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墨書 Inktalez
Ruyi looked around the people in the Hall, especially glancing at Xiao Lihua. She felt more resentment towards Xiao Lihua than ever before. She thought that if Xiao Lihua had arranged for her to be with Zhao Linting, she wouldn't have had to risk calculating against Zhao Linting herself, and how could she have ended up benefiting Gao Zhengping? She wanted to marry into a good family, but she certainly didn't want to be a concubine. To her, being a concubine was not a source of pride but rather a source of shame. Now that she had fallen to this point, she believed it was all Xiao Lihua's fault.
Xiao Lihua sensed Ruyi's resentment and thought to herself that this person really never changed.
"Second Brother, Second Sister, don't rush to move. You don't need to worry about Ziwen going to school. Isn't it just about spending Silver for school? I'll cover those expenses."
"Ruyi, are you serious? You're covering the tuition for your nephew?" The Fang Family was both surprised and delighted, repeatedly thanking her. They said, "Ruyi is so generous and truly cares for her family. Ziwen, hurry up and thank your aunt. Remember to repay her when you succeed in the future."
Xie Youkang also smiled. It was good for his son to go to school, but it would cost quite a bit of Silver. Now that Ruyi was willing to cover this expense, they saved money and gained face. He thought that even if his sister became a concubine, it wouldn't matter much; at least she was willing to take care of the family and would have plenty of money to support them in the future. This was much better than Auspicious, who always came back home looking for handouts.
Wang Clan took Ruyi's hand and began to express concern for her, both happy for Ruyi's care for her family and scolding others for adding trouble for Ruyi. She worried about her daughter marrying as a concubine and hoped that her sons would help out when the time came; now was the perfect time to remind them.
The Li Family chimed in with smiles, saying, "Ruyi, since you're covering Ziwen's tuition, can we also ask you to help with Shackles? They are both clever! If they go to school together, who knows, they might both return as scholars. That would be quite a story! Then you as their aunt would also have glory."
Ruyi replied, "Then let them go together."
"Hey! Shackles, come thank your aunt! She's providing Silver for you both to go to school. Soon you'll be able to read and write. If you pass the exams and become officials, our Xie Family will be honored! Hurry up and thank your aunt." The Li Family quickly pulled the two brothers who were happily playing at the doorstep over.
Shuanzi wiped his nose and said loudly, "I don't want to go to school! I heard they hit you there! And you have to sit at a desk every day; it's not fun at all!"
Lock bit his finger and asked, "If I become an official, can I eat meat every day? If I can eat meat every day, I'll go study to become an official; if not, I'll learn from Uncle Zhu how to slaughter pigs so I can eat pork every day."
Upon hearing the children's words, some people in the room couldn't help but laugh while others frowned. The Li Family was furious at their two embarrassing sons and said to Ruyi: "Ruyi, look at how mischievous your two nephews are! They say that mischievous children are often the smartest and learn faster than others. Don't worry; they'll definitely study well."
Ruyi nodded and said, "Even if they don't love studying, it's fine as long as they can write and do calculations. I'm not planning on them taking the imperial examination; if they just become shopkeepers later on, that's fine too. Our Xie Family will rely on them."
Xie Youtai's eyes lit up as he thought that Ruyi's words indicated she planned on giving them money in the future so they could open a shop or perhaps work as shopkeepers in Gao Family's store? Either way would be a great opportunity. He thought that as long as Ruyi had this intention in mind—he had been planning on asking her about this—he would wait until it was easier for him to bring it up.
Not only Xie Youtai but also the Li Family, Fang Family, and Xie Youkang felt a wave of joy in their hearts.
Wang Clan praised Ruyi for being so thoughtful. Although Xie Shengcai didn't say anything, his expression improved somewhat. What he desired most was harmony within the family—seeing his children live well and support each other. Now that Ruyi was becoming a concubine, he felt uneasy; however, seeing her willing to help her brother and sister-in-law made him think that in the future his sons' daughters-in-law would also help her out—she still had reliable support from her maternal family—and he felt much more at ease.
Ruyi's actions were actually aimed at winning over her maternal relatives so they would understand that even though she became a concubine in Gao Family, she could still provide them with a good life. If they wanted to continue enjoying such a good life, they needed to help her secure her position in Gao Family. She did not want to be a concubine forever; she wanted to be the main wife. When that time came, she would definitely need some means of support—her most reliable allies would still be her maternal family.
"Ruyi has such a good heart; as soon as she has money, she thinks of helping her family. She's so generous—not like some people who live well with hundreds of taels coming in yet are stingy with their own family members while willingly giving it away to unrelated people. Truly eating from one side while digging into another." The Li Family cast a glance at Xiao Lihua.
Xiao Lihua remained silent; she couldn't be bothered to argue with such a person. Even if she did, it wouldn't change what they said in the future. After all, the innocent would clear their name.
The Li Family, seeing that Xiao Lihua was not engaging, found it uninteresting and also fell silent.
The Wang Clan spoke to Xiao Lihua, saying, "Fourth Brother's Wife, what the Third Brother's wife said makes sense. What angers me the most is not that you let outsiders spend the Silver, but that you don't think about your own family at all. When Shangqiao Village came to ask us for help, didn't you consider Ruyi? You should have taken that opportunity to support Ruyi. You didn't think of Ruyi at all, and you didn't even give her half of those three hundred taels. You really need to reflect on whether you're being too stingy; you should learn from Ruyi."
