Days flew by and in the blink of an eye, Lin Qingwan had been pregnant for over seven months, soon it would be her eighth month.

The construction of their house was also coming to closure, with only a few patch-up works here and there left. The crafting of interior furniture has also been commenced by a carpenter hired by Yang Tiezhu.

The carpenter he hired was none other than Carpenter Cui, who had already worked for Lin Qingwan quite a few times in the past. He was an honest and tight-lipped person. Before coming here, he had already acquiesced to refrain from divulging anything outside the work. He didn't even tell his family about his work. With just his son and an apprentice in his tow, every day he dedicated all his energy to completing his work.

This while, Lin Qingwan had appealed to Yang Tiezhu several times to bring her along to the house to see how the work was coming along, but the latter firmly refused her request. Due to the mess and dirt flying around all over the place, he persuaded her against her decision. If she accidentally bumped into something with her big belly, it might be fatal. Besides, pregnant women are usually advised to refrain from going close to construction places, lest they startle their fetuses. Though Luoxia village didn't pay attention to this, it was better to avoid taboos.

It was only now when the construction of the house was done, did Yang Tiezhu accompany Lin Qingwan to have a look.

The overall layout of the house was more or less similar to what Lin Qingwan had in her mind.

Facing the spacious front yard was a big roof-tiled three-bay main house. On the left of the main house was a row of three adjacent rooms. The interior of the house was equipped with a kang, making it a cozy and warm living space. Likewise, the right side also had another set of three rooms, serving as a kitchen, store room, and bathroom. The yard also housed an animal shed for the mule and its carriage, along with a well.

The yard was paved with blue stones, which was suggested by Uncle Liu back then. As a large amount of silver was anyhow expended on just courtyard walls, and coupled with the splendidly built residence which wasn't outdone by the lavish courtyard walls, he mused that leaving the yard with just a mud floor wouldn't be right. Thus, then and there, Uncle Liu suggested to Yang Tiezhu to buy blue limestones to tile the yard.

Just at that time, Lin Qingwan, coincidently, happened to be in a fix with the lack of concrete flooring in this era. Due to that whenever it rained, the house would be littered with messy footprints. Thus, when they heard the blue limestone tiles weren't expensive, they instantly ordered them.

Upon stepping into the main house, the meticulously designed main room would greet the visitors. The interior design and layout of the room weren't similar to any typical ones in Luoxia village with kang. Contrarily, it mimicked the style seen in the distinguished residences. Right in the center was a minimalistic Taishi wall, perfect to hang paintings, couplets, or even placing memorial tablets. However, they haven't reached that stage yet and were thus empty at that moment. They haven't even bought any painting pieces and were waiting to buy everything together.

Right below the painting on the wall, there was a long narrow table. And right in front of the long table, they had planned to place a slightly smaller large square-shaped eight immortal table with four horseshoe chairs placed on the sides of the table. Currently, the Carpenter Cui was extremely busy crafting this set of furniture. According to Yang Tiezhu, it was in its final stages and would be finished soon.

On the right was a west room. There wasn't a partition in between and followed an open room style. Inside, a large round-eight immortal table was placed. By the window, a long narrow table was placed to house decorative articles and the like. A wall painting would also be hung over it, but at the moment it was still empty.

The east room was in line with the typical Luoxia village-style room. A kang, a set of a table, and two horseshoe chairs were placed next to the wall. Similar to other rooms, under the window, a long and narrow table was placed; currently, it was a also empty.

The kang was equipped with a kang cabinet and a kang table. Stroking the furniture, Lin Qingwan was in awe of Carpenter Cui's excellent crafting skills. He had also carved auspicious decorative patterns on the furniture.

All the furniture was in the wood color itself. Carpenter Cui, initially, intended to paint them, but Lin Qingwan refused and asked Yang Tiezhu to let him keep the furniture in its original color. Thus the latter simply coated the furniture with wood polish, giving them a simple and elegant appearance. Lin Qingwan preferred this look compared to the furniture painted with red color.

She was unable to recognize the type of wood, but it seemed to be quite strong and compact, with a natural reddish brown color.

Further, into the west wing, there was a simple hall that led to the rear yard. The exit of the passageway had a double door. If closed from the outside, one would be unable to make out the door and exit.

Upon stepping into the rear yard, a small yard would enter one's sight. Paved with bluestones, the yard was quite simple. The left and right sides had east and west wings, respectively. Each wing housed two rooms. One of the rooms in the west wing held a small kitchen. Though this kitchen was smaller than the one in the front, it was equipped with a stove and all the cabinets. The remaining rooms were turned into living spaces with each having kang and kang cabinets.

Facing these three rooms was a main house. Inside, below the central wall, there was a long narrow table. A painting or some decorative embroidery would soon decorate the wall. Lin Qingwan had plans to personally embroider a big piece for this wall, but she had no time for it at present. And the upcoming year doesn't seem to be leisurely either. Thus, she could only buy a painting to hang there for now.

The Eight immortals round table was arranged in the center of the room to serve as a future dining table. The room in the east served as a bedroom and had a kang and a cabinet for garments. Near the window was Lin Qingwan's dressing table for grooming. Immediately next to it was a long narrow table, which will soon be filled with flower vases.

Lin Qingwan planned to make the room in the west a sitting room. Inside, overlooking the window was a kang, with a set of small tables and two chairs adjacent to the wall. Additionally, there was also an empty space at the side, where Lin Qingwan intended to place her embroidery frame.

Also, to facilitate comfortable bathing, Lin Qingwan had a small room built by the rooms in the east both at the front and rear. These bathrooms were equipped with a stove and a bath barrel.

Currently, in this era, such a facility was quite rare and luxurious.

The windows in the house were yet to be made. Unlike modern windows, in ancient times, the windows weren't made up of steel or aluminum. One can simply buy the ready-made ones and install them directly, greatly reducing the carpenter's work in modern times unlike now.

At this moment, Carpenter Cui and his son were making windows. They were lattice-styled windows with flower carvings on them. When Lin Qingwan closed in to peek at the designs, she found them absolutely stunning. A wave of admiration towards the exquisite craftsmanship of the ancient times kindled within her heart, for even a window could be made this artistically.

Having examined it enough, Lin Qingwan once again strolled back into the backyard. As per her request, the backyard was divided into two portions. One part was connected to the front via a passage and a small door in the east wing. The yard was furnished with a vegetable garden and a water well, along with a chicken pen and pigsty to raise the respective livestocks. However, with them being strapped for time at the moment, they could only put the agenda of raising livestock on hold for the future.

Furthermore, the yard also had two jujube trees. From what she had heard from Yang Tiezhu, the latter had transported these trees from elsewhere. Nevertheless, they won't be fortunate enough to taste the jujubes from these trees this year. She reckoned it might take about a year or two for the tree to blossom.

The other portion was designated for a small workshop as per the couple's plans. Though small, this workshop was rather spread across a significant area. Outside the workshop, there was a large open space to dry Laweixian. Next to it, there was a set of three adjacent rooms. Among them, the two rooms were designed to hang the laweixian, while the other room was a processing room. The courtyard had its exclusive water well and a shed for mules and its cart. The small back gate at this side would facilitate the easier delivery of the goods in the future. The back door was connected to a small trail path, which directly takes an alternative detour around the village.

The two portions of the backyard are separated by a one-person-tall wall with a small door in between.

Lin Qingwan also went in to look at the toilet. As per her design, the entire toilet was made from green bricks, with a small toilet bowl in between. At the rear, this toilet bowl led to a septic tank, which was covered by a slab of stone. In the backyard, apart from this one toilet, there was another in the workshop. Both toilets shared the same septic tank.

By the end of her tour, the smile on Lin Qingwan grew wider and wider. For the most part, the layout of the house was very much in-line with her plans. Although there was a minute difference, her requirements were met.

After strolling for a long while, tiredness kicked in, making her feel exhausted. After instructing a few more words to Carpenter Cui, Yang Tiezhu helped her back.

On the way back home, Lin Qingwan was in high spirits as she chattered about the furnishings of the house. Yang Tiezhy replied with a slight smile as he noted his wife's wishes in his heart.

The masonry team had first started working on Yang Tiezhu's house. Once they were done with the second branch's house, they began building the third branch's house.

The third branch's house was rather simple as their requirements weren't as complicated as Lin Qingwan's. Thus, the construction of the house was also done swiftly. By the time the carpentry on Lin Qingwan's side was done, the construction of their house was also done.

The furniture requested by the third branch was not as detailed as Lin Qingwan's, nevertheless, they were also crafted by Carpenter Cui. Having seen Carpenter Cui's work at Lin Qingwan's place, Yao-shi was also impressed by his skills.

