Liu Zhiheng was startled by his expression and cautiously replied, "Headmaster Guo of Taihua Academy is looking to buy a manor. I said I would send someone to inquire about it."
Mr. Wen frowned deeply and asked, "Are all of Headmaster Guo's children with you?"
He had already guessed that the Guo family was the one they were looking for, but he still couldn't help but want to confirm it, after all, what happened back then was too tragic, and he couldn't afford to be wrong.
Liu Zhiheng didn't understand what he was hesitating about, but he still spoke.
"Before the capital was moved, Master Guo only brought his sick grandson here to seek medical treatment. His children and grandchildren were all in the capital. After the capital was moved, perhaps they were delayed on the way, or perhaps something happened, they never made it here."
"I heard that Master Guo is now only being taken care of by his distant nephew and his family who live in the local area. Master Guo guessed that his children and grandchildren had met with misfortune and were seriously ill. He wanted to buy a manor to live outside the city to recuperate."
Mr. Wen nodded, stood up and said, "Let's have someone wait here for a bit. We need to go back and see my junior sister; there are some things we need to arrange."
"What's going on? Why are you being so mysterious? Can't you just tell me now?" Liu Zhiheng complained, but still obediently followed them back to the neighboring village.
Madam Cui was looking through the account books. There were quite a few tenants and servants on the estate, and it would take some effort to sort them out.
Seeing Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng return, she invited them to sit down for tea and asked, "How did things go?"
"Of course it went smoothly. You didn't see how badly Marquis Dingbei was dealt with by Junior Brother Wen. Even the Jiao family was so scared that they didn't dare to say a word."
Liu Zhiheng initially looked down on Mr. Wen, after all, he had a Grand Secretary as his teacher, and he had passed the imperial examinations all the way up to the Hanlin Academy, but he just loafed around and did nothing.
Disdain for power and aversion to fighting are nothing but cowardly excuses.
For a true man navigating the world, power is his armor and weapon. He may not harm others, but he must ensure that he and his family are not mistreated.
For so many years, he clearly loved his junior sister to the bone, but because she married someone else, he became like a dejected stray dog, watching her suffer without doing anything.
Fortunately, this catastrophe finally enlightened him. He not only went against the tide and returned to the capital to save his junior sister, but also secretly made many arrangements.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy to force Marquis Dingbei to admit his mistake and compensate for the estate!
Mr. Wen was unaware that his image in Liu Zhiheng's mind had been greatly elevated.
He considered his words carefully before slowly saying, "Junior sister, we've obtained the land deed for the neighboring estate. You can go to the government office to register it as soon as you find a buyer."
"Okay, thank you, senior brother and sworn brother." Madam Cui nodded with a smile on her face.
She knew how greedy the Marquis of Dingbei was; he was probably heartbroken, as if a piece of his own flesh had been cut off.
And when he was unhappy, she couldn't help but feel happy.
“Brother, please have everyone in the neighboring village dispersed, and gather all the stored grain and farm tools. I need to send them to Suijintan. I feel bad for keeping the villagers on edge this time and not offering an apology. Also, if the wooden furniture in that courtyard is of good quality, bring it back and store it. I will send it as a congratulatory gift when the Li family moves into their new courtyard.”
Liu Zhiheng laughed and said, "Why not give me a new house for moving to a new house? I can have someone make one."
Madam Cui quickly shook her head, "No need, sworn brother, Aunt Li is very reasonable and strong-willed. If I were to make a new set, she probably wouldn't accept it. But if it's compensation from the Jiao family, she'll definitely be happy to accept it."
Liu Zhiheng nodded in agreement, his impression of the Li family improving.
"Alright, I'll have someone move it back. If you're going to the housewarming party, remember to take me with you. A lot of people have been talking about the hot spring in that valley lately; they're probably all looking forward to it."
