The other children nodded in unison, as if all the money in the house these past few days had been earned by their third aunt, and that the women and children in the clan had also been saved by their third aunt.
Sun looked at them again and again, confirming that they were indeed two one-hundred-tael silver notes. Thinking that she had just blamed He Jiuniang, she felt a little embarrassed.
But then I realized I hadn't done anything wrong; why didn't she say so sooner?
"Now that you've got the money, keep it safe. You'll need it for many things in the future."
Sun handed the silver note back, not intending to keep it for herself.
He Jiuniang asked, "Mother, should we keep this money for you directly, or should we give you 80% of what we had before?"
"Keep it yourself, there's plenty of money in the public treasury!"
Madam Sun pressed the silver notes into her hand with a look of disgust, afraid that this spendthrift woman would give them all to the public again.
Although Madam Sun was somewhat fierce, she was fairly fair to her sons. However, people are always biased. Among her three sons, only the third son's branch of the family had no men. In the future, Xiaogou'er would have to be raised by He Jiuniang alone. Madam Sun worried that He Jiuniang would not keep secrets and that in the end, she and her child would suffer.
After all, the first and second wives have men, so how could they let the third sister-in-law support them?
He Jiuniang disagreed: "Now that the family has not been divided, it is only right to hand over the money to the common people. I will still take 20% as before. So, Mother, you should give me forty taels of silver back."
Sun thought that since she had clearly favored her, she should at least be a little smarter, but who knew she was such a blockhead!
With so many eyes watching her, and both sides being her flesh and blood, she couldn't go too far, so she could only nod in agreement, but gave He Jiuniang sixty taels of silver.
The forty taels Qin Jian had given earlier, and the three taels of silver per person that had just been distributed according to headcount, were all with Sun Shi. It wouldn't be difficult to find sixty taels to give to He Jiu Niang.
This time, He Jiuniang didn't refuse, because she immediately gave twenty taels to each of the first and second wives, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
"Hehe, this time the eldest and second eldest brothers also got involved, this is what you deserve, just save it as your private stash."
He Jiuniang smiled broadly. In the eyes of the Lu family, she was a spendthrift and a terrible person. So much money, she just gave it away like that!
"Third sister-in-law, I know you mean well, but we can't accept this money."
The speaker was Madam Qin. She had never held so much money in her life, and now that she had it in her hands, it felt like it was burning her.
Qin's reasoning was: "You and your eldest brother raided the bandit stronghold. Your second brother just waited with us in the woods and did nothing. We can't accept this money!"
Madam Yu hurriedly added, "The thief's den was broken into by my third sister-in-law alone, and the cellar was also found by her. Besides, you've already given so much to the public fund, so we can benefit from it too. You can't give us any more money!"
"Uh-huh!"
The two sisters-in-law nodded in unison, both indicating that they could not accept the money.
When something happens, the third sister-in-law is always the first to rush to the front. She even thinks of sharing the benefits she gets with them. They appreciate the third sister-in-law's kindness, but they really can't accept the money. Otherwise, wouldn't they be taking advantage of the fact that the third branch of the family doesn't have a man?
At this point, Mrs. Sun and Old Man Lu fell silent. This was a matter between their son and daughter-in-law, and it was not appropriate for them to interfere, otherwise it would only cause resentment among the daughters-in-law.
He Jiuniang explained with a smile, "Sisters-in-law, you must accept this money. Second sister-in-law, you said that Second Brother didn't go to the bandit's den with us, but he stayed in the woods to protect everyone, so Eldest Brother and I could go to the bandit's den to rescue people with peace of mind, right?"
Qin was stunned, unable to process this for a moment. So, her husband waiting with them in the same spot was considered a merit?
He Jiuniang then explained to Yu Shi, "My sister-in-law said that my elder brother didn't go into the bandit's den with me. Then who dealt with the two bandits at the gate? If my elder brother hadn't been keeping an eye on those two bandits for me, how could I have gotten into the den so easily? My elder brother is a hero in the fight against bandits. How can you say it has nothing to do with him? Right?"
Neither of the two sisters-in-law expressed their opinion, but the eldest and second eldest sons blushed with embarrassment after being praised. They hadn't done anything, yet they could be considered heroes? Were they really that amazing?
"Third Aunt is right, Father and Uncle are both great heroes!"
As He Jiuniang's number one fan, Youya was the first to express her opinion, and the other children followed suit, calling her a great hero.
The puppy, not yet three years old, didn't understand what everyone was talking about, but it clapped its hands happily and shouted "Hero!" laughing so hard that drool dripped all over the ground.
Sun stepped forward appropriately and said, "The third son's wife is right. The eldest and second sons also contributed this time. This money is from the third son's wife's heart. You should all accept it. It's good for each family to have some money. The third son is not at home. You, as the elder brother and sister-in-law, must help the mother and daughter more in the future."
"Mom, don't worry, we will definitely take good care of Third Brother's wife and the puppy!"
The eldest brother patted his chest and said so, and the second brother nodded repeatedly.
The eldest and second wives accepted the money, and everyone had smiles on their faces, even happier than during the New Year.
I've actually become rich from fleeing famine, I feel a little embarrassed!
At night, several adult men took turns keeping watch to prevent anyone from breaking in, as there was no guarantee that any bandits might escape.
The women and children slept well, ate something after getting up, put all the looted items on the carriage, and the group continued on their journey in a grand procession.
It's still quite a distance from here to Ganzhou. Even if the journey goes smoothly, it will take at least ten days to half a month.
Both carriages were fully loaded with goods, so the group started walking again. This time, however, they didn't have to worry about food or water, and everyone had a few smiles on their faces.
To protect their supplies, the two carriages traveled in the middle of the crowd to avoid being ambushed.
Of those rescued, nine were not members of the Lu family. Among them were three women, three brothers from one family, a young man alone, and two sisters from one family.
They were arrested two days earlier than the Lu family members. They didn't know if their family members were still alive, and they didn't dare to separate and travel alone. Their only way out was to follow the Lu family members, where they could have someone to look after them along the way.
Not long after they left, He Jiuniang noticed that there were two girls around thirteen or fourteen years old with the family. They were the two sisters surnamed Liu.
Everyone else kept some distance from the Lu family, giving them some private space, but the two sisters, perhaps because they were young and didn't understand, followed Youya and the others closely.
Seeing He Jiuniang scrutinizing them, the two sisters lowered their heads in fear, not daring to look at her, but also unwilling to distance themselves.
He Jiuniang couldn't understand it, so she didn't dwell on it and continued on her way with the dog on her back.
When they arrived at their resting place, Madam Yu and Madam Qin were preparing to cook, but the two sisters still wouldn't leave, their eyes fixed on the Lu family's large pot.
Sun noticed the two sisters and was about to come over and chase them away when the two sisters immediately knelt down before her.
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