Once both the construction and carpentry work was finished, Yang Tiezhu examined the entire and settled the bill. Altogether, the house and the furniture cost over a hundred taels, excluding the courtyard wall expenses. If even the expense of the courtyard wall were included, the number rose to about 160 silver taels.

With more than half of the silver in their hands spent, Yang Tiezhu and Lin Qingwan felt their heartache. However, after seeing the house and furniture in it, immense satisfaction dominated their pain.

For furniture, including tables, chairs, cabinets, windows, and the like, Carpenter Cui charged them over 30 silver tales. As a frequent trekker across the mountain, Yang Tiezhu was acutely knowledgeable about the types of woods and trees. Subsequently, he was aware that the wood used by Carpenter Cui in making the furniture was a good one. Thus he didn't feel that it was a worthless expense.

Carpenter Cui and his son worked diligently, without uttering drivel outside, and ended up earning more than what they had earned in the past two years collectively. Thus both of them found their hard work in the past few days very rewarding. However, they didn't share this with their family and made this bit of happiness a secret. It's not because of anything else, but because Yang Tiezhu and they had specifically explained it to them and had asked them not to divulge anything outside.

The newly-made furniture needs to be properly dried as Carpenter Cui had coated the furniture with coating. Also, the new house needs to be properly ventilated and aired. Thus, it might take them about a month before they could move in. Furthermore, Lin Qingwan would be giving birth soon. Hence, she and Yang Tiezhu decided to move in before she gave birth.

During this period everyone was in a state of exhilaration. Shortly after, the third branch's housework was also finished and was just waiting to move in along with the second branch.

Yang Tiezhu, too, in preparation for their house shifting, heated all the kang in the house, a few days in advance, in order to dry them quicker and remove moisture.

In the meantime, Yang Tiezhu also went out and bought several pieces of decorative items. Nonetheless, he wasn't quite knowledgeable about such things, thus he picked a few inexpensive but pleasing calligraphy and painting pieces as per his wife's wishes. Though he was literate and can read and write, he was yet to develop an artistic sense. Thus, he simply picked a few, that he felt would look good when displayed in the house.

The beddings and curtains needed to be stitched, but owing to her big belly Lin Qingwan was rendered helpless, and could only go to town to buy ready-made ones. She sought Shopkeeper Su's Jinxiufang for this purpose. Shopkeeper Su was still hoping to get more double-sided embroideries from Lin Qingwan, thus she not only helped them pick an inexpensive and good-quality fabric, but also had the shop's embroiderers make beddings and curtains for her.

Furthermore, when settling the bill, she only charged for fabric, but not for needlework, on the pretext that it was a congratulatory gift from her side for the latter's housewarming ceremony.

Yang Tiezhu had also bought an entire set of kitchenware for the large kitchen in the front yard. As for the one in the backyard, they were planning to use the ones they were using currently in the house.

While Yang Tiezhu was busy shopping for household essentials in an unbridled fashion, the third branch's husband and wife also began to splurge. They didn't have much kitchenware from the beginning in their family. After separation, they usually had meals in the second branch.

Yao shi too, after long contemplation, decided to buy all the household essentials for their new house. She felt disinclined to use old and torn bedding in their new house as well.

The third branch's husband and wife were usually quite thrifty. Though they had earned a lot from the business, they had been quite unwilling to spend the money and buy anything. At most, Yang-shi just added two sets of new clothes for Yang Tiegen and the two girls but didn't buy anything for herself.

She had bought new clothes for Yang Tiegen because he has to go out to deliver the goods, and can't lose his image in worn-out clothes. As for the two little girls, from a young age, the number of clothes they had were pitifully low. All of their clothes were either handed down from Yang Daniu or were made by altering adults' clothes into kids' ones. Lin Qingwan previously had given Yao-shi a few meters of fabric to make dresses for the two girls. Yao-shi, to make up for the two girls, gritted her teeth and bought a few more meters of fabric to make more clothes for them. Thus, at the moment, decked with new clothes from inside to out, the pair of sisters fared better than their father.

This time when moving into their new house, Yao-shi had become generous for once. She unrestrainedly bought a large amount of cotton and fabric, intending to make bedding. Dreading that the large bags might attract attention from the villagers if directly taken back she asked her husband to take them to their new house and finished the needlework there.

Once all the preparations were done, Lin Qingwan and they began to make arrangements to move houses. In the past few days, the third branch had also been frantically sorting things out and was ready to move along with them.

However, after moving away, what should they do with the vacant house?

Lin Qinwan proposed to put all unusable miscellaneous things in the spaces and lock them up. In the future, if the eldest branch or fourth branch demands these rooms, they can certainly use them; but after exchanging them with silver. She refused to let them have things just like that.

Yang Tiezhu had always complied with his wife's wishes. Besides, the third branch's husband and wife also didn't hold any favorable impression of those two, thus they too decided to lock their room along with the second branch.

Once the two families have discussed this, they begin the preparations to move.

On the day preceding the entry into the new house, a ceremony to offer sacrifices to the deities needs to be held. As for how to conduct the ceremony and related stuff, they were all handled by the two brothers.

As a pregnant woman, Lin Qingwan doesn't need to worry about these matters.

According to the Chinese calendar, the following day was the best time to move houses.

Early in the morning, the two families woke up early and began to make necessary arrangements.

Actually, women refrained from moving houses when they were pregnant, lest they startle the fetus. However, Luoxia Village didn't follow this rule strictly. Nonetheless, pregnant women wouldn't show up during the ceremony. Thus, Lin Qingwan made her way to the Yang-shi's house quite early in the day.

Yang-shi and her family came along with the mule cart to help the two brothers shift things. Once everyone had arrived, they lit a firecracker at the entrance of the yard.

There was a set of rules and procedures that needed to be followed while moving into a new residence. Firstly, all the daily household essentials, namely eatables and other essential items need to be moved in.

Representing the food cereals, Yang Tiezhu filled 80 percent of the barrel with rice, symbolizing the prosperous life in days to come. Additionally, he also placed a small red envelope filled with nine coins in the barrel, representing wealth. Besides, character nine had always been held as auspicious ever since ancient times, hoping for boundless wealth in the future. Likewise, representing water, seventy percent of the barrel was filled with water. As for the kitchenware, they first took an even number of bowls, cups, and chopsticks. Apart from these, a dustpan and a broom tied by a red cloth were also taken in along with a few pieces of personal clothing of the family members entering the house.

The second and third branches entered the house at the same time, each taking a set of household essentials, respectively into the new house.

It was only at this moment that the others in the Yang jia felt something was amiss. The second and third branches' actions seemed to be that of moving houses. Usually, no words were exchanged between the two. The Yang jia's members stood by the side and watched for half a day. Only when the two brothers came back to move things did they send the thick-skinned Wang-shi over to inquire.

Due to the presence of a pregnant woman at home, every time Yang Tiezhu came to move things, he would sweep the place clean to remove any debris and dust. Thus, with his hands full, he didn't have time to pay attention to Wang-shi.

With no other choice, Wang-shi could only go over to Yang-shi's side. Yang-shi, whilst guiding people in moving things, affirmatively replied to Wang-shi about the two brothers' moving into their new residences.

The news of Yang Tiezhu and Yang Tiegen moving into new residences was akin to a bolt from the blue to Yang jia, leaving Wang-shi and others dumbfounded.

How long has it been, ah? Putting aside the matter of them moving out, when did they even build the house? How come they weren't even aware of it?

However, what obligation does the other party have to let them know about it?! In other words, why should others tell you?!

The Yang jia was itching to inquire more, but the other party had a look of ' I am quite busy, don't disturb me', making them stop in their tracks.

Their sons were moving out of the house and had built their personal residence, yet their parents, brothers and sisters-in-law had no inkling of it. Wasn't that too much?

Furthermore, Yang-shi dashing in here with such great fanfare attracted a lot of inquisitive villagers. Upon hearing that Yang jia's second and third sons have built a new house and were moving out, they all gathered around to spectate over a bustling scene. In the presence of a bustling crowd, Yang jia found it quite embarrassing to step forward and inquire.

The two families in fact didn't have many things that needed to be moved, and also most of the things were already arranged in the house. Only things like bedding and a few clothes were left to be taken over. Thus, coupled with a mule cart, all the necessary things were moved in a single trip.

When the luggage was being transported, many villagers excitedly followed after the cart.

Only then did the villagers realize that the new house that was recently built was Yang jia's second son's.

"Yang Tiezhu, you punk, you truly are too secretive, ah! You even built such a big house?"