Madam Cui quickly instructed, "Brother, if you talk about this with outsiders, be sure to add a few words. Broken Gold Beach was built with money from Marquis Xinting and is part of the Marquis's estate. Moreover, the Marquis also has a courtyard outside the valley."
Liu Zhiheng understood and quickly nodded, "Okay, that's easy. But it's a good idea to register it under the name of the Marquis of Xinting, otherwise many people might be eyeing it."
After listening to the two talk for a while, which was not about anything important, Mr. Wen couldn't help but interrupt.
“Junior sister, my sworn brother just mentioned that someone wants to buy a manor recently, and he plans to send someone to inquire about it. And this family is... Headmaster Guo of Taihua Academy in Kyoto.”
"The Guo family?" Madam Cui was also surprised and asked loudly.
At this point, Liu Zhiheng was completely fed up and pressed, "What's going on with you all? Why do you all act like this whenever the Guo family is mentioned? Are you hiding something from me?"
Mr. Wen smiled wryly, “Junior sister, it’s that Guo family. I heard that Headmaster Guo only brought a sickly little grandson. His children and grandchildren are all in the north and didn’t come.”
Madam Cui sighed deeply, "Then it can't be wrong."
After saying that, without waiting for Liu Zhiheng to ask any more questions, she recounted how she was rescued by the people of Qingshui Village on the road, how she accidentally wiped out the bandits because her child was kidnapped, and how she saw the Guo family being brutally murdered.
Liu Zhiheng was so shocked that his eyes widened. He hated the bandits for their cruelty, but also felt sorry for Guo Shanzhang and his grandson.
"If Headmaster Guo knew, I'm afraid his body wouldn't be able to take it."
Mr. Wen sighed, "Actually, the old man probably already had his suspicions. We're letting him know so that everything can be settled. He'll have to be strong, after all, he still has a little grandson to raise."
Madam Cui nodded in agreement. "Well then, my sworn brother, let's ask the Guo family about the estate. If Headmaster Guo comes to stay here in the future, I can help out as a way to fulfill my friendship with Madam Guo. As for when to reveal the truth, we'll have to choose an opportunity."
Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng both agreed, "That's the only way."
After exchanging a few more casual words, the three went about their business. The next day, after breakfast, Madam Cui led a caravan and headed to Broken Gold Beach once again.
With Jia'an, Jiaxi, and the other mischievous boys now having fixed jobs and no longer able to cause trouble at home, the valley has become much quieter.
Jiayin didn't want to drool over the other children, so she stayed close to her grandmother. She helped with chores like digging vegetables, picking vegetables, and tending the fire to pass the time.
Her obedient nature made the village women extremely envious.
"Fu Niu'er is such a good girl. She doesn't cry or fuss, and she's so chubby and cute. It makes us all want to have another one."
"Even if I were to give birth, it would have to be after we move into our new home. If I get pregnant at that time, I'll definitely suffer."
"Yes, it's best to conceive in the fall, and then lay low for the winter so that the baby can be easily taken care of in late spring."
The women were all experienced; they talked about childbirth as casually as eating and sleeping.
Grandma Li was afraid of corrupting her granddaughter, but the little girl seemed not to understand. She was just making soft gurgling noises, clearly having stolen some candy and had no interest in listening to the commotion.
Just as she was about to wipe the drool from her greedy granddaughter's mouth, Madam Cui arrived with her motorcade.
Seeing this, the villagers couldn't help but drop what they were doing and come over.
Jiayin had finished her snacks and was looking forward to seeing Madam Cui. At that moment, she ran over with her chubby little legs and hugged Madam Cui's leg.
Madam Cui smiled and hugged her, giving her a big kiss. "Fu Niu, did you miss your aunt? Your aunt brought you some delicious food. We'll talk about it later."
Jiayin smiled, her eyes forming crescent moons, and she hugged Jiayin's neck tightly, refusing to let go.
The village chief, Uncle Zhao, Li Lao Er, and others stepped forward, and the village chief asked, "Madam Cui, has the matter of Hu Lao San been resolved?"
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