As soon as they left, Fan Jihua arrived with his men, bringing over the goods exchanged today.

“There are forty wolf pelts in total, but only thirty are in good condition. The remaining ones are too damaged to fetch a good price. My uncle was still quite generous and gave us five hundred taels. Auntie, please don’t think it’s too little. The main issue is that this was a large batch, and he also has his own pressures. As requested, I used the money to buy everything we needed, and it’s all here.”

Qiao Xin took out five taels of silver and handed them to him. “Thank you. Since I’ve already asked you for one favor, I’d like to trouble you with another. Tomorrow, can you arrange for some workers to help escort people to Lao Hu Town? I want to make sure they return safely.”

Fan Jihua waved it off with a hearty laugh. “I thought it was something difficult! As long as Auntie is overseeing things, manpower won’t be an issue. Just have Brother Qiao treat everyone to a drink later—no need to pay me.”

Qiao Xin, however, insisted. “Of course, we’ll treat everyone to a drink, but we can’t let people work for nothing. Everyone has families to feed—it’s not easy!”

Seeing how firm she was, Fan Jihua no longer refused.

He went back to discuss with his older brother and began recruiting workers.

When people heard they would be paid and that safety was guaranteed—especially with the second master leading them—there was no hesitation.

The Fan household guards who had gone to Lao Hu Town earlier were even more eager to go again.

Fan Jihua simply added a few more men to the existing team and quickly assembled the group.

The next morning, Fan Jihua led over twenty people to meet Qiao Xin at the inn.

Once again, the people of Weizhou saw the Fan family’s men heading out in the heavy snow, leading over a dozen carts.

The townsfolk whispered among themselves—was the Fan family really this desperate?

Going on such a long journey in the snow?

Some even started making bets on whether they would all return safely.

Meanwhile, Li Zhong and Wang Dakui trudged back, pulling carts full of grain.

Despite wearing only short jackets and straw shoes, they felt no cold. Looking at the carts of food behind them, their hearts swelled with joy.

With this food, no one in their village would starve this year.

The only question was—how much would each household get?

“Village Chief, do you think we’ll get at least a hundred jin of rice per family?” Wang Dakui asked.

“We should. I asked around yesterday. Each household will get at least two hundred jin of grain and a set of clothes. It’s much better than in past years,” Li Zhong replied.

Wang Dakui hesitated before asking, “Chief, do you think the Qiao family will settle here permanently?”

Li Zhong exhaled, his expression uncertain. “I don’t know. But as long as they stay, we should treat them well. When we get back, tell the others to be respectful. Let’s hurry—Grandfather is still waiting at home.”

The weather worsened, with the blizzard making it hard to see.

The journey became increasingly difficult, but Qiao Xin, accustomed to such conditions, moved swiftly through the convoy.

If a cart got stuck, she pushed it free. Before setting out, she had ensured every cart’s wheels were wrapped with straw ropes, which now proved their worth—despite the icy roads, the carts remained steady.

What would have been a one-hour journey took twice as long.

At the village entrance, Grandpa Li stood with the elders and children, anxiously awaiting their return.

When he finally saw the long line of carts approaching, he was so overcome with emotion that he nearly lost his footing.

“They’re back! They’re back! We’re saved!” he cried. “Shiya, hurry back and tell your grandmother to hold on—food is coming!”

A young man called Shiya stretched his stiff limbs before scrambling towards a rundown house in the village.

With the village chief bringing back food, his grandmother wouldn’t have to starve herself just to save food for him anymore.

Meanwhile, Xu Shi stood in the courtyard of a spacious two-section house, unable to believe her eyes.

Were they really going to live here?

Was this not just a dream?

The children, however, were less hesitant.

They surrounded Qiao Xin, bombarding her with questions.

Unfortunately, she had more pressing matters to attend to. “This place is our home now. Help your mothers tidy up the back rooms. Settle in, start cooking if needed. Dalang, you and your mother take care of the younger ones. Don’t wander outside unnecessarily—there are wolves and tigers here, unlike in the city.”

After sending the children away, Qiao Xin called over the three Qiao brothers. “Second son, you’ll be in charge of bookkeeping. Eldest brother, gather everyone and find a warm room to rest. Ask your wife to make some meat porridge to fill everyone’s stomachs. Third son, you and the village chief will distribute supplies.”

When Li Zhong returned with the villagers, Qiao Xin and Qiao Yunqing were already seated at the table, waiting for them.

“Come in, everyone. I’ll explain how things will be divided. All the goods exchanged from hunting are here. I should take seventy percent—that’s fair, right?” Qiao Xin asked.

Li Zhong immediately nodded. “Of course! Without you, we wouldn’t even be standing here, let alone receiving supplies.”

The other villagers also agreed.

Hunters respected strength—since they couldn’t outmatch Qiao Xin, keeping her in the village was the smarter move.

“With that settled, each household will receive 200 jin of coarse grain, 40 jin of rice, 50 jin of charcoal, 2 jin of oil, and two sets of clothing,” Qiao Xin continued.

Li Zhong’s eyes widened in disbelief.

When she first mentioned taking seventy percent, he thought they’d be lucky to get 100 jin of coarse grain and one set of clothing per family.

This amount far exceeded his expectations—no wonder the Fan family guards had praised the Qiao family’s generosity!

Seeing his stunned expression, Qiao Xin smiled. “So, are you all satisfied? Give me a clear answer.”

The villagers quickly responded, “Yes! Yes!”

How could they not be satisfied?

In past winters, they never got this much, even when hunting on their own.

But under Qiao Xin’s leadership, they secured all this in just one trip!

Qiao Xin knew that most villagers were already struggling to put food on the table—every grain counted.

The overwhelming reward made them willing to accept her terms quickly, but she didn’t like taking advantage of people. Fairness was key.

“One last thing—come sign and leave your fingerprint. Once you do, you’re acknowledging this arrangement, and there’ll be no complaints later. If you think the food isn’t enough, you can trade firewood or charcoal with me. Five jin of charcoal for one jin of rice, four bundles of firewood for one jin of coarse grain. Each household can trade up to twenty jin. Also, I’m personally donating some extra coarse grain and a jin of salt for any hunters who were injured during this trip.”