"Precisely, I had long known about the house being constructed here, but I didn't know whose it was. Never did I expect it to be yours…."

With a silly chuckle, Yang Tiezhu replied that he was too occupied to manage, and had thus hired a masonry team.

Seeing Yang Tiegen also ceremoniously enter the neighboring house, everyone realized that both the brothers had built the house at the same time, with the larger courtyard belonging to Yang Tiezhu while the smaller one belonged to Yang jia's third son.

They managed to build the house not long after their separation. The onlookers praised the two as they smacked their lips for being able to build their own big roof-tiled residences not long after their separation.

Yang Tiezhu's courtyard wall appeared magnificent. Everyone mused the interiors to be even more magnificent. Though Yang jia's third son's courtyard wall was not as impactful as his brother's, it was nevertheless a decent-sized courtyard in Luoxia village.

Yang Tiezhu ceremoniously entered the residence along with all the things. Yang-shi and her family split among two groups and helped the two brothers.

No sooner than the gate was opened, the bustling crowd also followed after them, with the greater part of the crowd entering Yang Teizhu's residence. In Luoxia village, it was customary for the new house owners to invite their neighbors, thus the villagers weren't courteous either.

Upon entering, a well-built house, which didn't lose to the Village Chief's courtyard, greeted their sight. In the entirety of Luoxia village, the Village Chief's residence could be said to be the best, thus they unconsciously set it as a benchmark for comparison. Only a few of the villagers were educated, thus apart from exclaiming 'good' they couldn't think of anything apt to describe the residence. Perhaps in terms of modern world language, descriptions like 'stylish', 'classy', and the like might pop up.

The front yard encompassed a huge area, while the floor was tiled with bluestone slabs. Not to mention the yard, the Luoxia villagers usually even refrained from tiling the interior of their houses with bluestone slabs. Only those who could afford big roof-tiled houses would be willing to tile their houses with a few bluestone slabs, enhancing the appearance by a notch.

Thus, the first sight of the yard upon entering the residence dumbfounded them.

Not to mention, the three-bay roof-tiled house and the kitchen, the store room, and the animal shed on the right side were all built with grey-colored bricks. When they entered the main house, its interiors, and decor yet again overwhelmed them. The floor was also tiled with bluestone slabs. Nevertheless, these tiles seemed to be more polished than the ones in the yard as they were much whiter than the latter.

The central wall (minimalistic Taishi wall), numerous elegant chairs (round chairs with floral patterns), and the table…The layout and decor of the house resembled an official's residence….

The villagers smacked their lips as they took in the various decorations across the house. They reckoned they wouldn't be able to sleep that night.

"Tiezhu, your house looks quite grand…"

"How much did it cost you…"

"Yang Lao'er , you've made quite a bit of fortune…"

"It doesn't pale in comparison with the Village Chief's house, ah…" Deep in their hearts all of them held great respect for the village chief. Thus even though it was better than their village chief's house, they didn't spell it out.

Everyone was discussing spiritedly as they enthusiastically bombarded Yang Tiezhu with a slew of questions.

Faced with an onslaught of inquisitive inquiries at once, Yang Tiezhu evaded them perfectunarily with a gentle smile. But of course, he nonetheless divulged the expenses albeit vaguely, shrugging that it didn't cost much.

As for how much is not much? Apologies, he was caught by another enthusiastic villager before he could answer that. Why was the house built in this manner specifically? It was just a random house plan. As for how a random house plan turned out to be this good, apologies he was pulled over by yet another equally enthusiastic villager…

Soon the surroundings were teeming with excitement and noise, making it slightly chaotic.

Following a casual tour of the house, the villagers assumed Yang Tiezhu's house was just this bay house at the front, as this was the general layout of all the houses in the village. Not to mention, Yang Tiezhu and his wife too didn't plan to show the rooms at the rear, thus they certainly won't lead them there.

After greeting and conversing with the villagers for about half a day, Yang Tiezhu sent them off after promising that he would invite them again for a banquet once he had cleaned up all the mess inside the house.

Subsequently, the still enthusiastic villagers rushed to Yang Tiegen's courtyard next door.

Yang Tiegen's new courtyard was also beautifully built. In the center was a three-bay main house. To the left was a two-bay room while the right housed a kitchen and a store room. Enclosed by the mud courtyard walls, the yard was wide and spacious. The villagers congratulated and praised Yang Tiegen, as they admired the two brothers' ability to be able to build a big roof-tiled courtyard for themselves.

After taking a stroll around the villagers, they left after exchanging pleasantries.

Though the two courtyards were well-built, with the village chief's residence as a standard precedent, everyone merely sighed in exclamation but didn't have any unwanted thoughts. At most, they were overwhelmed by the novel and innovative interior design and the high courtyard wall.

In twos and threes, the villagers walked out of the courtyard as they spiritedly gossiped about it.

A few remarked Yang Tiezhu was truly capable. Not only was his arm crippled, but also had to separate from his family. Nonetheless, in this brief span of time, he built a house for himself.

While few others commented that Yang jia's old man picked a sesame seed while he discarded a watermelon. He had always looked down upon these two brothers Yang Tiezhu and Yang Tiegen. Even when they were separating, he made quite harsh and demanding terms and conditions. But now, the two brothers have built a courtyard for themselves that was even better than Yang jia's! The turn of events was truly tantamount to a tight slap on their faces…

On the way back to their houses, everyone fervently chatted as if it was their family who had built the houses. Gradually the matters pertaining to Yang jia's separation were also pulled out, as the villagers passionately discussed it…

Only a few villagers were clear about the ins and outs of this matter. While the others only heard the rumors here and there and didn't know much about it. As soon as the one who was well-informed of this matter spoke of this matter, the inquisitive ones began listening seriously, Subsequently, when they listened to the end, the crowd couldn't help but explode. Yang jia was really too dishonest….

In a short span, Yang jia's reputation fell to the bottom.

Cleaning the third branch's house didn't take long. Shortly after Yang-shi and others were done helping there, they made their way to Yang Tiezhu's house. Yang-shi's entire family was also actively helping them with the chores.

Only when the cleaning came to the end and it was time to cook did Yang-shi go and Lin escorted Qingwan over.

With her big belly, Lin Qingwan trudged behind Yang-shi to her new house. The new house wasn't far away from Yang-shi's place, just a few steps away.

By the time they arrived, the dinner was ready to be served.

With Yang Tiezhu's support, she ensconced herself on the chair at the side. Meanwhile, Zhou-shi began arranging the table.

Soon it was time to eat, and everyone settled in their respective places around the table. The table in the main room was big enough to accommodate about ten people. Thus, this time, adults and kids both sat around the same table together.

Huddling around the table, the entire family savored the meal amid the cacophony of cheerful and warm chattering.

Although Yang-shi had dropped by several times in the past, the place was littered with debris and dust at that time. Thus it could be said this day was her first to properly seeing the house. Upon taking a closer look, she realized that the foundation of the house was strong and durable enough to last for the next hundred or so years.

Had Yang Tiezhu known about his eldest aunt's thoughts, he would have certainly refuted her, proclaiming that not to mention hundred years, the house would be able to stand firm for two hundred years without any issue. Uncle Liu himself had once affirmed to him that this house would not break apart for the next two hundred years. Yang Tiezhu had also personally examined it; the foundation of the house was quite deep and stable. Furthermore, the materials used in its construction were also of high quality. Thus he was certain that it would last for quite a long time.

This day, Xia Dacheng also stepped up to help his biao younger cousin move the house.

He had long recovered from his injuries and had no problem walking around and doing chores. However, perhaps because he was thrashed ruthlessly at that time, it left him a root cause in addition to cough.

Just a few days back, post-recovery he had gone to the fields to lend a hand. Nevertheless, not long after, he returned with a serious cough. After resting for two days, he once again went to work in the fields, yet was once again afflicted with a bad cough.

Later, when he dropped by the medical center in the town, the doctor stated that it was the after-effects of his past injury. Though it wasn't a big issue, he strongly advised him to refrain from doing heavy physical work.

Xia Dacheng instantly crumbled down. He originally believed that even if he was no longer able to work in the store, he could still support his family with little land back home. But to his dismay, even after recovering from the injuries, he still had to suffer from the after-effects of it. He had been reduced to a mere former. If he didn't work in the fields, what would he eat?

Xia Dacheng gravely contemplated it for a long time. In the current situation, even if they don't farm, with Yang-shi's dividends from Lin Qingwan's business, their family could still sustainably feed the young and old at home. However, Xia Dachend didn't think so! As a man, if he continued to be unemployed and relied on his old mother and wife to live, could he still call himself a man?

