Chapter 105: Who Doesn’t Love Money?

Xiang Xinyao’s three brothers tasted the food she made, all of them giving a thumbs up.

Xiang Yancheng said, “Delicious! Little sister, I didn’t expect your cooking to be this good. Have you ever thought about opening a restaurant? Third brother will give you the capital, and all the profits will be yours.”

Xiang Taifu gave his third son a glare. “Don’t rush this matter, we’ll talk about it when we get home. And I don’t want Xinyao to work too hard. She’s already suffered enough for eleven years. All I want is for my daughter to be happy. Our family can afford to support her. But if Xinyao wants to do something, our whole family will support her.”

Xiang Xinyao smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Father, Third Brother. Father’s right; we can discuss this after we go home. I do like money and enjoy the process of earning it, but I still need to do more research. It’s not necessarily a restaurant I want to open.”

Xiang Yancheng smiled and nodded, showing affection.

If his sister liked money, when they got back to Bianjing, he would give her as much silver as she wanted.

Father was right—Xinyao had suffered for eleven years, and he would never let her suffer again.

Any silver he earned, he would gladly give to his sister.

Xiang Yancheng’s older brothers, Xiang Yanzhuo and Xiang Yanlin, felt a pang of regret. If they had known earlier that their sister liked money, they wouldn’t have spent all their time studying for the imperial exams or learning martial arts.

They would have learned to do business early on and given her all the money she wanted.

Suddenly, Xiang Yanlin spoke up. “Third Brother, when we get back, I want to learn business from you.”

Xiang Yancheng was taken aback. “Aren’t you planning to take the martial exam? Don’t you want to be a general?”

“Becoming a martial scholar and a general isn’t as important as my sister. I want to make money for her,” Xiang Yanlin said seriously.

Xiang Xinyao blinked, her big eyes sparkling. “Wow! Second Brother is going to take the martial exam? That’s awesome! When Second Brother becomes a general, he’ll protect me, and no one will dare to bully me.”

Xiang Yanlin blinked back, “Right! With my martial skills, I can protect my sister. No one will dare to bully her.”

Forget business—he couldn’t care less about that.

Xiang Yanzhuo lowered his head. He was just a sixth-rank official with no power or influence. What could he do for his sister?

It seemed like he would have to figure out how to get promoted and give her a better life.

Xiang Xinyao looked at her older brother and wondered what talent he might have.

Xiang Taifu spoke up. “Your eldest brother became the top scholar two years ago and is now a compiler at the Hanlin Academy.”

Xiang Xinyao’s eyes lit up. “Wow! Big Brother is amazing—he’s the top scholar! That’s so impressive! I didn’t expect our family to be both scholarly and martial. I’ll be able to win at life now!”

Looking at his sister’s shining eyes, Xiang Yanzhuo felt his mood lift instantly. He wasn’t quite sure what “winning at life” meant, but it made him feel good.

He asked, “Little sister, what does ‘winning at life’ mean?”

Xiang Xinyao laughed playfully, “It means you don’t have to do anything and still get whatever you want.”

Xiang Yanzhuo smiled gently. “Little sister, you’re the only jewel in the Xiang family. You’re my only sister. Whatever you want, just tell Big Brother. I’ll do my best to fulfill your wishes.”

Xiang Xinyao didn’t mind that Big Brother called her the family’s only precious jewel; it was, after all, the truth.

She looked at him with sparkling eyes, thinking that once they returned to Bianjing, she would introduce this beautiful sister to her close friends. She wanted them to envy her for having such a capable and beautiful sister.

She would make many beautiful dresses for her sister so that she could wear something new every day.

She looked at Xiang Xinyao and spoke, “Sister, if Father and Mother hadn’t adopted me, I might not have had such a good life. Or maybe I wouldn’t have survived until now.”

“All these years, Father and Mother never gave up looking for you. Now that you’re finally back with us, we’re so happy.”

“Little sister, can I stay by your side from now on? Don’t worry, I won’t be a burden. I’ll take good care of you,” Xiang Xinyao’s sister, Xiang Xinyu, said with sincerity.

Xiang Xinyao smiled happily and nodded.

The first feeling she got from her family was warmth and closeness, making her want to be even closer to them.

Perhaps this was because the original owner had blood ties to the Xiang family?

As for Xiang Xinyu, Xinyao didn’t feel any hostility from her; instead, she felt a subtle sense of trying to please her. Was she afraid that she wouldn’t be able to accept her when they returned?

Xinyao wasn’t a cruel person—so long as no one provoked her, she wouldn’t make things difficult for others.

After dinner, Xiang Xinyao spoke up. “Uncle Ji, the house in the Little Pine Forest should still be built according to my previous plan, and the surrounding area should be fully developed. As for bringing everyone to plant medicinal herbs after the new year, that will have to be postponed for a while. I’m going back with Father and Mother for the first time, and it won’t be a short trip.”

“As for the silver for building the houses, I’ll leave it with you before we leave. By the time I return, the houses should be finished.”

Uncle Ji smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll make sure the villagers and workers continue with the construction. But don’t forget, you promised to come back every year cause, everyone will miss you.”

“Don’t worry, I always keep my word. And if the land in Little Pine Forest is fully developed before I return, please have the villagers help me plant radishes and cabbage—things we can feed the pigs,” she added.

“Understood.”

Xiang Xinyao then turned to Old Scholar Ji. “Grandfather Ji, you should continue teaching at the private school. I’ll make sure to have my reward for you delivered by Uncle every month. I’ll be back in no more than half a year to visit you all.”

“Good, as long as you still want to come back to see us, I’ll do as you wish,” Old Scholar Ji said warmly.

“Of course I’ll come back. This is my home too! Besides, I’m not leaving for Bianjing until after the New Year,” Xiang Xinyao replied.

Xiang Taifu smiled and looked at his precious daughter. “That’s right, Xinyao can always come back to see you. This is her home, and you are her family.”

What Xiang Taifu didn’t say was that once their eldest son, Xiang Yanzhuo, was firmly established in his government position, he and his wife would retire and come live here with their daughter.

Dawai Village, with its beautiful mountains and rivers, would be a perfect place for them to spend their later years.

When Xiang Yancheng heard that his younger sister was building a house here, he immediately pulled out a stack of silver notes and handed them to Xiang Xinyao. “Little sister, take these. When your house is done, don’t forget to leave a room for me.”

Xiang Xinyao couldn’t help but feel a stir of greed when she saw the stack of silver notes.

Who didn’t love money?

But since Xiang Yancheng was the original owner’s real brother—and now her real brother—she couldn’t imagine him visiting without a place to stay.

Would it be too inappropriate to accept such a large sum of silver so soon after meeting him?

“Third Brother, I don’t need silver right now. Please take it back,” she said, trying to refuse.

Before Xiang Yancheng could react, Madam Xiang Taifu snatched the silver notes from his hand and shoved them into Xiang Xinyao’s. “Take it. Your Third Brother is good at business and has plenty of silver. If you don’t accept it, he won’t be happy.”

“Alright then! Thank you, Third Brother,” Xiang Xinyao smiled and accepted the silver notes.