“My grandparents only dared bring this up because they knew I was carrying a child—that’s how they secured their standing in the Ji family!” Qian Xuecheng spoke up, his voice slightly hoarse. Even if the Ji family possessed craftsmanship, it was meant for their own children. There was absolutely no reason to take on an apprentice from the Qian family.

“Then what’s going on now?” Ji Rongxia was confused. What about the Cao-ger and Xiao He in the courtyard?

“I told them an apprenticeship isn’t something Cheng’er and I can decide. Instead, why not bring a maid to help with chores? She’s seen the world in the county town. Even if she can’t find a good family in the county, she’ll still be well-regarded in the village. Since you’re not married yet and your room is empty, she could stay there.“ Hong Yuelian didn’t want the hassle either, but the Ji family would still need to buy wood and bamboo from the Qian family for a while, so they couldn’t completely sever ties.

”They started arguing again about who to send, and Cheng’er ended up crying.”

Qian Xuecheng hurriedly explained, “I’m from the main branch, but we don’t have any children of suitable age. So I suggested bringing Third Branch’s Xiao He. She’s thirteen this year—staying in the county town for two years would be perfect timing for matchmaking. But my grandparents insisted I take the Fourth Branch’s Xiao Lian, who’s only four! If she came, would I be serving her, or would Mother be serving her? I refused to budge, so I brought Xiao He instead.”

Ji Rongxia felt dizzy from all the details. Honestly, the Qian family had so many members he couldn’t keep track.

He knew roughly that the Qian family had four grown sons and two grown daughters. Both daughters were married off, and all four sons had wives.

Ji Rongxia had heard from his mother that the eldest and second sons of the Qian family were both diligent and capable. Years ago, the second son had fallen into a trap while hunting. By the time the mountain hunters found him, he was already dead, leaving behind only this posthumous son, Cao-ger. The moment the child was born, his mother, seeing it was a ger, immediately remarried.

The third son was cleverer and knew how to slack off, but he could still work. The fourth son, however, was spoiled rotten as the youngest. He’d barely done any farm work and supposedly studied for a few years, but he hadn’t learned anything.

Ji Rongxia blinked his eyes: “Then why did Cao-ger come too?”

Hong Yuelian still felt a bit angry when she mentioned this, but remembering Cao-ger was only an eight-year-old child, she couldn’t truly stay angry: ”He came looking for us himself.“

”He came looking for us himself?! From the village? That far away?” Ji Rongxia’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You bet!” Hong Yuelian lowered her voice. “His parents are gone. At the Qian household, he barely got enough to eat. Only Cheng’er and Xiao He, the older kids, took pity on him and secretly shared food. After Xiao He left, he was terrified he wouldn’t survive. He ran over here this morning and refuses to leave.”

“You should’ve seen him when he arrived—his clothes were ragged, but spotlessly clean. Xiao He told me he washes all the Qian family’s laundry by himself, just a little kid. With this heat, he goes to the river at night to bathe. He’s a clean-loving child. I couldn’t bear to see him suffer.”

Ji Rongxia thought to himself, Finding his way from the village to the county town all by himself without incident—this child is truly remarkable.

Hong Yuelian added, “The moment he arrived, he started chopping wood and helping with the laundry.”

“The poor child. I thought if things really didn’t work out, I could let him stay and keep Xiao He company.”

“I had no choice but to make another trip to speak with the Qian family. They insisted on sending Xiao Lian over and taking Cao-ger back. You wouldn’t believe it—Qian Laosi and his wife even dragged Xiao Lian to our door, demanding to swap Cao-ger back. Your Cheng-ger flew into a rage, swearing he’d go cry to the village head if they caused trouble. He said the family wouldn’t keep Cao-ger, that they’d sent him running to his married brother’s place—what kind of face did the Qian family have? That’s how we finally chased Qian Laosi and the others away.“

Qian Xuecheng was furious. Hong Yuelian told him to rest in the main hall first.