Thus, even on such a festive day, the smile on his face was a bit forced. Although he was beaming when chatting with Yang Tiezhu. Behind their backs when no one was conversing with him, a cloak of melancholy befell on his face.

Lin Qingwan was acutely aware of the reason for Xia Dacheng's dreariness. Cognizant of her son's depressed state after becoming aware of the aftereffects of his former injuries, Yang-shi shared her woes with Lin Qingwan. Due to this matter, Yang-shi had also been quite disturbed.

Subsequently, after narrating this matter to Yang Tiezhu, Lin Qingwan and him discussed how they could lend a hand in solving the issue.

Xia Dacheng was jobless at the moment, causing him to think and worry over trivial matters. What if they occupy him with some work? But, how could they keep him busy? A similar thought struck both their minds.

However, because they had been quite busy till now, Yang Tiehu didn't have time to discuss this matter with Xia Dacheng.

This day, with Lin Qingwan nudging him under the table and discreetly signaling him with her eyes, Yang Yiezhu felt this was the right time to speak.

Clearing his throat, he began speaking, "Elder Brother Dacheng, what's your opinion on the business we are currently doing?"

Momentarily taken aback, Xia Dacheng slowly nodded his head.

"It's pretty good. In the future, the business will flourish even better if expanded more." The time Xia Dacheng spent in this field wasn't short, and over the years he accumulated a lot of experience. Xia Dacheng has been working in the firm for a long time. Although the scale of his biao younger brother's business was quite small, it held huge potential.

Firstly, this craft was passed on from the ancestors—this bit was enough to serve as a stable footing in the market. Secondly, though the business was not an eye-catching one and the profit margin wasn't high, it had all the required attributes to make it an indispensable dish in restaurants. Though the big bosses might look down upon this for its petty profits, these very petty profits could help them gain a lot of silver. Perhaps, there might not be a lot of demand in a town, but what if it was expanded to ten towns, various counties, cities, and prefectures…it would become incalculable.

Xia Dacheng had mingled and worked through this trade for over a decade. The insights he had gained during this while were not something Lin Qingwan and Yang Teizhu compare. Perhaps Lin Qingean might have a bit of cognition, however, she was but a woman, and wasn't quite knowledgeable about the circumstances and situation outside. What she knew was just one of the branches among a bunch of luxuriant branches. While Yang Tiezhu, too, had never trodden the world of business and didn't have the wide vision to see the bigger picture. However, with his vast experience, Xia Dacheng was quite different from them.

"Then, Elder brother Dacheng, do you have any plans in lending us a hand in our business?" Yang Tiezhu's words were akin to a thunderclap in a clear sky.

Utterly dumbfounded, Xia Dacheng didn't even notice when the pair of chopsticks in hand fell down.

Yang Tiezhu continued, "Elder brother Dacheng, I think you don't have to be this discouraged. After all, your experience in the field is immense. Even if others don't dare to employ you, we would be more than willing to work with you. Eldest gu also has a share of dividends in the business. As long as this business exists, the eldest gu will always have it. Initially, it all began with just my wife's whim, yet the eldest gu helped us a lot in the initial phase. What I intend to say is rather than idly staying at home, how about you join us in our business? I believe our business will grow even more with your help."

With the experience he had gained while working outside, Yang Tiezhu gradually became conscious of the potential of his family's business. It's just that its recipe is a secret, and they are lacking in trustworthy manpower. His wife was also in the last stages of her pregnancy. When he goes outside to work, his third brother is the only male in the house. Thus, at times, it inevitably becomes difficult to manage everything.

However, it will be a completely different scenario altogether if his elder brother Dacheng also joins them. With his vast experience and insights, their strength would redouble, akin to a tiger that grew wings. But of course, the most important point is that they would have more hands and eldest brother Dacheng also won't have to stay at home.

All of these matters were already discussed by Yang Tiezhu and Lin Qingwan beforehand. Yang Tiezhu also thought it was the best idea. Now it all depends on the Eldest Brother Dacheng's intention, and if he is willing to work or not.

How could Xia Dacheng be unwilling? Even before Yang Tiezhu mentioned this matter, he hadn't completely overlooked this path. Now that he put forward this matter, at once his mind began ruminating about the laweixian's prospects, and how he could contribute to it, racing his blood right away.

He wasn't over-confident, he truly felt he can certainly contribute a lot.

Apparently, he was still reluctant to part from his last career. Even though he had already accepted his misfortunes as decreed by fate and decided to work on farms, when these matters were mentioned, his blood would undoubtedly begin to boil.

Xia Dacheng was not someone who was pretentious, nor did he consider Yang Tiezhu as a mere outsider, almost treating him as his own younger brother. Thus without declining, he straightforwardly replied, "Tiezhu, if you think elder brother can be of help, I will surely lend you a hand."

With a cheerful smile on his face, Yang Teizhu turned to glance at Lin Qingwan.

Lin Qingwan was also very happy, however, she thought a step ahead of Yang Tiehu.

There were many forms of help, some were paid, while others were unpaid. She had made a habit to discuss everything at first itself, for money was the reason for the birth of many skirmishes even among close relatives. She came across too many such incidents in her past life from hearsay and TV.

"Elder brother Dacheng, how about this…" Lin Qingwam began speaking. Everyone was aware that this business was her idea initially, thus no one demeaned her as a mere married woman and began listening to her words attentively.

"Initially, I gave the eldest gu 20% dividends. Now since you are also joining us now, we can't let you help us for nothing. After discussing it, Tiezhu and I decided to allocate another 10% to your family.

No sooner than Yang-shi heard Lin Qingwan say this, she immediately spoke up.

"No, no, no, this won't do. Just these shares are already enough to scald your eldest gu's hands. I usually just help you here and there in trivial matters, all the main work is done by you two families. How can we ask for another share? No, no, this won't do! Dacheng you can't ask for another share again."

Understanding his wife's intentions, Yang Tiezhu also tried to persuade Yang-shi, "Eldest gu, this is what we ought to give you. We are just giving this to eldest brother Dacheng for his hard work."

"No matter, this won't do!" Yang-shi was resolute and firm. "In the beginning, you said that you would be borrowing my family's yard and would take my help, so I received those 20% dividends. At that time, I just thought that Wan'er was doing it for fun, and thus didn't take the matter seriously. But to my shock, the money I received gradually grew more and more, making me feel very apologetic. Now that you have built your house along with a workshop in the yard, you would surely continue making Laweixian over there. For a long time, I have been thinking of returning those shares to you. However, with such a big family at home, and coupled with your Elder Brother Dacheng's inability to work, I was unable to bring myself to return them to you. And now you are saying you want to give another share, where do you want your eldest gu to put her old face…."

What Yang-shi said was genuinely true. In the beginning, she really thought Lin Qingwan was doing it for fun. But to her astonishment, she actually divided her share, and as time passed, the money she received grew more and more, making her feel uneasy.

After all, she herself was aware of how much effort she had put in. Usually, for most of the work, she relied upon Yang Tiegen and his wife and would help only here and there. If it weren't for Xia Dacheng's injury, she would have long returned these shares to Tiezhu and his wife.

Xia Dacheng also added, "Tie Zhu and Tie Zhu's wife, my mother spoke correctly. Our family didn't help much, these 20% dividends are already more than enough. If you continue to give more, it would be embarrassing for us to take even that amount. How about this, for now just these 20% are enough, no need to add any more. I will work with you. At the moment, they might just be a petty amount, However, the business wouldn't just stay as it is in the future as well and is bound to grow in time. And with that, the value of these 20 percent dividends will also grow proportionally."

Lin Qingwan understood what Xia Dacheng meant: He deemed these 20 % dividends as 'original issue stocks'. And as the business evolves, the dividends would only get bigger, so there was no need to add to it.

This was also good. With the mother and son duo being this resolute, the couple stopped persuading them after exchanging a glance.

The knot in Xia Dacheng has loosened. Subsequently, the rest of the family had a good time during the dinner. Xia Dacheng also couldn't stop himself as excitement gushed from within him, itching to 'don armor' and flaunt his fists and moves valiantly. Only when Yang Tiezhu humorously calmed him, did he pull himself together. Stroking his nose, he chided himself for getting carried away like a teenager forgetting his age.

Post supper, womenfolk got themselves busy cleaning the table and cutlery, while the men sat together and began discussing their plans.

After listening to Xia Dacheng's proposal, not to mention Yang Tiezhu, even a dull and flat person like Yang Tiegen couldn't help but add a few words – splendidly illustrating how engrossed the trio was in their discussion.

Sitting at the side, Lin Qingwan listened to their spirited discussion with a big smile on her face.

It was truly perfect! With their new house built, the business will only grow more and more in the future.

