight him to the bitter end. Otherwise, he wouldn't even be willing to openly offend Min Can. Could it be that the grief over his eldest son's death had changed his character?
However, Zhang Gangdan's death was a good thing for the Zhang family. He could no longer do evil things, and the Zhang family might be able to escape disaster in the future.
"My home in the countryside is far away from here. I don't know if I can see you again in the future." Zhang Manniang pouted with tears in her eyes.
The Zhang family's hometown is in Shique Town. Although it is also under the jurisdiction of Nanping County, it is very remote, more than 40 miles away from here.
Xu Lanyin said, "You will definitely see it. If you tell me about your in-laws, you must come and inform me, and I will go and add makeup for you."
She also told Zhang Manniang about her new home in the county town, and suggested that she come to visit her when she goes there. She then advised Zhang Manniang not to be so stubborn and to find the right young man for her.
Zhang Manniang said, "Last time, I told my mother what Sister Xu said to me. My mother said that you are the only one who is truly kind to me, unlike those evil-hearted girls who pick on me for unreliable gigolos. Also, your new home is only two blocks away from my current home, so you have to be careful of those people. The third daughter of the Wei family on Jiuli Street is the most annoying. She always picks on me to beat people up. And the second daughter of the Li family on Sanhe Street..."
The girl persuaded several young ladies who were on bad terms with her.
Xu Lanyin listened to her gossip with great interest, which made the little girl temporarily forget the troubles at home.
Because Xu Lan didn't have time to go to town to buy food, Qin went to several neighbors' homes and bought a pig's liver, more than a pound of meat, and a fish, and gave them a few cents more for running away.
At noon, Xu Lanyin cooked a few of her signature dishes in the kitchen. Zhang Manniang rushed to light the fire and almost burned her hair. Qin was so scared that she quickly asked her to go outside to play with the two boys.
Zhang Tiedan looked at Zhang Manniang worriedly, "We are about to move to the countryside. I can't even light a fire, how will I get married in the future?"
After hearing this, Zhang Manniang came back and sat next to Qin, and followed her very seriously to learn how to make fire.
Qin hadn't liked Zhang Manniang before, but now she was somewhat fond of her. She patiently taught her how to make a fire. She also said, "It's okay if you don't like making a fire. You have the strength. From now on, let others make the fire and you just chop the wood."
Zhang Manniang thought it was right. She said, "Aunt is right. From now on, I will chop wood and let my husband make the fire."
Xu Lanyin and Qin were very happy to hear this.
Zhang Tiedan, who was outside, heard it again and yelled, "Silly girl, you're not going to say anything without thinking. It's so ugly!"
Zhang Manniang was unhappy and wanted to go out and fight with Zhang Tiedan, but was persuaded by Qin.
When several people were eating in the house, Xu Lan heard Ma Zi's cry outside, so she immediately got up and went out. She locked Ma Zi in the east wing and fed him water and food. Then she put the small bamboo tube on his leg in her arms and locked him in the cabinet in the bedroom.
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