The Li Family perked up again. To please Ruyi, one of them immediately said, "Ruyi is about to marry into the Gao Family, which is a wealthy household with many servants. Who wouldn't need some Silver? The more Silver, the better. Sister Four, you didn't think about Ruyi in that matter with Shangqiao Village and refused to share half of those three hundred taels with her. Are you comfortable with that?"
The Fang Family also chimed in, saying lightly, "Speaking of the Gao Family and Sister Four, there are still some matters between them. Leaving aside what happened before, just mentioning the incident with the Su Family at Qiao Xiu Fabric Shop is closely related to Sister Four. I heard that the Su Family ended up having a miscarriage; this is a serious grudge. I wonder if Ruyi will be treated as a scapegoat after marrying in. For this reason, Sister Four should give Ruyi some Silver for her preparations."
Xiao Lihua wondered how they were back to discussing those three hundred taels again. She had already refused once; now they were asking a second time—how thick-skinned could they be?
"Ruyi, do you want me to prepare some makeup for you?"
Xiao Lihua smiled at Ruyi. Ruyi's heart raced; recalling Xiao Lihua's previous threats, she immediately shook her head so hard that her teeth nearly cracked. She thought about waiting until she became the legitimate wife of the Gao Family and secured her position; then she would see how Xiao Lihua dealt with her. She would definitely make Xiao Lihua pay her three thousand taels of Silver; if she couldn't pay up, she would have to bow down three thousand times!
Xiao Lihua felt refreshed; it was so comfortable to have someone else's weakness in her hands. It seemed that from now on, whenever she found someone displeasing, she just needed to grab onto their little faults and pull hard whenever they caused trouble—then everything would be peaceful.
The Xie Family was disappointed that Ruyi had backed down. The Wang Clan shot a glare at Xiao Lihua and then praised Ruyi for being sensible and not holding grudges, elevating her like a flower. The Fang Family and Li Family joined in the praise as well; they all felt it was much easier to gain benefits from Ruyi than from Xie Youshun and his group.
Xie Shengcai nodded in satisfaction. He didn't know that Ruyi shook her head out of fear of Xiao Lihua; he thought Ruyi was genuinely understanding and appreciated children who were considerate.
"With Tai and Tai Daughter-in-law here, look at how this matter has been resolved! Ruyi stepped forward just to avoid upsetting you all; why don’t you reconsider moving? Just treat it as giving Ruyi some face and wait until she gets married before moving—how does that sound?"
The Zi Clan looked at Xie Youtai; insisting on moving now seemed unreasonable.
After thinking for a moment, Xie Youtai nodded and agreed not to move. The weather was getting cold now, and since their house wasn't built yet, they would have to rent someone else's place. Other people's houses couldn't compare to their own home, plus it would incur additional expenses. If he hadn't been forced into a corner, he wouldn't want to move out during such a time.
Zi Clan sighed silently; she knew it wasn't a good time to move but still wanted to do so. She just hoped the New Year would pass quickly and spring would come soon so they could build their house.
With this matter settled, Xiao Lihua followed the Zi Clan back to their house. Looking at Zi Wu's fair and clean little face made her quite fond of him. She told Zi Wu that she had made him a backpack; it just needed a few more stitches before she could bring it over in a couple of days.
Zi Wu quickly thanked her, thinking about what a backpack was—it sounded like something for books or storage—and he found Aunt Si very intriguing now. The previous Aunt Si had changed dramatically; she could read and calculate and made all sorts of delicious food while also repairing bridges for the Village. He liked this new Aunt Si very much.
"Second Brother, Second Sister, how is your savings for building a house next year coming along? I have a way for you to make some money, but I don't know if you're interested."
Xiao Lihua thought these two were good people; they had helped her before, and now she wanted to repay them by helping them make some money before assisting the people of the Village.
The Zi Clan's eyes lit up, and they immediately said, "What is it? To be honest with Sister Four, we still have some silver, but not much. Although I could borrow from my family, it would be better if we could manage on our own. We want to build a bigger house so that when Zi Wu gets married, we won't have to build again. Sister Four, you are clever and good at making money; we’ve seen that. If you have a way and are willing to help us, we would be very happy."
Xie Youtai, who had been sitting aside, looked at Xiao Lihua as well. He felt envious seeing Fourth Brother's family living more prosperously.
Xiao Lihua then told them about her plan to sell Cured Meat, saying, "When the time comes, I will have Hua Gongzi buy pigs from our village first, and the price will definitely be good. You can go to other villages to collect pigs; you will surely make a profit."
Xie Youtai and the Zi Clan were both surprised and delighted. They were surprised that Xiao Lihua had such a plan and delighted because they believed it could indeed earn them some money.
"I currently have some Silver; when the time comes, Second Brother can use it to buy pigs," Xiao Lihua added, providing them with their initial capital.
Xie Youtai and the Zi Clan looked at Xiao Lihua with gratitude. Collecting pigs in such large quantities would require a significant amount of Silver. The Zi Clan's family was doing well but was not wealthy; borrowing twenty or thirty taels would be good enough. If they wanted to earn more money, they would need more capital. Xiao Lihua had over a hundred taels of Silver, so they could imagine how much they could earn.
Zi Wu also understood and said to Xiao Lihua, "Aunt Si, since they treat my aunt well, I will treat you well in the future."
Xiao Lihua smiled upon hearing this. She thought the little guy was still thinking about what had just happened. However, she was pleased that he could show gratitude like this. She patted his head and said she would wait for him to become an official so she could benefit from his success.
The author has something to say: Finally not short; let’s celebrate! No more crawling away; I’m bouncing away while waving goodbye.
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