At this time, in Yang jia's main room—

All the members of the family were seated in the main room. Even the preparations for lunch that day hadn't started yet. Everyone just sat there astonished, not expecting Yang Tiezhuu and Yang Tiegen to move out suddenly, and to even build their own residences.

Earlier that day, with the latter being unwilling to pay attention to them, they couldn't bring themselves to follow them and take a look. Nevertheless, later they got to hear tidbits from the villagers, as they excitedly conversed about how huge and beautiful Yang Tiezhu's house was and further how it was made from grey-coloured bricks….

Actually, they truly didn't want to hear about it, however with all the villagers discussing noisily the house descriptions while passing by their house, everything just fell into their ears.

Even without others coming and personally telling them, Yang jia got the entire gist of the matter. Just a few days ago, when there was a buzz around the village about the new house being built on the outskirts, curious, they also had gone to take a look at it. They were just curious then, and just sighed in amazement, without any other thoughts. But now, upon realizing that it was their house, no wrong, it was Yang Tiezhu's house, an extremely unpleasant feeling welled up in their hearts.

For a long time, everyone remained seated in a daze without any words until Yang laoyezi's long sign broke the silence in the room.

"Alright, it's about lunchtime. It's already quite late into noon, what's the use of just sitting here, instead of eating? It's good that lao'er and laosan had built a house for themselves. Besides, we had already separated, and they are not young anymore, why would they go out of their way to tell the family?"

Despite his words, Yang laoyezi still couldn't stop the unpleasant feeling gushing from within his heart. They were all living in the same yard, yet the two of them didn't utter a word. Besides, how were they able to afford to build a house?

Such thoughts ran amok within Yang laoyezi's mind, throwing him into chaos. Nonetheless, he was acutely aware of the presence of knots in both of their hearts, restraining him from stepping forward to inquire.

Not to mention, even if he stepped up to ask, the other person might be unwilling to bother him. The second branch and third branch's intention to ignore them didn't go unseen by Yang laoyezi. Even during the house shifting, they asked Yang-shi's family for help, a clear disinclination to let Yang jia intervene.

If Yang layeozi still couldn't understand the thoughts of the two families, he would have lived all these years in vain. He became increasingly aware of their attitude towards them, it was a clear act of alienation, unwilling to have anything to do with them. Perhaps they might still give them annual elderly support without failing, but anything apart from that need not be mentioned.

This realization was followed by immense distress and heart ache as if his heart was stabbed by a knife. Yang laoyezi had always been under the impression that between a father-son relationship, there would never be any long-term feud. They had indeed let his sons down. Not long after their separation, the new year came, and due to that, he didn't let them come to the reunion dinner. However, the two of them didn't forget the incident and still took it to their hearts.

"Very good, behind our backs lao'er and laosan seemed to have earned quite a bit without us knowing!" He-shi's face was overcast with clouds of gloom, "Didn't I just ask them to give the annual support in advance, but they went and weaved rumors, painting me as a callous mother. Only a few months have passed yet they had already built a house for themselves. And here I was wondering where they disappeared a while ago. It turns out they had gone to make a fortune."

When He-shi's words fell into already vexed Yang laoyezi's ears, he impatiently criticized her.

"Alright, now we and they have separated, even if they made a fortune, what does it have to do with you?!"

"Why doesn't it have anything to do with this old woman? They crawled out of this old woman's womb!" He-shi hollered.

Squinting his eyes, Yang layezi chided her even more impatiently, "Then go ahead and make a din at lao'er and laosan's place. As long as you are not afraid of losing your face, and having the Clan Elder annul the marriage and send you back to your natal home, sure go ahead!"

He-shi knew that her old man was just saying it to block her. If she was truly daring enough to go, she would have gone way earlier rather than just sitting here and wearing out the skin of her teeth?! Clan Elder Yang's name was akin to a band-tightening spell on her as if a headband was bound to her forehead that could contract at any given time like a knife hanging over her head, making her every day sit on pins and needles.

Unspeakable regret and remorse washed over He-shi. If she had known this earlier, she wouldn't have been so anxious to kick lao'er as soon as possible…

This one thought has been swirling in He-shi's mind like an unstoppable loop for a long time. Unfortunately for her, in this world, there was no medicine for regret, and there were no 'ifs'. Thus, she could only sit in her room, restraining her mind as much as possible from wandering over and thinking about these foregone matters. Unexpectedly, not long after she had barely calmed herself, lao'er and lason gave her another blow – they had built a house and moved away, utterly dumbfounding her.

Despite his impatience, Yang laoyezi was aware of He-shi's feelings, thus he too calmed down and consoled her, "Don't dwell over it too much, we have already separated. Besides, a son who has already separated is not inclined to lend a hand in household finances. Anyways, they aren't cutting back on annual support. As for the rest, don't think too much about them."

He pacified her not only because he too felt the same in heart, but also cause he was scared that his old woman might really go and make a din at lao'er's place, and make him lose his face. Villagers were still gossiping about the fuss at home last time. Having lived in the village for over a few decades, this was the first time he had to face such criticism and ridicule.

He-shi pursued her lips and harrumphed.

Seeing that his old wife had calmed down, he swiveled his head towards his daughters-in-law, "What are you sitting there in a daze for? Go and prepare lunch."

Despite Yang laoyezi's repeated instructions, no one budged.

Having been struck by a thunderclap from a clear sky, dumbfounded, who would still have the moot to eat? But of course, imbued with waves of desire, envy, and jealousy, very petty thoughts sprouted with the Eldest branch's husband and wife, as they couldn't help but fantasize if they could attain something from lao'er…

As for Yang Xuezhang, he couldn't stop himself from wondering had his second eldest brother, Yang Tiezhu not separated from the family, perhaps he would have been able to continue his studies in the academy…..

Yang laoyezi couldn't bear to see everyone become soulless and distraught. How to put it, he might be biased and callous, however, he wasn't spineless.

Since lao'er and lasan dreaded that they might approach them for benefits, he won't approach them either! He refused to believe that without those two sons, his family wouldn't be able to survive!

Hoisting himself up, Yang laoyezi kicked Yang Tieshuan and called Yang Xuezhang again.

"Since you don't want to eat lunch, fine, let's go to work in the field. We will remove weeds today, and everyone who is able will follow me. The one who refuses to come will not have dinner tonight. Also—" he paused, "You all are prohibited from approaching lao'er and laosan! Have some

backbone. Whoever dares to approach them would no longer be my son!"

Deep down Yang laoyezi was embarrassed, and such ill feelings were even more pronounced when facing his son. Thus he put on a stubborn facade on the surface.

Yang laoyezi's unsightly expression rendered everyone from refuting.

Wang-shi and Yang Tieshuan nudged each other. As Yang laoyezi stepped out, everyone followed him with a hoe on their shoulders.

Consequently, the following scene unfolded in front of villagers that day—Amid the glaring heat of high noon, Yang jia's people, old and young, stepped out without even having meals. Initially, inquisitive villagers thought they were going to the Yang family's second son's new house. However, soon they found that the group was heading toward the fields.

The ones who were aware of the inside story, let out an eccentric snicker. Spatting on the ground, they grumbled at them for smashing their own feet with a stone by driving the people in the middle of the winter. It was truly one heck of a laughable matter!

As for the two brothers' attitude when moving out this time, quite a lot of villagers have also noticed. But no one thought there was something wrong with it, as they donned an expression of watching a good show.

Having shunned them for being handicapped and unable to earn money, at that time they had driven them out. Now that they had made money, and had even built a house themselves, a big one at that, where did Yang jia get face to come out again?!

Not paying heed to the varied reactions of villagers that day, Yang Tiezhu and Yang Tiegen sent out invitations to all the villagers to their housewarming banquet not long after.

It was customary in Luoxia village for the new house owners to invite all their close ones and the villagers for the banquet.

But of course, the invitees would naturally also have to bring some gifts for the host as a gesture of reciprocity, which usually consisted of eggs, a basket of fresh vegetables, and likes for the most part. Needless to say, no host would be petty enough to place emphasis on who brought what. The main intention for organizing such a banquet was to just liven up the occasion.

To make the banquet more special, Yang Tiezhu specially brought home a pig head to serve a nice dish. Surely, a lot of people will turn up for the banquet this time.

His heavily pregnant wife and few women folk in the house would certainly find it difficult to cook a sumptuous feast for all the guests. Considering the situation, he decided to summon a catering team who held expertise in cooking at banquets from outside.

The catering team was a group of people who earned some side income by preparing a feast for the households who couldn't spare time to do so. By origin, they too hailed from the countryside. During the busy farming season, they would work on farms, while at other times, they would work as caterers.

