You must understand that finding the silver was their main goal.

Of course, with all this food, they would have enough to last them a long time.

Hearing Old Madam Liu’s words, Zhang Zihua immediately put down what he was holding and, together with Chen Sixi (Chen Shi), lifted the wooden bed board in the house.

Then they knelt on the ground and began tapping slowly, listening for any unusual sounds…

“Mother, it’s not here. I think that wretched Jian Xiu must have taken it with her,” Zhang Zihua said through gritted teeth.

“Go check the kitchen again and see if there’s anything else we can take,” Old Madam Liu ordered Zhang Zihua.

As much as she was unwilling to accept it, if the silver wasn’t here, what else could she do?

Thinking about those dozens of taels of silver, Old Madam Liu wished she could tear Jian Xiu into pieces.

“Yes, yes! And their kitchen—I remember seeing an iron pot there last time….”

As he spoke, Zhang Zihua quickly made his way to the backyard.

An iron pot was a valuable item, after all.

It could be worth at least one or two taels of silver—just for making food taste a little better.

Zhang Zihua just couldn’t understand it. Why waste extra silver on something like that? Wouldn’t it be better to buy more meat and enjoy a good meal instead?

Outside, Zhang Zirong saw Zhang Zihua coming out and immediately stepped in front of Zhang Zixuan, afraid that if he let his guard down, Zhang Zihua might suddenly run up and kick him.

If someone died, that would be a huge problem.

But right now, Zhang Zihua was entirely focused on the iron pot in the kitchen and didn’t even notice Zhang Zirong standing there.

Besides, he had already beaten Zhang Zixuan enough. The anger in his heart had subsided, and he had no further interest in attacking him.

When Zhang Zihua spotted the iron pot, his eyes lit up.

Without a second thought, he grabbed it.

Then he started rummaging through the kitchen, searching every corner.

There was no way they could have hunted so many wild boars without keeping any meat for themselves.

Sure enough, before long, he found several large chunks of pork inside a big vat.

One piece was fatty, probably meant for rendering oil, and looked to be about three or four jin (1.5-2 kg).

Another piece was lean, weighing around two or three jin.

The last piece was Zhang Zihua’s favorite—perfectly marbled with both fat and lean meat.

He was especially pleased because it was the heaviest, probably over ten jin (5 kg).

Holding the meat in his hands, Zhang Zihua grinned mischievously.

“Mother, come take a look! There’s good stuff here!” Zhang Zihua called out to Old Madam Liu inside the house.

Hearing this, Old Madam Liu rushed out.

She completely ignored Zhang Zixuan, who was lying lifeless on the ground, and hurried toward the kitchen.

The courtyard was small—it was only a few steps away—but Old Madam Liu was already panting heavily.

Not because she was old, but because the things she was carrying were heavy.

She also refused to set her knife down, as if she were afraid it would disappear the moment she let go.

Sure enough, when she saw the large chunks of wild boar meat, her eyes widened in shock.

“That damn brat! Such a wasteful fool! Keeping so much for themselves—weren’t they afraid of eating themselves to death?” Old Madam Liu huffed angrily.

She spoke as if the wild boar meat rightfully belonged to her.

Seeing Zhang Zihua still grinning at the meat, Old Madam Liu couldn’t help but scold him in frustration:

“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and take it out!”

“Right, right! Mother is absolutely right!”

“And check over there too. See if there’s anything else!” Old Madam Liu added.

Since they were already here, she had no intention of leaving empty-handed.

That wretched woman wasn’t home, so she might as well take everything and move it to the old house.

“Don’t worry, Mother! Even if you hadn’t said anything, I would have checked!”

As he spoke, Zhang Zihua grabbed a piece of firewood and smashed all the water vats.

Finding only some vegetables inside, he finally gave up.

Vegetables were too common in the village—every household had them, nothing special.

Besides, if there was one thing their Zhang family didn’t lack, it was vegetables.

“Mother, there’s nothing else. We should leave quickly. If that wretched woman comes back, it’ll be a hassle.”

Hearing this, Old Madam Liu, who had still wanted to keep searching, clenched her teeth and reluctantly picked up her loot.

As she passed by Zhang Zixuan, she even stretched out her right leg and kicked him hard.

Then she spat on him in disgust before finally stopping.

“Useless trash…”

Whether Zhang Zixuan lived or died had nothing to do with her.

“Mother, see? I told you this was the best time to come! No one would see us—everyone’s busy working in the fields during spring plowing. Who would be wandering around the village?”

Chen Sixi said with a pleased smile.

“Exactly, exactly! This was the perfect time!” Zhang Zihua quickly agreed.

“For once, you two used your heads. Hurry up, we still have time to get some work done in the fields!” Old Madam Liu grinned.

“But Mother, we didn’t find the silver. I just can’t accept that,” Zhang Zihua said, gritting his teeth.

“Then you all go back first. I’ll stay and search with Lao San (the third son),” Old Madam Liu said, equally unwilling to give up.

“Alright then, Mother, we’ll head back first. You and Zihua keep searching—just make sure you don’t miss anything good!” Chen Sixi reminded her carefully before leaving.

As long as her husband was involved, their family wouldn’t suffer any losses.

Sure enough, Fang Miaojun felt uneasy when she heard this.

But since her mother-in-law had spoken, she couldn’t say anything. Besides, most of the family’s money was spent on her son.

Still, before leaving, she reminded them uneasily:

“Mother, you can’t touch Zhang Zixuan anymore. If he really dies, it will make things difficult for our Da Tou in his future imperial exams. He’s going to become an official!”

Hearing this, Old Madam Liu instantly grew nervous. “He’s not dead, is he?” she asked anxiously.

“No, not yet. But just be careful,” Fang Miaojun replied.

“As long as he’s not dead, it’s fine,” Old Madam Liu said, patting her chest in relief.

Not just her—even Zhang Zihua let out a long breath.

If the cripple really died, their Zhang family would be in deep trouble.

Then, as if he suddenly thought of something, Old Madam Liu pointed at the others and sternly warned:

“When you get back, hide everything you took. No one is allowed to sneak a bite! If I find out anyone stole food, they’ll be in big trouble!”