Chapter 42: Family Reactions

It was not yet noon when Wang Shi and the others returned home, finally putting the Xu family’s anxious hearts at ease.

Hearing the commotion outside, Zheng Shi and Xiao Wang Shi quickened their pace to welcome them.

Old Master Xu, who had been sitting all morning, also wanted to get up and take a look. However, after sitting for too long, his legs had become numb, and he stumbled forward, startling the three Xu brothers. Fortunately, Xu Wei’an reacted quickly and caught the old man in time.

“Father, you’re too excited! You just taught us to stay calm, and now…”

Seeing the dangerous look in his father’s eyes, Xu Wei’an wisely shut his mouth.

At that moment, the three daughters-in-law ushered Wang Shi into the main hall, with Xu Nian following closely behind.

Old Master Xu noticed that his wife was clutching the small box tightly to her chest and immediately understood that the deal had been successful. Sure enough, as soon as she sat down, Wang Shi excitedly recounted the entire event.

“You should have seen how capable our eldest girl is! The way she spoke—so eloquent and convincing—it left Lady Rong completely spellbound…”

Watching his grandmother go on and on, Xu Nian realized for the first time just how much she could exaggerate. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she interrupted.

“Grandmother, show the silver notes to Grandfather, Uncle, and Aunt.”

“Oh, right, right! I bet you’ve never seen this many silver notes in your lives!”

Wang Shi slowly opened the small box in her arms and placed it on the table. The Xu family members all leaned in curiously.

“Mother, how much silver is this?” Zheng Shi asked, eager yet hesitant to touch the notes.

Xiao Wang Shi was equally curious.

“Take a guess.” Xu Nian found her grandmother’s smug expression quite amusing.

Unlike the others, Old Master Xu had no reservations. He picked up the silver notes and began counting. The three Xu brothers watched intently as he counted once, then counted again.

“Eight hundred taels—it really is eight hundred taels! Can a mere formula be worth this much?”

As soon as he spoke, the three brothers and the two sisters-in-law gasped in shock.

To reassure her family, Xu Nian explained, “Rare things are valuable. These eight hundred taels are rightfully ours.”

Hearing this, Old Master Xu finally relaxed.

At that moment, Wang Shi instructed, “Let’s discuss everything after we eat. The second and third daughters-in-law, go prepare the meal. Our eldest girl was already saying she was hungry on the way back.”

The two women cheerfully agreed and headed to the kitchen, with Tian Shi following them.

As Zheng Shi picked up the water ladle, she turned to Tian Shi and protested, “Eldest sister-in-law, why are you here too? We can handle this.”

“That’s right, eldest sister-in-law. The kitchen is freezing—go back and rest in the hall,” Xiao Wang Shi added.

Tian Shi rolled up her sleeves and said, “In the past, I couldn’t help even if I wanted to, but now that I’m back, how could I just sit around and let you serve me?”

Seeing that she was determined, Zheng Shi and Xiao Wang Shi stopped persuading her. After all, the three of them had always handled the cooking together, and chatting while they worked made the task feel less tiring.

Xu Nian walked up to the kitchen door, listening to the laughter inside. She paused for a moment, then turned back toward the main hall.

The meal was prepared and eaten quickly. The adults had matters on their minds, while the children had their own activities. Xu Cai finished his meal and immediately ran off to the academy, while Xu Ling helped clean up before taking her rabbit to Chunxiu’s house.

In the hall, Xiao Wang Shi served each person a bowl of digestive tea before sitting down beside Xu Youliang.

“Now that we have silver, let’s discuss how to use it,” Old Master Xu said, looking at his children and their wives. When no one spoke up, he turned to Tian Shi.

“Eldest daughter-in-law, although Yaozu is not here, you should share your thoughts.”

Tian Shi knew that her daughter wanted to buy an estate, so she hesitantly suggested, “How about purchasing a manor?”

Old Master Xu glanced at her, noting her lack of confidence, but he did not express approval or disapproval. Instead, he turned to his second son.

“Father, how about buying a shop and starting a business?”

Xu Youliang, seeing his father’s gaze shift to him, said a bit sheepishly, “I don’t know how to do anything except farm. Maybe we should buy farmland instead.”

Old Master Xu then looked at Xu Wei’an, originally intending to skip him, but unexpectedly, he heard him say,

“Father, I think the most important thing we should do is build a new house.”

Heaven knows how cold it is living in the side rooms.

Old Master Xu suddenly found himself at a loss. At first, he had thought eight hundred taels was a fortune, but now it seemed like too little. Turning to Xu Nian, he asked,

“Eldest girl, what do you think?”

Xu Nian smiled brightly.

“Grandfather, Grandmother, I think my uncles all have great ideas—so why not do them all together?”

“Huh? How much silver would that cost?”

“Grandmother, what I mean is that if we buy an estate, all of these concerns can be resolved at once.

Even the smallest estate comes with dozens of acres of land—more than enough for Third Uncle to farm. We could grow rare grains and vegetables on the estate, and Second Uncle could go out and find buyers. As for housing, estates usually come with a courtyard for the owners, and even if it doesn’t, we can always build one ourselves.”

Hearing this, Old Master Xu suddenly saw the bigger picture. His eldest granddaughter had truly considered everything.

The others were just as satisfied, but no one was more pleased than Wang Shi—after all, buying an estate meant only spending money on one thing instead of several.

After finalizing the plan, Tian Shi took the carriage back to the county office, while the Xu family decided that the next day, Old Master Xu, Xu Fugui, and Xu Youliang would go purchase the estate.

Wang Shi wanted Xu Nian to go with them, but she declined. When it came to understanding farmland, she was far less knowledgeable than her uncles. If not for the mystical space she had, she wouldn’t even be sure she could grow crops properly.

That night, after finishing her usual bedtime story for Xu Ling, Xu Nian resumed her nightly farming in her space. Meanwhile, Old Master Xu found himself unable to fall asleep.

“Old man, did you remember what the eldest girl said? Make sure to buy an estate close to the county academy. It must be at least a hundred acres—don’t be stingy with the silver, understand?”

In the darkness, Old Master Xu smirked to himself. The person who cared most about saving money was this very old lady beside him.

“When have I ever let you down? Go to sleep already—we have to get up early tomorrow.”

Only then did Wang Shi finally fall silent, closing her eyes and drifting off into a deep sleep.

At the same time, Zheng Shi was also giving Xu Fugui repeated instructions.

“Husband, tomorrow you have to inspect that estate carefully. Don’t let anyone trick you.”

Xu Fugui nodded.

“Don’t worry, Father and Third Brother will be there too.”

“Sigh… Husband, I still feel like I’m dreaming. If everything goes as the eldest girl said, we’ll be living closer to our sons in the future.”

Xu Fugui was just as happy. He patted Zheng Shi reassuringly.

“Go to sleep.”

As for Xiao Wang Shi, she didn’t have to remind Xu Youliang about anything—because Xu Cai’s little mouth hadn’t stopped talking all night.

“Father, are we really going to buy a big house? Does that mean we’ll be moving? Will I still go to the academy? Ah~ I think I’ll miss Peach Blossom.”

Xiao Wang Shi couldn’t hold back her laughter as she watched her son wrinkle his little nose.

Xu Youliang: “…”

He had no idea where his son got this habit from, but ever since he was little, he had always liked pretty little girls.