The three brothers eventually followed Steward Fang to the Chunfeng Tavern.

After a few rounds of drinks, Qiao Yunqing mentioned that he wanted to buy some land in Beishan for their mother to plant fruit trees.

Steward Fang frowned and said, “That land has been bought before. The Fu family from Weizhou Prefecture once purchased the entire mountain, but unfortunately, every venture they tried failed. Now, they can’t even sell it. Because of this, Second Master Fu lost his qualification to inherit the Fu family business.”

Qiao Yunqing’s mind stirred, and he quickly asked, “Could you help us connect with him to see if he’s still willing to sell the land?”

“You want to buy it?”

“It’s just for convenience when collecting firewood, to avoid unnecessary disputes in the future.”

Steward Fang didn’t ask further and immediately sent someone to invite Second Master Fu.

After repeatedly failing to complete the tasks assigned by his family, Second Master Fu was basically written off as a business failure by the family.

No one put effort into him anymore.

He became the abandoned son of the Fu family and was given a separate residence near Qingfeng Tavern.

At that moment, he was having a meal with his wife when a servant informed him that Steward Fang from the Fan family had invited him over.

He originally wanted to make them wait a little to show some dignity, but his wife stopped him.

“Second Master, the Fan family holds official positions, while we are merchants. Even if they’ve declined, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse—you can’t afford to be careless. I heard that the Fan family’s eldest and second masters rushed to Shangjun overnight. They might be making a comeback. That Steward Fang is an old servant who has served the Fan family’s patriarch for years.”

Hearing this, Fu Maochang put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a cloth, and said, “Thank you for the reminder, my dear. I’ll go see what they want.”

Following the servant, he arrived at Chunfeng Tavern, where he saw Steward Fang happily chatting with three young men who carried themselves with an air of nobility.

“Oh, Second Master Fu! I’ve been looking forward to your arrival! Come, let me introduce you—these are the three brothers from the Qiao family, honored guests of our Fan family…”

After some polite exchanges, Fu Maochang’s impression of the Qiao brothers improved significantly, especially toward Qiao Yunqing.

His way of speaking and acting resonated with him.

Although Fu Maochang came from a family of merchants, he seemed to have been born into the wrong family.

He had no interest in making money.

He had only two true passions in life—one was living the refined life of a scholar, composing poetry, playing music under the moon, and enjoying the company of beautiful women; the other was food.

When he purchased Beishan, he hadn’t considered profitability at all.

He simply wanted to turn Qingyang Academy into his dream retreat, where he could invite scholars and literati to enjoy leisurely days together.

However, the government strictly prohibited major modifications to the academy.

As a result, his dream was put on hold.

With no returns on his investment, his family became dissatisfied.

After several other failures, his father completely gave up on him. But he didn’t mind—he was happy to be left alone.

After three rounds of drinks and most of the dishes finished, Qiao Yunqing finally brought up his request.

Fu Maochang had already been informed of their intentions by Steward Fang on the way over.

He remained calm and said, “Since it’s for your livelihood, I’m willing to sell you everything except Qingyang Academy. Consider it a goodwill gesture between us, Brother Qiao.”

The Qiao brothers immediately stood up and expressed their gratitude.

Out of respect for the Fan family, Fu Maochang practically gave them a huge discount, selling the entire Beishan for just 1,500 taels of silver.

With the land deed in hand, the Qiao brothers exchanged relieved glances.

Their mother would surely be pleased!

When Qiao Xin heard the news, she rubbed her hands excitedly and praised their efforts. “That Fu Maochang is really generous. One tael of silver per mu of forest land—that’s practically a gift! We must remember this kindness. Now, our family has only 500 taels of silver left, just enough to sustain us for a while.”

Qiao Yunxin hesitated, “Mother, isn’t this venture a bit too ambitious?”

Qiao Xin scoffed, “Ambitious? This is nothing! Our current assets are barely a fraction of what truly wealthy families have. We must seize this opportunity while Weizhou Prefecture is still rebuilding and before the imperial court fully takes notice. This place is the southwestern gateway to the capital. The court must be preoccupied with other matters right now; otherwise, they wouldn’t have relaxed control over this area!

Besides, we’ll need more money in the future—for food, clothing, education, and for the children’s marriages.

Whether it’s dowries for the daughters or establishing careers for the sons, everything requires a fortune!

Our current silver may seem like a lot, but if we only save and don’t generate more income, we’ll soon run out. We must find more ways to make money.”

With that, Qiao Xin pulled out three folded slips of paper and placed them on the table.

She addressed her sons, “Last time I was in town, I bought the neighboring courtyards—three in total. You three can divide them among yourselves. The prices are similar, so I won’t bother deciding for you. Draw lots, and whatever you get is yours. If you’re unhappy, you can negotiate amongst yourselves.”

Qiao Yunting immediately jumped up, “Mother, are you dividing the family? I refuse! I don’t even have a wife to manage household affairs!”

Qiao Xin picked up a broom and threw it at him. “You don’t have a wife, and that’s my fault? Go find one yourself!”

Qiao Yunting dodged and grinned, “Of course, it’s not your fault! I’m just not competent enough. So I’d better stay by your side and fulfill my filial duties!”

Seeing him act so shamelessly, Qiao Xin rolled her eyes and ignored him.

She then patiently explained to Qiao Yunxin and Qiao Yunqing, “This isn’t a division of the family. It’s just preparing for the future. Right now, Old Lake Town is unsafe, so we live together. But as life improves and the children grow up, conflicts will inevitably arise if we all stay in the same house. Living separately but staying connected is a good compromise.

Once spring arrives, we can renovate these courtyards and connect them with doors leading to my residence. This way, it’s still like living under one roof.”

Seeing Qiao Yunxin remain silent and Qiao Yunqing keeping his head down, she urged, “Eldest son, don’t hesitate. You go first!”

Knowing his mother had made up her mind, Qiao Yunxin resigned himself to fate, picked a slip at random, and handed it to her.

Then, he sat back down.

Qiao Xin excitedly unfolded the slip and handed it to his wife, Xu Shi. “Look, daughter-in-law! This will be your new home. It’s about the same size as our current place. You can start tidying it up whenever you like.”

Following their eldest brother’s example, Qiao Yunqing and Qiao Yunting quickly took the remaining slips.

With the division settled, Qiao Xin promptly shooed them out, claiming they should inspect their new homes.

Qiao Yunting walked out reluctantly, with his children trailing behind, looking puzzled. “Father, does Grandma not want us anymore?”

“Nonsense! She just wants us to check the houses.” Qiao Yunting refused to accept reality.

He turned to his brothers for reassurance. “Big Brother, Second Brother, why do other families fight to stay together, but Mother wants us apart? Did we upset her somehow?”

Qiao Yunxin immediately saw through their mother’s intent. “She just wants some peace and quiet.”

Realization dawned, and Qiao Yunting muttered, “If we turn all the courtyards into one estate, wouldn’t that break the rules since we aren’t officials?”

The brothers instantly turned to Qiao Yunqing with flattery. “Second Brother, from tomorrow onward, you should focus on studying. Aim to become a top scholar. We’ll handle everything else!”

Qiao Yunqing didn’t refute them.

Instead, he gave a knowing smile.

Seeing that smile, the two brothers shuddered.

Every time he smiled like that, trouble was sure to follow.