"I say, old man, why did you agree to give her five taels of silver? Now there's not even ten taels left at home. We're short of labor, how are we going to live in the future?"
Zhou Xingcai sighed, "They're acting like they're going to cause trouble if we don't give them the money. Ultimately, we're not in the right. Do you really want Hongzhi to have a bad reputation? Just give it to him. It'll pay you back."
"Dad, Mom, don't worry. When I marry into the Xu family, I will support you. I'll also arrange for a servant to work for you two so you don't have to tire yourself out."
Zhou Xingcai looked at his son with a hint of satisfaction. "As long as you study hard and make further progress, it will be worth it even if our old bones are worn out. You must study hard and don't let us down."
On this side, the father and his two sons were happy to encourage their studies, while on the other side, the Yan family was on their way home.
Chunxiao breathed in the fresh air on the road and finally got out of that house. Although the road ahead was long, she felt unprecedented relief. "Mom, where should I live when I go back? There's no place for me at home."
"We've discussed this before we came. If you go back and squeeze in with Shuduo and Pan'er, we'll find time in a couple of days to build some mud bricks and a makeshift house next to your second brother's yard." Zhou looked at her, "Don't worry, mother will always be able to find a place for you."
Shuduo and Pan'er were the daughters of her second brother, Yan Dahe. One was nine years old, the other six. She wasn't coming home just for a day or two, but for the long haul. Her eldest and second brothers weren't doing well, and she didn't want to intrude and annoy her two sisters-in-law. She looked at Yan Bangfa and said, "Dad, I remember there were a few shabby thatched houses at the end of the village, on the hillside. Are any of them living there now?"
"That place is so remote and no one lives there. What do you want to do?"
"Chunxiao, you don't want to live there, do you?" Yan Dashan looked at her. "That house has become public property of the village since the hunter left. It's so dilapidated that no one can live there. You can just squeeze in with Duo'er and the others for a few days. Then your second brother and I will build a house for you and you won't be crowded anymore."
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