Chapter 81: I Won’t Split Up

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

She wanted Qiao Mai to help on that day, but seeing how busy she was, Lu Sanniang gave up on that idea.

After Yuan Jiaqi and the children arrived at the Wang family’s mansion, they were arranged to stay in a courtyard. For this reason, Wang Zongsheng even went to take a look.

He had a good impression of Yuan Jiaqi and the three children. Although Old Mister Wang had accepted them as his students, he only provided classes. He did not take them as disciples, so they could not mess up the etiquette of addressing people.

Qiao Mai and Wang Jiaru called each other sisters, so Yuan Jiaqi naturally had to call Wang Zongsheng uncle.

The children called Old Mister Wang their great-uncle. Wang Zongsheng even gave each of them a greeting gift because of Wang Jiaru.

Seeing that the Wang family was good to them, the father and sons were relieved.

The Wang family did not mistreat them in terms of food. They had two hours of classes in the morning and afternoon, and they had to study at night. Old Mister Wang had arranged a full schedule for them.

He taught them from the beginning and laid the foundation for them. Yuan Jiaqi was no exception.

Don’t look at the simple strokes of words. There was a story behind them. Old Mister Wang had told them the origin of the text.

Yuan Jiaqi and the three kids were engrossed in every lesson. Old Mister Wang did not fail his reputation as a knowledgeable Tribute Scholar. Yuan Jiaqi was impressed. He once again thanked Qiao Mai. Without her, he would not have been able to listen to his lecture.

On the 20th of the first month, Qiao Mai handed the blueprint to the Broker

Center. The two parties discussed the blueprint and finalized it the next day.

The house and shop occupied thirty-five and sixty-five acres of land respectively.

With the blueprint and title deed, the worker reported to his superior, went through the relevant procedures, and finally quoted the total cost.

It was a brick-wood-stone structure. Ordinary wood costs about 5,300 taels of silver, and quality wood costs about 8,500 taels of silver. The construction period was half a year, which meant it would be completed in July.

All the greenery and roads were included. Everything was according to the requirements of the blueprint. There were some slight changes, but it was not major.

The ten shops had been changed to eight to add a main road in the middle that led to the house. Qiao Mai had not considered everything and had forgotten to design a door.

Qiao Mai counted the silver she had. Even if she didn’t set up her stall, she would still have a surplus. She agreed to the cost.

After signing the document with the Broker Center, the worker was overjoyed. This was a big deal. If he made the deal a success and got the appreciation of his boss, he might get a reward, either a promotion or a raise.

Qiao Mai was happy when she got home. She cooked meat porridge for her daughter and fed her to sleep. She also ate a bowl of porridge.

She was alone in the house now. Seeing that the living room was messy, she vacated the other room in the west wing.

She had no intention of doing business for the time being.

Anyway, everyone knew she was selling goods at home. They could buy whatever they wanted to eat. She could withstand the wind and the sun, but Ling’ er could not.

After she was done, Qiao Mai fed the quails and the horses and watched the two puppies run behind her.

She poured the rest of the meat porridge for them. The two puppies were gluttonous. After the new year, they had grown bigger.

Every day, she would cook or stir-fry the goods to be sold at home and add items that needed to be sold to the shelves.

She would sell goods when there were customers. When there were no people, she would accompany Ling’er around the house to practice walking and learning how to speak. Just like some simple objects, she could slowly learn to read.

Qiao Mai inserted a sign in her stall’s location. It was written that Madam Qiao’s stall had moved back home. Those who wanted to buy things could come to her house.

She even wrote the items she wanted to sell on the sign so that people wouldn’t have to make a wasted trip if the stuff they wanted wasn’t on it.

Some people wanted to buy rare items, so they came to the Qiao family with the mentality of trying.

As long as the price was right, Qiao Mai would ask them to come back the next day, saying she would help look for it. She had never disappointed anyone.

Her reputation for being able to get good food was well-known in the surrounding villages.