Yang Tiezhu explained to the catering team the situation — vegetables, and meat would be made readily available to them. The final price was set for 2 silver tales. He further asked them to bring a few more helpers to serve as servers.

Yang Tiezhu's additional demand didn't seem an issue to the catering team's leader. Didn't they just have to bring a few extra people? They had plenty of hands. Usually for demanding tasks such as this, the family members of the group would also join in to lend them a hand.

The catering team came early the day before the banquet to do some prep work —cleaning the ingredients, processing the meat, chopping the vegetables, and preparing the batter for fried dishes—to make the cooking easier the next day.

With the catering team joining in, Yao-shi, Yang-shi, and Zhou-shi who initially had come to help found themselves free. Their presence was therefore reduced to just supervising from the sidelines as they leisurely chit-chatted trivialities.

Early in the morning the next day, a few youngsters from the village, who had a good relationship with both Yang Tiezhu and Yang Tiegen, knocked on their doors to lend a hand.

Soon, they all began helping the two families by borrowing the chairs and tables from neighbors. In passing, even the cutleries such as bowls, chopsticks, and the likes were also borrowed and passed on to the kitchen wash to wash them. The chairs and tables were laid out across the yard. To make up for the lack of space in the Yang Tiezhu's yard, a stretch of tables and chairs were also arranged in the open space outside the courtyard. Similarly, Yang Tiegen's courtyard was also filled with rows of tables and chairs. When the space was still not enough, the open area outside the latter's house was also used, bringing about a spectacular sight to the beholders as they formed a long stretch of tables and chairs adjoining the rows of tables placed outside the Yang Tiezhu's courtyard.

As the sun reached its peak, villagers began to show up slowly.

They were all bedecked with beaming smiles, as a string of various congratulatory words left their lips.

They applauded the two brothers for being capable enough to build a new house with pleasantries and niceties. Amid such a happy occasion, those in the know would surely not utter any unpleasant remarks and dampen the occasion.

Yang Tiezhu and Yang Tiegen, accompanied by Xia Dacheng, greeted each and every one cordially. Lin Qingwan, due to her big belly, could only avoid the huge bustling crowd outside, as she sat silently in her room until the crowd quietened down. When it was more or less the right time, she intended to go and greet the guests.

Yao Shi and Yang Shi, along with Zhou Shi had their hands tied as they busily guided the catering team and made arrangements for the people to sit.

Waiting till everyone had more or less settled down, Yang Tiezhu and Yang Tiegen went and lit a string of firecrackers by the entrance gate before serving the guests.

For this time's banquet, Yang Tiezhu filled the menu with an array of sumptuous dishes: chicken, duck meat, fish, and the special pig head. The catering team's cooking skills seemed to be sterling, as all the dishes that were served looked extremely rich and delicious, whetting one's appetite.

The shocking exclamation and gasps in everyone's minds at the Yang brother's generosity didn't seem to pose a hindrance to their chopsticks from getting busy. It wasn't easy for the rural people to enjoy meat. Thus, when they finally had an opportunity to feast upon such a generous meat dish, naturally they had to enjoy it to the fullest.

Once Yang Tiezhu and Yang Tiegen courteously asked everyone to dig in, they made their way to the main table to accompany the guests.

Seated at and around the main table were a few of the village's virtuous and venerable elders, and a few close relatives.

These close relatives included Yang-shi and Second Yang laoyezi's family, but Yang laoyezi's family was not included among the ranks.

"Should the Yang jia's people be invited?" This topic was actually quite seriously discussed by Yang Tiezhu, Lin Qingwan, and others. In the end, it was unanimously vetoed by everyone. Should they come, they would be treated as fellow villagers, or else they would ignore them.

Usually, villagers wouldn't go personally to invite everyone. Once the matter of the banquet has been spread around the villages, those who wanted to come would come. But of course, the respected elders in the village such as Clan Elder Yang and Village Chief needed to be personally invited. As for the elders in the family, they would come on the initiative to lend a hand when a junior was hosting a banquet.

Since those members of the Yang family didn't come, they intended to let them be. Anyways everyone in the village had a sense of judgment in favor of them.

And naturally, so, a few of the guests did notice this bit. More than half of the village attended the banquet, but the people who actually ought to present hadn't come. Nonetheless, not a word of it or anything related to that wasn't mentioned, as everyone was aware of the dispute in the family, and no one would be ignorant enough to bring such matters to another happy event.

Guests and hosts, alike, had a great time. By the time the guests had their fill and dispersed, it was already well past noon.

After Yang Tiezhu was done escorting the remaining few guests, he rushed back into the house to see his wife. Lin Qingwan had once come to greet everyone in between the banquet but had gone back to her room soon after. Being understanding of her closely approaching delivery date, no one criticized her either.

Soon after entering, he noticed a table full of dishes. Since they had been occupied with chores from the morning through noon, Yang-shi and others had yet to have their lunch. Lin Qingwan also happened to not have any appetite at noon, thus everyone sat together for lunch once everyone was sent off.

Yang Tiezhu's hanging heart fell back into its place. Seeing that everyone had grabbed chopsticks and was about to dig in, he too grabbed a bowl of rice. At noon, he was busy toasting everyone, thus he was only able to eat a few mouthfuls, making him feel quite famished at the moment.

Right at that time, Yang Tiegen walked in, "Second elder brother, I had asked the catering team to clean after having lunch."

Yang Tiezhu nodded, motioning for Yang Tiegen to sit down and eat something too. Similar to him, Yang Tiegen, too, was busy greeting people and toasting them with wine, and yet to have his lunch.

The same goes for the catering team – they were as busy as bees from morning through noon, serving the guests all the time. However, fortunately, this time around, their employer happened to be a good one, as they kindly permitted them to have lunch before cleaning up. Many times, stingy employers would urge them to quickly wrap up and leave with money, unwilling to let them even partake of the leftovers from the banquet.

Actually, it doesn't affect them much. Whether their employer is willing to keep them for lunch or not depends on their willingness to do so. However, the only difference lies in that the latter's act wouldn't touch their heart.

Just because their employer was generous, the catering team didn't dare be wasteful. After serving themselves a simple bowl of rice and a few random leftovers from the table, they began to dig in.

When Yang Tiezhu came in to get a bowl of soup for his wife, he sighed at their sincerity. He quickly brought out a few unserved dishes from noon and placed them on the table before them, and encouraged them to have more.

"You don't have to be courteous. All of you have been swamped with chores since morning. Please take whatever you like and eat to your heart's content, it's not like we can't afford this bit of food."

Courteously thanking him, they partook of their meals till their stomachs were full, before cleaning up. Grateful for their employers' kindness, they worked with renewed vigor.

The same group of youngsters, who had helped them borrow the tables and chairs also came back to help them return them back. When they were going back, Yang-shi sent them off with a big bowl of leftovers from lunch.

Although they were just leftovers, everyone cheerfully accepted them without any dislike. After all, having eaten the lunch, they were aware of the sumptuousness of the dishes. Although it was leftovers, no one disliked it, and everyone was very happy. Thanking Yang-shi, they returned home in high spirits.

Once the cleaning was done, Yang Tiezhu gave the catering team the amount as originally decided, who happily accepted it and left with gratitude.

Closing the gates, the rest, exhausted and drained, retired to their rooms.

Though Lin Qingwan wanted to be of help, she was unable to lend them a hand due to her pregnancy, leaving her to helplessly sit aside and watch them tirelessly work the entire morning.

Nonetheless, at this moment, she too wasn't without fatigue. Having gotten up early in the morning, and missing her habitual nap at noon had in and of itself tired her out. Thus, she too returned to her room after informing her husband

Yang-shi and her family wanted to return to their home, but observing the color of the sky, Yang Tiezhu stopped them for dinner. Unable to refuse, everyone stayed back and ensconced themselves across the room. Fortunately, the room had ample space for the recline or leisurely sit down.

Later in the evening, Lin Qingwan was woken up by Yang Tiezhu for dinner.

Actually, she wasn't feeling hungry yet, but being mindful of Yang-shi and others' presence, she woke up to accompany them to eat even a little bit.

Post supper, Yao-shi lent a hand in helping them wash the dishes. Everyone gradually dispersed to their houses. After seeing off everyone, Yang Tiezhu made sure that all the doors were bolted from inside and went back to the room.

Back in the room, Lin Qingwan had readily prepared warm bath water for him. At the rear of their bedroom was a well-equipped small bathroom, which housed a stove as well to boil the water. It also had a small door that led to a vegetable garden with a well at the back, making it convenient to fetch bath water.

