Chapter 144: It Would Be More Convenient for You to Move In.

Madam Luo fell into a silence. Originally, she had intended to set up the pickle workshop at her younger sister-in-law’s place, as there simply wasn't enough room at home. However, since the younger Mrs. Luo had spoken as she did, she found it difficult to press the matter further. She merely asked, "Wouldn't it be even more troublesome for you to come over here?"

After all, her own family had an ox cart, while her younger sister-in-law and niece-in-law only had their own two legs to rely on.

The younger Mrs. Luo smiled. "It's only a few miles; we can walk. Big Sister, when shall we begin?"

Madam Luo completely abandoned the idea of placing the workshop at the Cui residence. She mused that if her eldest son and her husband really did purchase the barren hills and wasteland behind their home, she would make sure to have them build her a small workshop.

"As soon as possible. Once I have things set up on my end, I'll have my second son come to pick you up. By the way, spend these next few days walking around the village and collecting more beans," Madam Luo instructed.

The younger Mrs. Luo agreed. The two sat for a while longer, but both were anxious about the outcome of the land purchase that Old Man Wen and his son were handling, so they bid farewell and headed home.

The younger Mrs. Luo walked her guests to the edge of the village, watching as the ox cart slowly pulled away. The smile on her face could not be hidden.

"My sister has truly turned a corner," the younger Mrs. Luo murmured. Beside her, Jiang Yunian offered a gentle smile.

On the way back, Jiang Yunian briefly updated her mother-in-law on the booming business at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, leaving the younger Mrs. Luo astonished.

"I knew that girl Yao was capable, but I never imagined she had such talent—even the business at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion is thriving because of her." Recalling how timid Wen Yao had been when her mother, the former Mrs. Liu, was still alive, she noted how completely different the girl was now. It seemed that after losing her mother, she had grown up overnight.

"Tonight, when Yang and the others return, we'll tell them the news. You have nothing to do at home anyway, so you might as well come help me. I will slowly teach you the craft of making these pickles; it is, after all, an inheritance passed down from your grandmother," the younger Mrs. Luo said, patting her daughter-in-law’s hand gently.

Jiang Yunian nodded. She believed in the old saying that one should adapt to the life of the family one marries into. She admired Jiao Yang and was naturally willing to work hard for their household. Since her mother-in-law wanted to start her own business, she would be there to assist.

Not long after Wen Yao and Madam Luo returned home, Wen Xiuyi and Old Man Wen arrived as well. Their faces were beaming with smiles—the look of men who had succeeded.

"Did you get it done?" Madam Luo asked.

Wen Xiuyi handed the land deeds retrieved from the magistrate’s office to Madam Luo. "Mother, it’s all done. When the village chief heard we wanted to buy that small barren hill and the wasteland behind our house, he agreed without a second thought. He even drove his own ox cart to take us into town to process the paperwork and pay the silver. Now, both the land and the small hill belong to us."

"How much?"

Wen Xiuyi replied, "One hundred taels for the hill, and eighty taels for the twenty mu of wasteland connecting our land to the Pingjiang tributary. That’s one hundred and eighty taels total. We gave the clerk two taels as a gratuity and one tael to the village chief for tea money. It cost one hundred and eighty-three taels in total."

The price was not unreasonable. Madam Luo looked over the deeds. Though she could not read, she recognized the official seals. She raised an eyebrow. "The village chief was that eager?"

Old Man Wen tapped his pipe against his palm and added, "How could he not be? He was grinning from ear to ear, telling us that once our family prospers, we shouldn't forget to help out the rest of the village."

Madam Luo curled her lip. So, that was his motive.

"Did you tell him what we plan to do with the land?" Madam Luo asked, hoping they hadn't leaked the information before they even began.

Old Man Wen shot her a sideways glance. "Do you think the eldest and I are that foolish?"

Madam Luo did not respond, but offered a cold chuckle.

Old Man Wen and Wen Xiuyi remained silent.

Madam Luo did not bother to look at them again and placed the deeds into Wen Yao's hands. "Keep these safe."

"You got it!" Wen Yao took the deeds without hesitation, though she actually tucked them away into her secret space.

Once Wen Yao had secured them, Madam Luo said to the two men, "The village chief’s intentions are as obvious as Sima Zhao’s. Do you think I don’t know what he’s thinking? This matter must not be leaked until we are up and running. As for his talk about 'helping out the village,' we’ll see about that when the time comes."

With those words, Madam Luo walked away. She was a woman who remembered kindness, but she had not forgotten the cold remarks and the way people had kicked them while they were down when Wen Xiuyi was a burden on the family. Back when Wen Xiuyi first became a scholar, everyone had scrambled to curry favor with them. But once he fell into bad habits and squandered the family wealth, they had turned on them, wishing to trample them into the mud. If not for her and her second daughter-in-law's sharp tongues, they would have been bullied beyond measure.

Public opinion was indeed a fearful thing. Yet now, seeing them doing well, they were all crawling back. Of course, Madam Luo was not ungrateful; she remembered those who had remained loyal and kind to them throughout the hardship.

"Eldest, in the next few days, mark out the size and location of the pond. Take this time to get it dug, and hire a few people to clear the brush on the barren hill," Madam Luo ordered.

Wen Xiuyi nodded. "Mother, don't worry. Father has already arranged it; people will be here to start working tomorrow."

Madam Luo glanced at Old Man Wen, who raised his head proudly. He was the head of the house, after all; he had to ensure everything was properly arranged.

For the first time in a long while, Madam Luo did not belittle Old Man Wen, but instead said, "Eldest, since you’ve moved back, I intend to use the room you occupied in the old house for my pickle workshop. You have no objections, right?"

After Wen Xiuyi’s family had moved out, that room had been occupied by the younger children. Later, when Wen Xiuyi built his own house and moved back, the children had returned to their parents' quarters. Now that Wen Xiuyi had moved away, they had originally planned to move the children back into that room, but since there was no other suitable space for the workshop, they would have to requisition it.

Old Man Wen looked at her. "Where will the children live then?"

Madam Luo glared. "Can’t they live where they are for now? They’ll have to make do. Once we make some money, we can build a couple more rooms."

"Oh," Old Man Wen said, saying nothing more.

Wen Xiuyi thought for a moment and said, "Mother, why not let Wen Jin and Wen Fa move here to stay with Da Tou? It would be convenient for the three brothers to study together."

Wen Yao chimed in, "Grandma, let Di and Ying move in with me, too! The three of us will have company."

Madam Luo smacked her. "That is your sister; stop calling her 'Di, Di' all the time."

Wen Yao just giggled.

Madam Luo hesitated. "Would that be appropriate?" After all, people were already saying that she was fawning over her eldest son now that he had made his fortune. If she moved the children over, wouldn't it be even more of a laughingstock? But the house was indeed getting crowded.

Madam Luo felt conflicted.

Wen Xiuyi, however, was not bothered by such trifles. He said, "The three of them living together will allow them to supervise each other’s studies. I’m not worried about Wen Jin, and with Da Tou and Xiao Jun watching over Wen Nong, it will be better for him. Besides, it’s quiet here, which will help them focus."

Madam Luo’s resolve softened.

"Very well then. Let Wen Fa and Wen Jin move over, but you and Xiao Jun must keep an eye on them."

Wen Xiuyi flashed a cheeky grin. "Don't you worry about a thing, Mother."