He Tiantian was very grateful, as this was what she had been worried about all along the way.
"Okay, thank you, Brother Liu."
"You're welcome." Liu Yonghe scratched his head sheepishly.
After getting off the carriage, Zhao Tingzhang gave some instructions to the patrol team members for tonight, still feeling uneasy.
“You all need to be alert. If those thieves come again, everyone should call for help together.”
"Yes, village chief."
"Don't worry, village chief, we will definitely protect the village's water."
Because it was so late, Zhao Tingzhang did not mention that he had found a water source that day.
Moreover, finding a water source is only part of the process; the journey is long, and it will take a lot of effort to transport the water to the village.
He Tiantian took her two dogs back to her own home, which was the closest, just a few steps away.
Everyone dispersed; they were all too tired after a long day and didn't want to say anything more.
He Tiantian stood at her own door but did not knock immediately.
Instead, he opened the online store, browsed around for a while, and spent two taels of silver to buy a large gate made of natural-colored poplar wood.
And it's made of solid wood, so it's very heavy.
He Tiantian struggled to hold onto the two doors before calling out, "Lantern, Dumpling, open the door quickly. Mother is back."
A moment later, footsteps could be heard inside the house, followed by the sound of a lock being opened.
Zhao Denglong exclaimed with joy, "Mother, you're finally back! It's already dark..."
Zhao Denglong was extremely worried all day, because she knew how dangerous Wolf Mountain was. And with her mother still not back so late, she was constantly afraid something might have happened.
Zhao Xiaolu and Zhao Xiaolan quickly stepped forward to help He Tiantian hold up the newly bought door, and Liu Yulan and Liu Shuixian also came over to help.
Sister-in-law Yulan came out of the house carrying Xiaomingzhu, and was overjoyed when she saw He Tiantian.
"Oh my goodness, Maruko's mom, you're finally back! I was so worried about you when you weren't here."
"Thank you so much, sister-in-law. I'm so grateful for your help in taking care of the child at home," He Tiantian said shyly.
These two heavy doors took so many people to carry them into the courtyard.
When Sister-in-law Yulan came during the day, she saw that the gate had been smashed and heard Wanzi recount what had happened last night.
She was very worried about He Tiantian; a family really couldn't function without a man. These thieves were too cunning, specifically targeting women and children.
"Wanzi's mother, where did you buy this door? It's very sturdy." Sister-in-law Yulan touched the door and asked curiously.
He Tiantian casually explained that it was made along with the furniture in her home, and that the furniture that had been placed outside had not been moved in.
The children listened with a mixture of belief and skepticism.
Installing a gate isn't difficult; it just needs to fit into a groove.
He Tiantian installed it in no time; the sturdy door required two children to push it closed.
Zhao Denglong quickly locked the lock again and said, "Auntie, why don't you, Sister Yulan, and Sister Shuixian stay at my house tonight?"
"This... I'm so sorry," Sister-in-law Yulan declined.
Liu Yulan and Liu Shuixian looked on with anticipation, because they hadn't slept with Denglong and Wanzi for a long time.
The two girls always have so much to talk about, especially since they learned to write with Wanzi tonight.
Maruko also teaches them to read, which is really interesting.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s safer for you to stay here. My courtyard walls are high and the gate is sturdy, making it difficult for thieves to get in,” He Tiantian also advised.
So Sister Yulan didn't refuse anymore. At night, the children gathered in one room to play, chat and laugh, which helped to dispel their fear.
Yulan's sister-in-law slept in the same room as He Tiantian. The two of them lay on the bed chatting, with Xiaomingzhu, who couldn't understand anything, between them.
"Wanzi's mother, you are such a kind person. I heard the other day that Granny Zhao sold her granddaughter for eleven taels of silver. She's so heartless!"
Eleven taels of silver! I really don't know how that old woman Zhao could ask for that. Does she really think her granddaughter is made of gold?
"That old woman Zhao definitely cheated you. But I thought these two girls were really good today, they worked very efficiently." Although she was reluctant to spend the money, Sister Yulan was telling the truth.
With these two daughters, there are people to do the housework, which is really great.
"Forget about it, those two kids have had a tough life. No one loves them, not even their parents, a whole family of good-for-nothings! Luckily, they're both understanding, otherwise I wouldn't have become such a victim," He Tiantian added.
Sister-in-law Yulan came today because there's something else she wants to talk about.
She excitedly propped herself up and looked at He Tiantian, saying, "Hey, do you know what?"
He Tiantian looked at Sister-in-law Yulan with confusion, waiting for her to continue.
"Old Zhao's family, that old woman Zhao. You know she's been getting harassed by her son lately?"
He Tiantian immediately became interested as well, after all, she didn't want her enemy to be doing better than her.
"What you said last time was really right. Xiangyang still cares about you and the child. It seems I have to stand up for you two regarding the division of the family property."
He Tiantian only half understood what was going on, and couldn't help but ask in detail, "Sister-in-law, tell me in detail what happened."
Sister-in-law Yulan then recounted in detail what she had heard.
She heard it from her husband, but it was indeed Zhao Xiangbei who said it to him personally.
It turned out that on the day the family property was divided, He Tiantian used Zhao Xiangyang to scare Old Lady Zhao.
Although Old Lady Zhao wasn't scared at the time, she had a nightmare that night.
She dreamt that Zhao Xiangyang came to her covered in blood, asking her why she, as a mother, was so heartless and didn't take care of her wife and daughter.
Old Mrs. Zhao was startled awake, and for the next few nights she dreamed of Zhao Xiangyang every night.
Even in her dreams, her son was blaming her, which frightened Old Lady Zhao to the point of mental instability.
He kept muttering to himself during the day and even went to Zhao Xiangyang's grave to apologize.
Yulan's sister-in-law described it so vividly that He Tiantian felt a chill run down her spine.
"So... Maruko's mother, this really wasn't something you asked Xiangyang to do to seek justice." Sister-in-law Yulan was also there that day, and she remembered He Tiantian's words clearly.
He Tiantian quickly shook her head. She didn't even remember what Zhao Xiangyang looked like, so how could she ask a dead person for help?
"Maybe that old woman has done too many bad things, and even her son couldn't stand it anymore," He Tiantian guessed.
There's quite a bit of gossip going around in the village, but He Tiantian hadn't paid much attention to it before.
Sister-in-law Yulan poured out everything she had recently learned, like spilling beans.
The night is very quiet tonight, just like last night.
Cheng lay in bed pretending to be asleep. Only after discovering that her husband was snoring did she tiptoe out of bed.
Cheng carefully dressed herself, crouching low, and cautiously opened the door to come out of the house.
In the courtyard, Zhao Xiaocao also got up in the middle of the night. The mother and daughter bumped into each other.
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