After a nice warm bath, Yan Tiezhu fetched a basin full of warm water after Yang Tiezhu took a bath, he brought another basin of hot water to give his wife a nice foot bath. As Lin Qingwan entered into the late stages of pregnancy, her legs and feet developed swelling. Thus every night, he would give her a warm foot bath and massage her legs.

Waves of relief swept within her under his skillful massage causing Lin Qingwan's eyes to squint in bliss.

'So comfortable, ah!' She gazed up to look at the man engrossed in the work.

The man seemed to be extremely focused on his work as an earnest look mixed with slight distress painted his face. She was aware that her complications in the pregnancy, particularly her worsening symptoms in the past two weeks, had caused distress in him as a week. Lately, she was unable to even move due to her swollen legs and feet. Thus, despite his busy schedule, as long as he was at home, he would help her massage her feet in the evening.

How was she able to find such a good man…

Amid such thoughts, she unknowingly drifted into a slumber.

Glancing at his dozing wife, Yang Tiezhu quickly wiped her feet dry before carrying her to the bed and covering her with a quilt. He, then, discarded the water, turned off the lights, and joined her in the bed.

He, too, was extremely tired that day.

"Cuilan, why didn't you come to the banquet at Yang Tiezhu's house yesterday?" Meifang inquired.

Meifang was a simple-minded person. Having spent quite a lot of time with Tian Cuilan in recent days, yet seeing her not asking about Yang Tiezhu, she directly asked.

Tian Cuilan's lips pursed into a smile as she said while lowering her head, "Yesterday, I was slightly feeling under the weather, so I didn't go."

Not thinking too much into it, Meifang excitedly began to describe the sumptuousness of the banquet, as she lamented that it was truly her loss for not being able to attend the banquet. She further went on to describe how well-built and big Yang Tiezhu's house was. And how his wife didn't show up at the banquet in the beginning, and when she did come out in between how Yang Tiezhu promptly ran to her to support her, causing everyone to burst into chuckles at his nervousness….

Though she herself was unaware, Tian Cuilan sitting beside her could sense admiration and exclamation brimming in the former's tone.

Others might find Miefang to be talkative, but Tian Cuilan was quite fond of it. Because she can get lots of information from Meifang's words with almost zero effort.

Her Brother Tiezhu had always been precisely that good, hasn't he? Even without looking at all those, she was truly envious!

Her Brother Tiezhu was truly capable. Despite his cripple arm, he was still able to make enough money to build such a big house, and in spite of that still loves his wife….

She truly wanted to dash to him and tell that she didn't dislike his crippled arm, she really didn't dislike….

The hubbub caused by the two Yang Brother's house ceremonies lasted for quite a long time in Luoxia village before it slowly died down.

And during this entire, the one who found the situation too awkward and embarrassing was Yang Laoyezi and his family. They weren't invited to the banquet by Yang Tiezhu and Yang laoyezi was too proud to go there without an invite. But Yang laoyezi seemed to have forgotten that usually when juniors were having any event, the elders would usually come on their initiative to lend a hand.

As Yang laoyezi hadn't passed a word to let anyone go, the Eldest branch didn't dare to go to the banquet even though they truly wanted to go. He-shi wanted to lose her old face and thus didn't dare to speak about it. What's more, her old man seemed to be in a bad mood these days, and was often scolded by him whenever she said anything.

As no one from their family went to the banquet, it seemed as if the entire family was unanimously against the Yang brothers. However, from the words of the people coming from the banquet, they belatedly realized almost everyone from the village had gone there, except their family. Their hearts became even more unpleasant when they heard the liveliness at the banquet, especially when they had only drunk a little gruel in the noon.

What's more, every time they went to the fields, the passerby villagers who weren't aware of the situation would frequently ask why they didn't see anyone from the Yang Jia at Yang Tiezhu's banquet.

Now can they retort why they were stabbing exactly where it hurts? Can they snap back why they were asking knowingly?

Certainly not! Spelling such words loud is tantamount to slapping their own faces. They had no choice but to either dodge the question or take a detour altogether. In the end, Yang laoyezi refrained everyone from stepping out until the situation subsided.

Putting the situation at Yang jia aside, a few days after the banquet, when Xia Dacheng had an ample amount of rest, both he and Yang Tiezhuhit the road. One went to research on the current growth of Laweixian in the market, while the other set off to look for potential restaurants interested in the Laweixian.

While at home, Yao-shi and Yang-shi began looking after Lin Qingwan in Yang Tiezhu's absence. As the number of days he had spent out increased, he brought back Dahei and Erhei from Yang-shi's house to look after Lin Qingwan, who had to stay all alone.

He had also built two dog houses for them, one in the front yard, and the other in the rear yard – this way Dahei and Erhei can each guard both sides, without having to sleep on the wet ground.

Truthfully, Yang Tiezhu was unwilling to be away from home at this point in time, especially when his wife's belly was getting bigger and bigger and would be ready for childbirth in less than two months. However, on second thought, he realized he wouldn't be able to step out after his wife had given birth for quite a long time. Thus, toughening up his resolve, he set out with Xia Dacheng to let him get familiar with the business.

Before departure, seeing extremely reluctant and anxious expressions all over Yang Tiezhu's face, Lin Qingwan found it a tad bit amusing.

He seems to be more worried about her than herself. There wasn't much work for her to do at home. Eldest gu and third sister-in-law would drop by to accompany her. Besides, having grown accustomed to solitary living in her past life, she didn't dread solitude, and was used to staying alone. What's more, she had Dahei and Erhei to accompany her into the house. Not to mention, he wouldn't be out for long and didn't have to be beset by such anxiety and reluctance.

After sending Yang Tiezhu and others on their trip, Lin Qingwan returned to the house and resumed her embroidery work. She was planning to use the next few days to make a few quilts for the child before it was born. Although she had already made a few, she couldn't help but feel they weren't enough.

It might be difficult for her to cook with her current belly size, but sitting and embroidering weren't any problem.

With changing seasons, Yang Tiezhu's wish to stay at home and accompany his wife proved to be impossible. As the days passed, the weather was gradually getting hotter, making the Laweixian production even more challenging.

It wasn't a question of insufficient manpower, for their sales volume wasn't very high at the moment and was manageable. An extra effort and diligence from a few of them can produce enough quantity within a day or two. The critical issue was the hot weather, which posed difficulties in preserving the freshness of the cured meats.

Ever since the weather began warming up, Lin Qingwan had instructed Yao-shi and the others to carefully plan their production, ensuring they didn't make too much at once, just enough to meet the upcoming deliveries. Everyone was willing to put in extra effort to prevent any spoilage. However, consequently, the production schedule for the cured meats became increasingly demanding with the reduced time between the production of each batch. Thus, they had to make a fresh batch every two days in preparation for subsequent deliveries.

However, the good news was that the matter of them stopping the production of Laweixian during the twelfth lunar month, fortunately, seemed to have gone unnoticed and the restaurant houses also never questioned them about it, much to Lin Qingwan's relief.

Recently, she had even developed two additional flavors: one had a spicy and hot flavor while for the other she used a combination of five spices. Having already prepared the thirteen-spice blend in the beginning for the marinade, creating a five-spice blend didn't pose an issue to Lin Qingwan, considering it only required five ingredients. After a few trials and errors, Lin Qingwan achieved a to make one with optimal proprotions.

She had handed over the task of preparation of the spice blends to Yang Tiezhu since his arm had already healed. The exact proportions of the five-spice mix and thirteen-spice blend, along with the other ingredients used to make this mix must naturally not be disclosed to the others. This point she had already emphasized to Yang Tiezhu.

Yang Tiezhu was also acutely aware that this was his wife's "ancestral" secret recipe and understood that it must remain confidential, and not be shared with anyone.

On typical days, Yang Tiezhu single-handedly took care of the entire process of production of the thirteen-spice blend and five-spice powder required for the Laweixian from scratch. To make things easier, he made a habit of preparing them in large quantities at once. When required, he would wrap the spices in paper and hand them over to Yao-shi and Yang-shi so that the latter could directly add them to the marinade. The amount of these spices that needed to be added to it was already briefed by Lin Qingwan.

As the weeks passed, and the weather entered summer. Laweixian's production schedule became even more hectic, with new batches being made almost every day. On the second day, the product would be then delivered. Furthermore, now their deliveries weren't limited to just Luoyun town but had expanded to several restaurants nearby towns. Owing to this, not just Yang Tiegen, but Xia Dacheng also began working around the clock to meet the delivery schedules.

To cope with the change in demand, Yang Tiezhu purchased yet another mule cart for deliveries. One cart was no longer enough, but fortunately, the animal shed they had built initially was spacious enough to accommodate two carts.

