Cheng Wanwan walked out of the forest, followed closely by her three other sons.

She strode straight to Sun Shuiqin and said, “I just heard you say that it was that fool Zhao Shagen pestering you. That boy usually looks honest and simple, but I never thought he’d do such a thing. Since he insisted on giving you this grain, let me return it for you—right in his face.”

She reached out to take the bag of grain, but Sun Shuiqin refused to let go.

Clutching the bag tightly, Sun Shuiqin stammered, “A-Auntie, I…I…”

“Miss Sun, my son Er’gou likes you, and you like him too. Why not settle the marriage sooner rather than later?” Cheng Wanwan continued. “You’re beautiful—Zhao Shagen isn’t the only man who’ll try to pester you. But once you’re engaged, anyone who dares to bother you will be going against our Zhao family. If that happens, I’ll tear his face apart!”

Hearing this, Zhao Ergou’s face instantly turned bright red.

From the moment he first met Sun Shuiqin, he had already imagined their wedding.

He had even thought of names for their future children. His biggest dream was to marry Sun Shuiqin.

Sun Shuiqin lowered her head, nervously twisting her fingers. After a long pause, she finally asked, “If…if I marry into your family, where will I live?”

She had visited Dahe Village many times and knew exactly what the Zhao family’s house was like—just three rooms.

Unless Zhao Ergou’s older brother and sister-in-law moved out of their room, she and Ergou wouldn’t have their own space.

Otherwise, she’d have to squeeze into a room with her mother-in-law, which sounded like a nightmare.

“Why worry about a place to stay?” Cheng Wanwan chuckled. “I’ve already thought it through. Ergou will build a straw hut next to the house. It can be as big as you want. Once your children are born, you’ll have plenty of space…”

Sun Shuiqin’s eyes widened. “A…a straw hut?”

Her family was poor and lived in mudbrick houses.

She didn’t expect a fancy tile-roofed home, but at least it shouldn’t be worse than what she had before marriage!

Zhao Ergou looked deeply moved. “Mother, you treat me too well! Shuiqin and I will definitely be filial to you in the future…”

He had thought his mother would make him and his wife sleep in the main hall or on the floor.

The fact that they could have their own straw hut was beyond his expectations.

“Forget about being filial to me. I can still manage,” Cheng Wanwan said with a gentle smile. “And Shuiqin doesn’t need to learn any house rules after she joins the family. Your sister-in-law is pregnant and can’t do heavy work. So from now on, all the household chores—washing clothes, cooking, cleaning—will be handled by Ergou’s wife.”

Sun Shuiqin’s face stiffened.

She clutched the bag of grain tightly, tears welling up in her eyes. “Auntie, it’s not what you think… I—I don’t have that kind of relationship with Ergou. I’ve always seen him as a brother, and I never thought about marrying into the Zhao family…”

Cheng Wanwan’s lips twitched.

She never expected to hear such modern-sounding words like “brother and sister” in ancient times.

She glanced at the fool Ergou, who was staring in shock, unable to believe what he was hearing.

Things had come this far, and yet he still had hope.

She asked, “Miss Sun, are you saying that you really never considered marrying into the Zhao family?”

Sun Shuiqin nodded quickly, her eyes shimmering with tears. “This is just a misunderstanding… I really only see Ergou as an older brother…”

“My son has four biological female cousins. He doesn’t need another sister,” Cheng Wanwan’s expression turned cold. “If you have no intention of marrying into our family, then don’t come here asking for grain again. People will talk, and it’ll ruin Ergou’s reputation. Also, that jade hairpin you’re holding—I lent it to my son’s future wife, and since you have nothing to do with him, give it back.”

Before Sun Shuiqin could react, Cheng Wanwan had already snatched the jade hairpin from her hands.

Sun Shuiqin bit her lip in humiliation.

No wonder people in Dahe Village said Zhao Ergou’s mother was a tough woman—she truly was!

Even gifts that had already been given could be taken back.

Luckily, she hadn’t agreed to marry into their family.

Otherwise, her life would be miserable.

“The ten catties of grain I lent you before—just forget about repaying it. Not because our family is rich, but because—” Cheng Wanwan’s voice grew even colder, “I don’t want you coming back to the Zhao family again. And I especially don’t want you bothering Ergou anymore. Go back to your Guihua Village.”

Tears threatened to fall from Sun Shuiqin’s eyes.

She dared not stay any longer, afraid that Cheng Wanwan would humiliate her even more.

She picked up the grain bag and quickly walked toward Guihua Village, disappearing into the dense forest.

Cheng Wanwan turned to her sons, expecting them to be shocked by her fierceness.

But instead, they looked completely unfazed.

Well, if the original owner of this body were still around, she probably would’ve clawed Sun Shuiqin’s face by now. Maybe she had been too gentle.

Her gaze landed on Zhao Ergou.

The boy looked utterly devastated.

Ah, young heartbreak—so sudden, so painful.

He must feel like his heart was in pieces.

She changed the subject calmly. “Ergou, you’re the smartest of my children. Think about how we can divert water from the mountain down here.”

Zhao Sidaan protested—he believed he was just as smart.

He was determined to come up with a solution before his second brother did!

As the five of them foraged for wild vegetables and mushrooms, they brainstormed ways to redirect the water.

“Mother, I’ve got it!” Zhao Sidan said excitedly. “There are lots of bamboo trees on the mountain. Since the insides are hollow, we can remove the nodes and connect them together. That way, the water can flow down right to our doorstep!”

Cheng Wanwan couldn’t help but praise him. “Sidan, you’re very clever. But bamboo has a small diameter, so the water flow won’t be enough. It could work for daily use, but do you have any ideas on how to channel water to the rice fields? That way, even if it doesn’t rain, we won’t have a total crop failure.”

She already had a rough plan in mind.

“Mother, what if we dig a trench?” Zhao Ergou suggested hesitantly. “If we dig a channel from the mountain stream, the water will flow down naturally…”

Cheng Wanwan smiled. “Ergou, you’re thinking exactly what I was! Now, here’s another question: how long is the distance from the mountain to the village? How many people would it take to dig the trench? How long would it take? You need to figure that out.”

Zhao Ergou took a few steps, measuring about one zhang (approximately three meters).

Estimating, he said, “If one person can dig this length in an hour, then from the mountain to here… it would take about two to three thousand people working for an hour.”

Cheng Wanwan guided him further. “The village has about four to five hundred able-bodied men. If they all work together, how long will it take?”

Zhao Ergou scratched his head. “Mother, I…I can’t calculate that…”

Cheng Wanwan sighed.

This was basic arithmetic that modern kids learned at age seven or eight, yet hardly anyone in this era could do it.

Once life settled down, the first thing she’d do was teach these boys how to read and do math.