Before dawn, when Qiao Yunxin and Qiao Yunting were woken up by Qiao Xin, they finally understood why their second brother had been grinning so mischievously the day before.

Standing in the snowy courtyard, Qiao Xin was dressed in a simple training outfit, looking full of energy as she stared at her still-drowsy family members.

“I forgot to tell you all yesterday—starting today, training begins! Your comfortable days are over! The three of you must wake up at the fifth watch (before dawn) for physical training. In the morning, I’ll teach you martial arts and archery. In the afternoon, you’ll study literacy and reading with your second brother. In the evening, you’ll review and consolidate what you’ve learned.”

“The young ones can wait a bit longer, and my daughters-in-law will wake up early to help with breakfast. They don’t have to run laps in the morning, but literacy and arithmetic are still mandatory!”

Xu Shi and Zhang Shi were shocked. “Mother, we have to do it too?”

“I’m giving you the opportunity. Whether you take it or not is up to you!”

Xu Shi wasn’t afraid of her mother-in-law’s temper—she was more afraid of this calm, matter-of-fact tone.

She couldn’t explain why, but her instincts told her that if she refused now, she would regret it for the rest of her life!

She forced herself to clear away her reluctance, clenched her teeth, and said, “I’ll train!”

Zhang Shi wanted to refuse, but the words got stuck in her throat.

She didn’t dare say them out loud.

She remembered what her husband had once told her in private: “If you don’t know how to act in front of Mother, just follow your eldest sister-in-law. Do whatever she does.”

Glancing around, she realized she was the only one who hadn’t spoken yet.

Everyone was staring at her, waiting for her response. Flustered, she quickly raised her hand and blurted out, “I’ll train too!”

Good! The whole family was finally on the same page!

Satisfied, Qiao Xin withdrew her gaze.

At least they weren’t complete fools.

She then turned to Mo Jiaquan and Shi Yazi, who were standing off to the side, looking unsure. “Do you two want to join?”

The two men looked around in confusion, then pointed at themselves hesitantly. “Madam, are you talking about us?”

Seeing Qiao Xin nod, Shi Yazi was so shocked that he turned to his grandmother for confirmation.

But to his surprise, his grandmother looked even more stunned than he was.

Then, with a thud, Shi Pozi dropped to her knees, overwhelmed with gratitude. “Madam, please accept Shi Yazi! We are willing to serve you for life!”

“I already signed a labor contract with you. This child is smart—if he becomes a slave, won’t that ruin his whole future?”

“If not for the Qiao family, my grandson and I wouldn’t even be alive right now. What future would we have to speak of? I’ve lived a long life, but I’ve never met a mistress as kind-hearted as you. And I’ve certainly never seen a master voluntarily teach their servants to read and write. If I didn’t recognize your kindness, I would deserve to be struck by lightning!”

Qiao Xin quickly tried to help her up, but Shi Pozi insisted on giving up her contract before allowing Shi Yazi to study.

Qiao Xin wasn’t sure how to handle such situations, so she threw a pleading look at her second son: What do we do now?

Qiao Yunqing didn’t know why his mother was so against having servants, but he stepped in to smooth things over. “Eldest Brother’s son still needs a study companion. Shi Yazi can do that for now. This should be a matter of mutual agreement. Mother isn’t trying to force you into a decision. If you still feel the same way by spring, we can revise the contract.”

“I brought you here to work as helpers, not as slaves. If people in the village hear that you sold yourselves after just a few days, they might not believe it was your choice.”

Qiao Xin added, “Don’t rush to decide for the child. This concerns his entire life. It’s not easy to survive in this world, but if he learns to read and write, he’ll have more opportunities even if he leaves our household one day. This way, our family also earns some goodwill. The same goes for Jiaquan.”

Mo Jiaquan wasn’t ignorant.

He had seen enough of the world to recognize Qiao Xin’s kindness.

Bowing deeply, he said, “Madam, I am willing to follow your command.”

He had already made up his mind—no matter what, he would stay with the Qiao family.

..

Qiao Yunting dragged his leaden legs, stumbling forward as he ran.

His back was soaked with sweat that had dried and then soaked again.

His throat was parched, but he didn’t dare stop.

He had completely underestimated weighted running.

As a farmer, he thought he had enough stamina, but after just one lap around the town, he was already exhausted!

Where did Mother even learn such a brutal training method?

Slowing his pace slightly, he turned to Qiao Yunqing, who was running at the back, and complained, “Second Brother, what’s wrong with Mother? Why is she suddenly putting us through this torture?”

“You think this is torture? Have you forgotten your situation?”

Qiao Yunting’s heart clenched.

Life had been so comfortable lately that he had almost forgotten the most important thing.

With a sigh, he admitted, “If this were before, I wouldn’t have hesitated to go back. But now, I don’t want to leave. It’s good being with Mother.”

“You think Mother has a say in this? She understands better than anyone that when the time comes, we won’t have a choice. Ordinary people can’t fight against the powerful—it’s like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. She’s pushing us so hard now because she wants us to have a fighting chance to survive.”

“Third Brother, stop being naive. Some things aren’t up to us. If you were the son of a county magistrate, even if you were a scoundrel, Lin Baozhu wouldn’t dare take you away so easily!”

Qiao Yunting fell silent, but his steps quickened.

Watching him speed up, Qiao Yunqing sighed. As long as we survive, a little hardship is nothing.

Third Brother had been pampered too much by that woman. But in the end, she had still abandoned him. A sheep could never survive in a wolf’s den.

Mother’s methods might be harsh, but they were truly for their own good.

Qiao Yunqing hadn’t even realized that he had already accepted Qiao Xin in his heart—otherwise, he wouldn’t have cooperated so fully.

After just one weighted run, the three brothers began to doubt their lives.

They had always thought they were strong—working in the fields every day, surely they weren’t that weak!

But reality was harsh. They really were the “little weaklings” Mother had called them.

And it wasn’t over yet.

After breakfast, Qiao Xin had them standing in the snow, practicing horse stance and martial arts.

By noon, they hadn’t had a single break.

Just as they thought they could finally rest in the afternoon, another task came.

“Second Son, teach your eldest and third brothers. I don’t expect much—just get them to the level of a child scholar. If they don’t want to continue studying after that, I won’t force them. You take care of your own studies. I’ll start learning with the younger ones from scratch. Mo Jiaquan and Old Mo can teach us.”

Qiao Yunqing felt like his head was going to explode.

Teaching his barely literate brothers to reach the level of a scholar?

Did his mother think he was the god of literature?

But the others were more shocked about something else.

“Mother, you want to study too?”

“Why not? Learning never stops. I didn’t have the chance before, but now I do. Might as well make use of it instead of lying around.”

She smirked mischievously. “If you let an old woman like me surpass you, that would be really embarrassing!”