“Your father and brother have gone to the Qian household. This matter can’t just be left like this. Cheng’er is in good health and has a strong constitution, which is why he wasn’t driven to harm by their provocation. Plus, these two children living in our home—how will we account for the grain each year? All these things must be sorted out. Your father and brother are stubborn, but I’ve made it clear to them that we’ll demand what’s rightfully ours. They’ll definitely handle it properly.” Hong Yuelian said this to Ji Rongxia, but she was also reassuring Qian Xuecheng.

She had originally intended to go with them. Since both Carpenter Ji and Ji Ronghu weren’t very articulate, it would be more appropriate for her to handle the negotiations. However, with Qian Xuecheng in his current state, Hong Yuelian simply couldn’t bear to leave him alone at home.

Qian Xuecheng hung his head low. He felt terrible that his family’s affairs had caused such an uproar at the Ji family, drawing the mockery of neighbors.

Ji Rongxia: “We really need to make this clear. Otherwise, with things left ambiguous, others might think we’re easy to push around. The Qian grandparents are being foolish, too.”

“They aren’t foolish. They see that our family is small and think they can take over our shop. They want to send Fourth Uncle’s son here as an apprentice to eventually take over our work. How could I not see what they’re after?” Qian Xuecheng said, wiping his tears fiercely with a handkerchief.

Ji Rongxia grew angry upon hearing this.

“If it comes to that, we’ll simply stop buying grain from the Qian family. We’ll have fewer dealings with them from now on. They think we owe them something.” Hong Yuelian patted Qian Xuecheng’s back.

“Mhm.” Qian Xuecheng nodded absently.

“Brother-in-law, Mother, don’t worry about this. I’ve saved money with Tangjin. When the time comes, we’ll buy fields and land to grow our own grain. Then we won’t have to rely on others.” Ji Rongxia felt uneasy inside, but seeing his mother and brother-in-law like this, he quickly forced a smile and said.

“Fine, then your mother will wait.” Hong Yuelian dismissed it as playful banter, responding half-heartedly.

“Mother, I’m not joking. Brother-in-law, I also need to ask you to help me find out if any families are selling land.” Ji Rongxia said earnestly.

“You’re serious?” Hong Yuelian was startled.

Gu Tangjin chimed in, “Mother, we’ve saved up some money and were thinking of buying some land. We just don’t know where would be suitable, and we’ll need someone to help with the farming. We figured we’d take our time looking.”

Hearing this, Hong Yuelian’s worries vanished instantly, replaced by excitement. Qian Xuecheng stopped crying and smiled. “Really? I’ll look into it for you then. I know the villages around the county seat like the back of my hand.”

“Great, thank you, brother-in-law.” Seeing Qian Xuecheng cheer up, Ji Rongxia added, “And there’s more! Father asked me to cook scrambled eggs in the kitchen today. I’m finally allowed to work at the stove in the restaurant!!!”

“Oh my! That’s wonderful news! See, I told you not to worry, Cheng’er. Our Xia-ger has such good fortune, and our family’s luck is improving too. The baby in your belly will surely be healthy and strong.” Hong Yuelian clapped her hands.

Qian Xuecheng wiped his eyes with a handkerchief and nodded with a smile. “It truly is a blessing. Xia-ger has only been learning to cook for a short while and already gets to work at the stove. That’s impressive.”

“It’s nothing special,” Ji Rongxia said modestly, waving his hand as if it were a minor matter, though he was secretly delighted.

In the other courtyard.

Xiao He whispered softly, “Cao-ger, don’t be afraid. If you want to leave, we’ll go home together. Don’t even think about sneaking back on your own. If I catch you again, I’ll never speak to you again.”

Cao-ger sat crouched on the ground, shaking his head. “But if I stay here, Sis, you can marry into a good family.”

Xiao He pouted. ” Well… I can marry well back home, too.“

”Third Uncle will beat you.“

”My skin’s thick. I’m not scared. Let him hit me.“

”Sis, am I being shameless, running off like this? And dragging you into this.“

”Not at all. Don’t listen to Fourth Uncle’s nonsense. You don’t know how much Grandpa and Grandma want Dashu to come over and secretly learn the Ji family’s skills. They’d throw all dignity to the wind! I can barely bring myself to say it.” Xiao He pursed her lips. She just couldn’t understand—weren’t her first and second uncles, and her father, all better than Uncle Si? And her two aunts were so dutiful and obedient. Why did Grandpa and Grandma favor Uncle Si’s family so much?

