Xie Yushu was relieved to hear this.
After dinner, the family gathered together again to ask Xie Yushu about her situation in the capital, and to inquire about Xie Tianqi and Xie Tianming's situation in Tai'an Prefecture.
Xie Yushu briefly explained what she had been busy with in the capital for so long, and mentioned that she had brought back a difficult and sickly prince.
Xie Baotian and the others were terrified when they heard this. They repeatedly told Xie Yushu to keep a close eye on the person, as they couldn't afford to take responsibility if anything happened.
Xie Yushu said nonchalantly
"His illness, although he can't be overworked or upset, isn't something that's easy to die from either, so let them rest assured."
However, when the conversation turned to Xie Tianqi's steamed bun shop and the little girl Xie Tianming had his eye on, the family immediately found their focus.
They were happy to hear about the steamed bun shop incident and let it go, but Xie Tianming's matter was met with a thorough interrogation by the whole family.
Especially after hearing that Xie Tianming and Xie Tianqi had already bought a house, Xie Baoshu and his wife couldn't wait to go to Tai'an Prefecture to see what kind of character the young girl was, and if she was suitable, they would immediately arrange the engagement.
Everyone chimed in with their questions, leaving Xie Tianlin blushing and speechless. In the end, he simply said he was sleepy and was going to bed, then turned and ran away.
Xie Yushu chuckled as she advised.
"Xie Tianming is only fifteen, why are you in such a hurry?"
Right now, whether it's their job or the steamed bun shop, they're just starting out. You can go and take a look, and if it's suitable, you can spend a year or two getting to know each other before making a decision.
By then, we'll have more wealth and the business will be stable. Wouldn't it be better to organize the wedding then?
Xie Baoshu and Wang Shi agreed. Things were different now. They no longer had to worry about finding wives. Once a wife was married, it was like putting a rein on a donkey; she was no longer free.
Wang said
“Yu Shu is right. Let’s give him a year off and then let him be free for another year.”
Everyone had a lot to say, and after saying almost everything, it was getting late, so they all went to rest.
The first day, everyone knew that Xie Yushu and Xie Tianqi had returned. Since they were family, they naturally gathered together to chat, so no one disturbed them. The next morning, several elders and young members of the clan's affairs hall came to visit.
Nothing important, just came to say hello to Xie Yushu and catch up with her.
Nowadays, nine out of ten households in the village have planted medicinal herbs with Xie Baotian. Although the harvest is uncertain and the planting is not large, each family plants two or three mu, which is enough for a normal life.
But who isn't greedy? Everyone wants more income. The elders suggested asking Xie Yushu if she could lead the younger generation of the clan to do something.
Xie Yushu really didn't want to agree. To put it bluntly, she didn't want her clansmen to interfere with her business. A little kindness is appreciated, but too much kindness breeds resentment. If the clansmen got too close, they would have even more reason to divide up her business.
Besides, she had come out of a slump, and it wasn't like she hadn't seen how they used to coldly watch her family being bullied.
However, even if I didn't want to bring them, there was no need to offend them by saying it directly, so I made up an excuse.
"I don't have the final say on my side either; half of it is owned by the imperial court."
Arranging one or two people is possible, but the children in the clan are all illiterate and would only be able to do hard labor, so it's not worth it. Moreover, deciding who to arrange and who not to arrange is also a problem.
How about this: I'll give another hundred taels of silver to buy some land for the clan, and the harvest will be used to pay the clan elders and the young men of the stewards a monthly allowance, so you won't have to work for nothing.
When the income is divided equally, each family receives an extra share, and they can also take care of their families, achieving two goals at once.
At the same time, some of the care should be given to the elderly living alone in the village.
"Staying at home and earning some money is better than going there to do hard labor."
One hundred taels of silver could buy ten to fifteen acres of wasteland (depending on the soil fertility) to grow medicinal herbs. If managed well, it would be enough to cover these expenses.
Several elders and young men were somewhat disappointed when they heard that Xie Yushu was unwilling to bring people along, but when they heard that Xie Yushu had bought land and that they could earn a wage in the village, they immediately stood up and thanked Xie Yushu.
After exchanging a few more words and thanking Xie Yushu again, they each went their separate ways.
Xie Baotian was very satisfied with Xie Yushu's answer. This move directly provided the village's "leadership team" with a stable income, and everyone worked more diligently.
Moreover, they kept the young people in the village, ensuring the village's vitality.
To put it bluntly, if a dispute arises with another village, there are plenty of young men in our village who wouldn't be afraid to fight.
The village's head of the council usually consists of one able-bodied member from each family. They are responsible not only for disciplining offending clansmen but also for security and protection.
This includes, but is not limited to, situations where a married daughter from the village is bullied and needs to seek justice, situations where relatives from the village cause trouble and need to be intervened to help, situations where wild animals enter the village and need to be driven away, situations where there is a drought and need to collect water, and a whole host of other tasks that require able-bodied men.
So when Xie Baotian saw that Xie Yushu had settled the matter, he took some time to go to the ancestral hall to hold a meeting. In the end, it was decided that each person would receive a monthly allowance of three hundred copper coins, and the rest would be used to purchase some necessary tools for the clan and to provide assistance to the elderly living alone, orphans, and families in extreme poverty.
There are only two or three people like this in the whole village. The clan can lend a hand to provide them with a livelihood, so no one comes out to compete for these things.
After the news spread, Xiejia Village became famous again in the surrounding villages because of this move, and many villagers from other villages wished they could move to Xiejia Village to live.
When a person is down on their luck, even drinking cold water can cause them to choke, and wearing a Taoist robe can lead to encounters with ghosts. For the past few days, Old Man Xiao's family has kept their doors tightly shut, trying their best to minimize their presence, and no one dares to cause trouble anymore. However, because of this small action by Xie Family Village, they have been besieged by the Xiao family members again.
Every now and then, a rotten egg or a piece of rotten vegetable would be thrown into the yard, and people outside would constantly curse.
"Your whole family is so unlucky! You don't know how to enjoy your good fortune, and you've squandered it all. It's no wonder your son was exiled and your daughter was divorced!"
"You sinners of the whole clan! Get out of Phoenix Beak!"
"Serves him right for being paralyzed on the bed. He brought it on himself. Why didn't the whole family become paralyzed?"
If anyone outside cursed at her, Widow Liu would throw a tantrum. When she got really angry, she'd even slap Old Mrs. Xiao twice. She was also incredibly disrespectful to Xiao Yan.
"It's all your fault, you two! You're such a bastards! You're just unlucky and can't have a good life, so you've made us all the subject of gossip and slander. You're such bad luck! Why don't you just die already!"
Old Mrs. Xiao, who had been domineering all her life, could not stand Widow Liu hitting and scolding her at will. She was so angry that her eyes widened and she screamed, but she could not say a word. She could only glare fiercely at Widow Liu.
Xiao Yan initially fought back against Widow Liu, but after living in the Xiao family for half a year, Widow Liu had become quite plump and strong. Compared to her, Xiao Yan looked like a little chick. After being beaten twice by Widow Liu, she didn't dare to fight back.
Widow Liu had figured it out. Xiao Yi had made them do this. Whether they would acknowledge this family or not was another matter. Who would tolerate them anymore?
Not only did they manage to subdue Old Madam Xiao and Xiao Yan, but they also managed to get back 23 mu of Xiao Yuanhang's 33 mu of land. They sold 3 mu of the land for expenses, and registered the remaining 20 mu under their son's name.
He said he would use the money to pay for his son's education in the future.
Old Man Xiao agreed after hearing this, and placed all his hopes on this baby who was only a few months old.
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