"Second brother, second sister-in-law?"
In the courtyard, Jiang Shuwen and his wife, along with Jiang Qi, saw Jiang Shuyun and his wife come out and quickly came over to ask what was going on.
"The house is settled. Tomorrow morning, I'll go to town to exchange the official deed. When I get back and have the keys, I'll start tidying up the house. Shuwen, you guys need to come and help me then."
"That's for sure, I have four days off in total."
Jiang Shuwen smiled and agreed; his second brother had suddenly become more approachable.
"Second sister-in-law, I won't be able to adjust to your move, and neither will Shao Kun. He's been following Shao Yun around every day lately, and he can count now and he doesn't cause any trouble anymore."
Li Qiuniang was truly reluctant to leave. She planned to go back to her parents' home for a while after her second sister-in-law finished moving.
“We’re all in the village, not far apart. You can come over whenever you’re free. The kids can play together and keep each other company. The three of us can do needlework and chores together and chat. Besides, we’ll come back often; our parents are here too.”
Mu Yi'an was in a good mood. She was finally moving and would have her own private space. Most importantly, it would be much more convenient for her to go wherever she wanted from now on.
“That’s true, we can’t move away for the time being. Shuwen works at the business and is always out on business. He’s worried about me living alone in the county town with the child.”
Li Qiuniang and Shuwen had discussed it. She would stay in the village until Shuwen gained experience and they could start their own small business. Then she would move to the county. Although her family lived in the county town, she had a large family, including her sister-in-law and brother's wife, and there were many things to do. If she went back for a few days, it would be like visiting relatives or being a guest. She didn't want to stay for a long time; distant relatives are more pleasant than close ones.
"Second sister-in-law, thank you!"
"No need to thank me. Putting aside the fact that you are my husband's sister, it's only right that we take care of each other. The most important thing is that we get along well, otherwise I wouldn't dare to take on so much responsibility. In the future, you will also have to share the burden of household affairs."
Mu Yi'an's plan can only be implemented next spring. There are still a few months left. She needs to arrange things at home, especially Chu Yue, who is the youngest and the most difficult to take care of.
"That's for sure, I can't just eat and not do any work!"
"Don't worry, you won't be made to work in the fields."
"I know a bit about farm work, but I haven't done it for several years. I don't know if I'm still capable?"
Jiang Qi and her second sister-in-law chatted and laughed, their tone relaxed.
"Shuwen, how do we manage our land? I don't know how to do farm work!"
Li Qiuniang suddenly remembered that after the family split up, they also had five mu of paddy fields and five mu of dry land.
"You don't need to do it. I'm not very good at farm work. We'll see how it goes next spring, whether to continue planting with my parents or something else."
Jiang Shuwen did not hold the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examinations at the county level). Although the family had separated, the land remained under his father's name, thus avoiding taxes. However, a deed was drawn up after the separation to prove that the land belonged to Jiang Shuwen.
Jiang Shuyun's twenty mu of woodland and ten mu of dry land were transferred to his name and the land deeds were completed. Lin Lizheng and Jiang's father will handle these matters together.
Jiang Shuyun and Mu Yi'an currently own 20 mu of paddy fields, 25 mu of dry land, and 20 mu of woodland. The number of tax-exempt lands under his name is basically exhausted. If he passes the imperial examination and becomes a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination), the number of tax-exempt lands under his name will increase.
The group chatted and laughed in the courtyard. Inside the main house, Sister-in-law Jiang was still upset about the twelve taels of silver she had lost. She felt that the richer Jiang Shuyun and her family were, the stingier they became. They were not living in the house anymore, yet they still wanted money from her.
Jiang Lan sat in front of her dressing table, looking at her reflection in the bronze mirror. She was the prettiest girl in the family. Now that the family had split up and her older sister had left, there would be no obstacle to her marriage, but she still felt a vague sense of unease, though she didn't know why.
Today we're dividing the family property, including the grain. Jiang's mother said they have three days; after that, they can each start cooking.
Shuwen had originally planned for Qiu Niang to eat with her parents, since he was often away from home and she was raising the child alone. Li Qiu Niang disagreed; she didn't want to continue getting involved with Jiang Da Sao.
Jiang Shuwen didn't try to persuade her, but asked his second sister-in-law and sister to take care of Qiu Niang while he was away.
The next day, Jiang Shuyun and her group arrived in town without incident, and the house deed was quickly processed. With the help of Lin Lizheng, Wang Juren's status, and Jiang Shuyun herself being a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), things were settled quickly.
"Grandpa Lin, Uncle, Uncle, thank you again. We'll treat you to a drink when we move."
Jiang Shuyun bowed and greeted him; he was the junior.
"Shuyun, you're too kind. It's my duty."
Grandpa Lin was very satisfied with the Jiang family's young man; he was well-mannered and polite.
"Let's go, I'll go back and get you the keys. Hurry up and pack your things, then you can move in."
Wang Zhongwu patted Jiang Shuyun on the shoulder, making her wince. Her uncle was really strong.
"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Uncle. I'll go back and send the money home to you."
With cash on delivery, Jiang Shuyun paid ninety-five taels of silver in front of Lin Lizheng and her uncle, and received the keys to the house.
"Yi'an, keep the key safe. Let's go tidy up the house now."
Jiang Shuyun greeted Mu Yi'an with a cheerful expression; he was in a good mood.
"Okay, I'll feed Chuyue some milk, and let Mother watch over her for a while."
Mu Yi'an held her little girl and went to breastfeed. She thought to herself again that if she could endure a few more months, she could wean her baby and her job as a wet nurse would be over.
After entrusting the child to Jiang's mother, Mu Yi'an and her group of five went to their new home.
"Second brother, this house is well-built, and the yard is big enough, no smaller than our yard."
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