In the initial periods, owing to their lack of proper planning and increased deliveries, oftentimes, Yang Tiezgen and Xia Diacheng found themselves deliver to the same places at different times of the day. Unknowingly, they would make repeated trips only to hear from restaurant staff that the delivery had already been made. Dismissing it as bad luck, they acknowledged it as an unnecessary extra trip. However, neither of them blamed the other, as they were both overwhelmed by the constant rush of deliveries.

Belatedly sensing the urgency of the situation, Lin Qingwan realized this could no longer be continued. Promptly, grabbing Yang Tiezhu, she had him describe the situation and location of restaurants, after which she devised a route map.

She strategically divided the restaurants into two groups based on their proximity to one another and made two routes respectively. Not only that, thanks to Lin Qingwan's attention to detail, she was able to plan the two shortest and most efficient routes.

Though the two men were skeptical upon receiving their routes first, after returning from their first trip, the two were full of praise towards Lin Qingwan, for it greatly reduced the time and effort. Above all, the biggest pro was the clear division of labor, preventing double deliveries.

Furthermore, as Yang Tiergen was illiterate, Lin Qingwan drew a detailed map and explained it to him, sparing no effort in the process.

Yang Tiezhu was also full of praise with rekindled admiration towards his wife.

The positive feedback made Lin QIngwan relieved. After all, this was their family business, she wanted to do everything within her capabilities to help it operate efficiently.

In the blink of an eye, it was already the sixth month of the year, and the temperature increased by another notch.

However, the sweltering heat doesn't seem to have affected Yang Tiezhu and the others, with the production and operation of Laweixian occupying everyone's minds.

With the growing scorching hot weather day by day, they couldn't afford to store the cured meats for too long. Even if they made the laweixian in the morning and had them delivered by the afternoon, they might not be able to stop the laweixian from spoiling.

Best with worry and anxiety, Yang Tiezhu had trouble getting good sleep for the past few days.

At this point, Lin Qingwan also seemed to be at her wit's end.

In an attempt to extend the shelf life of the fresh cured meats, she had considered completely steaming them before delivery. However, with this, they could only remain fresh for about a day, beyond which they might still get spoiled. However, how can one day be enough for them to make all the deliveries? Everyone in the family worked tirelessly for money, as they continued to make laweixian round the clock. In the end, to make all the deliveries, not only were the men nearly roasted alive, but even the rest of them were also tried to death.

Yang Tiezhu and Xia Dacheng discussed the situation and even contemplated the idea of temporarily halting the production of laweixian until summer passed. However, unwilling to sacrifice several months of business, they soon vetoed the idea. They could only brainstorm various methods of preservation while simultaneously consistently being on the move to make deliveries.

To ensure that all three of them could deliver simultaneously, Yang Tiezhu bought another donkey cart.

However, even with this arrangement, it still wasn't enough. The mouths of Yang Tiezhu and the other two developed blisters from the intense heat in just a few days.

Daju and Liuzhi usually didn't have much chores to do on typical days, making them an easier target of the gossip mongers in the village. Initially, out of curiosity to the much-discussed house in the village, the two were pulled by others.

However, after visiting Lin Qingwan a few times, the two found Lin Qingwan to be worth befriending. Furthermore, both of them were quite idle and rarely had any chores to do. If not, they wouldn't have been dragged here by the other women in the beginning. Coincidentally, Lin Qingwan also happened to be idle as she nurtured her foetus in leisure. Thus, giving the three of them lots of time to chit-chat.

Hence, when the travel-worn Yang Tiezhu came back home from the trip of a couple of days, he noticed that his wife had unexpectedly gained two 'handkerchief friends'.

When Yang Tiezhu returned, Daju and Liuzhi were engrossed in a lievly conversation with Lin Qingwan in the house.

As the women were cheerfully and spiritedly chatting, they heard a knock on the door. Lin Qingwan was about to get up to open the door, but Dajiu held Lin Qingwan down, and hurried to open the gate for her.

In recent days, as they grew familiar with one another, Dajiu and Liuzhi discovered Lin Qingwan's inconvenience in moving around. Since then, they began helping her in opening the door.

Following the sound of gate opening, Lin Qingwan heard Daju's yell, "Qingwan, your man has returned."

Lin Qingwan promptly hoisted herself up and trudged out with Luizhi following at her heels.

Upon taking in her husband's figure, who she hadn't seen for over ten days, Lin Qingwan felt excitement wildly swirl within her heart. However, remembering outsiders' presence, she refrained from rushing up to him like she did in the past.

Daju swiftly pulled Liuzhi, saying, "Qingwan, you stay in the house, we will leave first."

"Alright, then I won't see you two out, go back slowly."

"No, no, you don't have to see us out.", saying so, the two women quickly walked out.

Turning around, Yang Tiezhu walked back to the mule cart, and led it in. After unharnessing the cart at the rear of the big black mule, and tying it securely, he then strode to Lin Qingwan.

"Wife, I'm back." Yang Tiezhu's eyes were gleaming with excitement. In these past few days, not a single day pass by without missing his wife.

With a light smile, Lin Qingwan gestured to him to close the gates.

Quickly closing the gate, he helped her walk back into the house.

"Wife, are those two women the friends you had made while I was away?" YanTiezhu was aware that Lin Qingwan lacked friends whom she could chat with. In the past, she would usually chat with just Yao-shi or his eldest gu's daughter-in-law.

Beaming with a smile, Lin Qingwan recounted the happenings in the past couple of days, including how a few inquisitive women from the neighbourhood dropped by to inquire how he managed to amass such a fortune.

As Yang Tiezhu heard her, he grew annoyed. How could he have forgotten the gossip-loving nature of villagers?

"Did they tire you out? How many people came?" Yang Tiezhu quickly asked, his tone laced with anxiety, dreading that his wife might have been exhausted by all of it.

"When they came, I guided them to a seat. As for the questions they were curious about, how can I, a mere housewife, know about it? Eventually, apart from Daju and Liuzhi, others stopped coming. I got along with the two, and slowly they started to visit to accompany me."

"En, my wife is truly smart." Yang Tiezhu applauded with a nod. "Later, when I am outside, I will casually mention that I started a small business with a friend, lest they come to bother you again."

Lin Qngwan and Yang Tiezhu had discussed early in the beginning to use this idea to reply to outsiders. Afterall, money can't come out of the air, without any cause . They might as well excuse themselves by claiming that due to a limited amount of land, they had to venture out for other opportunities, and thus start a business with old acquaintances. s for the specifics of their business, they believed no one would bother to inquire.

"Alright, let's just talk about me anylonger. How about you? How was your trip with Elder Brother Dacheng?"

"In the first few days of the trip, I gave him a tour of the restaurants we have dealings in the surrounding towns. Later, we went to a few other restaurants where we don't sell our laweixian. Elder Brother Dacheng is even better than me in sales. Now we can deliver our goods to even more restaurants." Yang Tiezhu excitedly told her about his trip, but then when he realised he wasn't good enough, he couldn't help but scratch his head.

Lin Qingwan patted his hand, and appeased him, patted his hand reassuringly, "I believe my husband is already quite amazing enough. Elder Brother Dacheng has been working in the field for over ten years, so there is no comparison between you two. In the coming ten years, with the amount of experience you will gain, I assure you definitely wouldn't be worse than him. "

With a light chuckle, Yang Tiezhu scratched his head again. In fact he too has similar thoughts. It's just that he had to be modest in front of his wife. scratched his head and smiled.

How could Lin Qingwan possibly not understand his thoughts? Didn't he just want to hear her praise him?

Then, Yang Tiezhu began endlessly chattering about his future plans, and how he intended to temporarily handover all his work to Elder Brother Dancheng. For the next few days, he intended to stay at home with her, without going anywhere.

As she listened to him chattering, Lin Qingwan found it both amusing and speechless. She was not a child, yet she was touched by him. His thoughtfulness was beyond words.

The two chatted for quite a long time. Yang Tiezhu seemed to have boundless energy, as he kept talking about the people he met while on the trips, and how he missed her and the baby, without inkling of tiredness.

Saying so, he gently touched Lin Qingwan's round belly, as he asked the child if it had missed his daddy when he was away. Coincidentally, the baby inside the Lin QIngwan's belly kicked right then. Yang Tiezhu burst into a cheerful laughter, as he pointed at her belly and exclaimed that the baby missed him too.

The mother-to-be was extremely speechless, however the pleasant smile on her face never disappeared.

It wasn't until Yao-shi came back from Yang-shi's place in the evening and cooked dinner, that the two of them retired to the bed after supper.