Cao-ger looked puzzled. “Sis, how did you find out?”

“I heard it from my parents. Since our families are in-laws, we can’t just stop seeing each other. Eldest Uncle and Auntie aren’t unkind to Cheng-ger. If Cheng-ger didn’t care at all about his mother’s family, that would be unreasonable. Grandpa and Grandma never expected Auntie Hong to let me come over! Now that I’m here, it’s awkward for Dashu and the others to come. Aunt Hong is so clever! She told me Uncle Jì and Brother Jì went to Grandpa and Grandma’s house to ask for rice and flour for us. They had no choice but to give it!”

Cao-ger listened, only half-understanding. He knew sneaking over was wrong, but if Cheng-ger and Sixth Sister both left, he truly didn’t know how he’d go on.

Hearing Xiao He speak like this, he finally felt a little relieved: “If I can stay, I’ll work hard for Auntie. I’m really strong.”

All he needed was food—he didn’t need to be full, just a little something.

“I’ll work with you. I’ve seen it all—this courtyard is small, and there’s less work than at home. If there’s nothing to do, I can weave straw sandals or embroider handkerchiefs. I’ll teach you later.”

“Mm!”

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

“I’ll go check on Cao-ger and Xiao He. Those two kids must be freaking out.“ Qian Xuecheng wiped his face clean and steeled himself to head out to the courtyard.

”Let me go instead. I look so kind-hearted, I won’t scare them. I can also go cook some glutinous rice balls and warm up the cakes. You should all eat something later. After all that commotion, you probably haven’t eaten properly.” Ji Rongxia stood up, and Gu Tangjin followed suit.

Hong Yuelian tried to stop them but was held back by Ji Rongxia: “Mother, you stay with my brother-in-law. If he has stomach trouble, you’ve been through this before and can help. Tangjin and I know nothing about such things. Staying here won’t help us understand anything. If something really happens, we’d be completely clueless!

Hong Yuelian was persuaded to stay.

Ji Rongxia pulled Gu Tangjin into the kitchen. The Ji family’s kitchen was tiny; even two people felt cramped inside.

It was perfect for a private conversation.

When Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin emerged, the two children in the courtyard were as still as quails. Moments before, they’d been huddled together, whispering secrets, but now they sat utterly silent.

“Good heavens, I didn’t even dare mention it indoors. This is such a tricky situation. Mother’s method is rather peculiar, but it’s actually quite effective,” Ji Rongxia whispered to Gu Tangjin as he drew close.

Gu Tangjin bent to light the stove fire, then stood up and murmured in Ji Rongxia’s ear: “If you’re worried, have that little ghost ask if the two children said anything in the courtyard. If they’re good-natured, Mother’s doing this for the best. Our household is short-handed, and with brother-in-law carrying a child, he can’t be overworked. Having someone lend a hand would lighten the load at home.”

“Is that even possible? You always have a solution.” Ji Rongxia rubbed her hands together and quickly asked in her mind, “What did they say? Can you repeat it? You can see things within thirty feet, right?”

Cooking God System: “…”

It didn’t even know it could be used this way.

No host had ever used it this way before!!!

But since the kids’ conversation contained no private matters, the Cooking God System repeated it for Ji Rongxia.

Ji Rongxia’s eyes lit up. Both children had such good dispositions.

That was a relief—he’d dreaded raising children with bad dispositions.

After repeating the conversation, the Cooking God System sternly reiterated: “Host, I cannot view your private matters, nor those of others. Not everything can be relayed to you.”

Ji Rongxia quickly held up three fingers in a solemn promise: “Alright, alright! I promise not to ask you to snoop for me lightly!”

His eyes twinkled mischievously as he chuckled, “A happy home gives me more energy to work. So, System, helping me is only fair, right?”

Cooking God System: “…”

Fine, fine. The host hasn’t violated any rules—what exactly is his fault?!