Whenever the elderly in the family wanted to eat something unavailable in the market, the people could not help but think of her.

However, her items are not cheap. Before coming, don’t hold onto the mindset of seeking bargains. Otherwise, not only will you fail to purchase anything, but you will also be met with disdain from Madam Qiao.

It’s not that Qiao Mai is money-minded, but rather, she follows the principle that valuable things are hard to come by. Rarity commands a high price. If you want to acquire something rare and precious, you can’t expect it to be cheap. This is an age-old rule that cannot be broken.

Otherwise, in the future, everyone would think they could buy something rare with a small amount of money.

Therefore, Qiao Mai is not at all idle at home nowadays. Early in the morning, she starts preparing the goods for sale. Throughout the day, there is a constant stream of visitors. She’s constantly occupied.

It’s only when it’s almost dark that there are no more visitors.

However, occasionally, some people come knocking at her door in the evening, but these are a few exceptional cases.

Either it’s because a child at home has a fever and wants fruit, or it’s because an elderly feels unwell and has no appetite. They want to eat something from Qiao Mai.

She never gets angry; being amiable leads to prosperity, after all. Who would want to have a conflict over money?

So, her business hasn’t worsened; in fact, it’s becoming more and more prosperous.

Upon hearing that Qiao Mai had adopted another daughter, the Qiao family was infuriated, especially her two brothers, Qiao Jiang and Qiao He.

Can she adopt other people’s daughters but not take care of her nieces and nephews?

Other people’s children eat well and dress warmly, but she can’t help her family a bit?

However, what could they do? She ignored the severed ties. If they dared to cause trouble, Qiao Mai would complain to the town magistrate.

In the end, they were the ones suffering. They could only be anxious and frustrated, with no way to vent their feelings.

The Tian family had been simmering with anger all along. Upon learning that Qiao Mai’s business was thriving, it was as if their hearts were scratched by a cat’s claws.

They constantly fantasized about those silver coins being theirs. They dreamt of the day Qiao Mai would change her mind and return to the Tian family.

Daydreaming at its finest!

At the moment, the Yuan family had no time to worry about Yuan Jiaqi. On the day after the fifteenth, the four brothers approached their parents to discuss splitting the family.

Not only did they bring the village head, but they also invited their in-laws. They declared that it must happen today, or not only would the old couple be unable to leave the house, but their lives would also be in danger.

The Yuan family was surrounded by villagers, facing a crisis like never before. For the first time in history, all the sons pressured their parents to split the family.

While other families might have one son who cared for them, their family was different — None of their sons sided with the parents.

Looking at the four sons, glaring at them with stern expressions as if they would fight to the death if the split didn’t happen, the Yuan couple felt distressed.

Who could they blame for this situation? They had brought it upon themselves.

The village head could do nothing but sigh. He looked at them pitifully, but everyone knew about the Yuan family’s circumstances — No one could intervene.

He sighed and said, “Why not split the family?”

“No, I won’t split the family. You are joining forces to bully us.”

“By splitting the family, you can live your days in peace. It’ll prevent your children from growing resentful of you. We all know about your family’s situation. It’s time for the struggles you’ve put your children through all these years to end. Let your children live their lives in peace.”

“No, I won’t split the family. I gave birth to them, and they must serve me for their whole lives. Until I die, they must earn money and give it to me. They must serve us until we’re old.”

The village head really wanted to scold them. Even now, they couldn’t see the reality.

At that moment, the people from the in-laws’ families suddenly surged forward. Instantly, they pounced on the Yuan couple, causing them to cry out in pain.

The people behind them hurriedly stood up, and someone shouted from behind.

“Who was it? Who pushed me? Oh, dear, I’m sorry, I didn’t know which b*stard pushed me. I didn’t realize I was pressing on you. I’m so sorry.”

One by one, they got up and then looked at the Yuan couple. One was lying on the ground, unable to move, and the other was clutching their leg and wincing in pain..

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