“You… you are simply… you are just a rascal…”

“If you say so, then I am!”

When it came to arguing, she had never lost.

But her useless daughter, Zhang Xuemei—her own flesh and blood—had not inherited even a fraction of her sharp tongue.

Day after day, she was bullied by her mother-in-law.

By the time Jian Xiu’s carriage arrived in front of them, she saw Aunt Li flushed red with anger.

As for what they were arguing about, Jian Xiu could hear everything clearly.

Others might not understand, but with her sharp ears, she had no trouble at all.

It seemed that the entire Zhangjia Village already knew about her bringing a lawsuit to court today.

But that was fine—it would serve as a warning to those in the old house.

It would keep them from coming to harass her again over trivial matters.

She had no time to waste on such nonsense every day.

Seeing everyone staring at her carriage, Jianxiu didn’t bother explaining.

She simply nodded at the crowd and continued walking toward the end of the village.

She could guess what they were gossiping about without even thinking.

But she didn’t care in the slightest.

She had to admit—carriages were much faster than ox carts.

Not only were they more comfortable, but they were also much quicker.

The journey took only a quarter of an hour—at least twice as fast as an ox cart.

And this was her first time driving one. With more practice, she could make the ride even smoother and faster.

It seemed she would have to arrange for a carriage of her own.

The profits from Caifang Zhai were settled every half month.

Given how well the business was doing, her share of the earnings would be quite substantial.

Just thinking about it excited her.

As soon as Wutou saw Jianxiu on the carriage, he became excited.

“Fourth Aunt is back! Fourth Aunt is back!”

Then he rushed into the courtyard.

This had been the best day they’d had in a long time.

Even though they had been working all day, their stomachs were full.

There was no beating or scolding, and they could do what they wanted without fear.

Even going out to collect pigweed had been enjoyable.

Inside the house, Zhang Zifu and Wang Xiuying hurried out when they heard the commotion.

But when they saw the carriage, they were both stunned.

“Jian Xiu, this is…”

“This is a carriage borrowed from the manager of Yuexiang Pavilion. I have to make another trip to the county town tomorrow. Let’s go inside and talk.”

As she spoke, Jianxiu carried two large baskets of food into the courtyard.

One basket contained a few leftover pieces of cake—given to her by Rong Zihe.

The other was packed with food from Shopkeeper Wu.

He had given so much that it couldn’t all fit in one basket, so some had to be placed in the cake basket.

“Why did you buy so much food again? What a waste! Even if we’ve made some money, we can’t afford to spend like this,” Wang Xiuying said, distressed.

After staying here for a day, she finally understood.

Lately, Jianxiu and the others had been making money by collecting plantain herbs and bamboo shoots.

But she had found out too late—most of the plantain herbs had already been harvested.

And the bamboo shoot season was over; they would have to wait until next year.

Even so, Wang Xiuying was happy.

Jianxiu had shared these money-making ideas with her, which meant that next year, she could also earn some silver.

Life wouldn’t have to be so difficult anymore.

She could even build her own house.

Maybe she could even send Wutou to study at the academy.

“Don’t worry, Sister-in-law. This food didn’t cost any silver. I helped Shopkeeper Wu with a small task, and he sent this as a thank-you,” Jianxiu said cheerfully.

Only those who truly cared about her would worry about her spending money.

If they didn’t care, they would probably hope she bought even more food so they could enjoy a feast themselves.

“Even if it didn’t cost silver, it’s not good to take from others every day,” Wang Xiuying said.

“Don’t worry about it, Sister-in-law. Come and eat!” Jianxiu smiled.

Inside the house, Zhang Zixuan was still too weak to get out of bed.

But with support, he could sit up against the wall.

This time, his recovery was much faster than before.

It was probably thanks to the medicine Jianxiu had given him.

As soon as he saw Jianxiu, he asked anxiously, “Are you okay? Why did you come back so late?”

He wasn’t blaming her—it was just that, although she was the one filing the lawsuit, he had been worried.

The people from the old house had returned hours ago, but she was nowhere to be seen.

If Wang Xiuying hadn’t reassured him that Jianxiu was probably waiting for Feixuan and Feiyi to finish school before coming back, he might have sent Zhang Zifu to check on her.

“I’m fine. Did they bring the five taels of silver?” Jianxiu asked Zhang Zixuan.

Hearing this, Wang Xiuying immediately laughed.

“Sister-in-law, what’s so funny?”

“Oh, I was just thinking about how funny Fang Miaojun looked when she brought the silver over today.

Not only did she return the five taels, but she also returned the other half of the stolen goods.

And she even gave us an extra two hundred copper coins!”

“Oh? Why?”

“Why else? Because they ate the food they stole from you.

The magistrate ordered them to return everything, but they couldn’t exactly spit it out.

So they compensated you with two hundred coins instead, hoping you wouldn’t hold it against them…”

Wang Xiuying laughed again as she spoke.

After being married for so many years, this was the first time she had ever felt such satisfaction.

“Five taels is already a light punishment—it’s a lesson for them.

They need to learn that they can’t just take whatever they want.

Not everyone will let them get away with it,” Jianxiu said coldly.

Wang Xiuying nodded in agreement.

If not for Jianxiu’s idea, they would still be at the mercy of the people from the old house.

“Alright, enough of that. Let’s eat!” Jianxiu called to the children.

This was the most extravagant meal they had ever had.

Even Jianxiu herself was amazed by the dishes on the table.

This wasn’t just an ordinary meal—this was Yuexiang Pavilion’s signature banquet!

A whole chicken simmered into ginseng soup, Dongpo pork, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Beggar’s Chicken, crab meat lion’s head meatballs…