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The villagers quickly dispatched people to check. Although Madam Yuan Xu’s leg was not seriously injured, the pain was so intense that she couldn’t walk.

Old Yuan had been knocked unconscious by the pressure exerted on his acupoints. When the villagers pressed on his acupoints, he regained consciousness, wincing in pain.

Upon opening his eyes, he pointed at the four in-laws. “You, you did it intentionally!”

“We didn’t do it on purpose. We don’t even know who pushed us. Sorry, dear in-laws.”

Old Yuan knew that if he continued to resist, their lives might not be in danger, but they could lose an arm or a leg.

These people had come to facilitate the split for their daughters.

The onlookers were well aware, but the Yuan couple was extremely unpopular. No one sided with them.

The village head asked them again, “Do you agree to the family split?”

Old Yuan clenched his teeth and squeezed out a word, “Yes!”

The Yuan family’s eldest son continued, “Fifth Brother gave you money to support your old age. We won’t take it, but you should distribute the silver you’ve collected from us over the years. Once the land is divided, it’s settled.” “Why should we? This money is ours.”

“That money was earned by us brothers. When the children and adults in our family got sick, you didn’t contribute a single coin. We ate poorly while you ate well. We haven’t used a single cent from the public fund. This money must be divided.”

“I won’t split the family. What can you do to me?”

It was a case of forgetting the pain once the wound had healed. The pain in her leg hadn’t subsided, yet Madam Yuan Xu couldn’t see the situation.

Suddenly, someone struck them again. Immediately, the surrounding people surged forward and pinned the old couple down again.

This time, both screamed in agony, clutching their arms and howling. Old Yuan and Madam Yuan Xu felt that they had been hit with something.

Now, they were thoroughly frightened. They looked at their four sons, who had murderous intent in their eyes.

“We’ll divide the money!”

They quickly agreed and stopped their protests.

The village head instructed someone to follow them into their room and retrieve the silver they had saved over the years.

Excluding the one hundred and twenty taels given by Yuan Jiaqi, they had saved nearly six hundred taels.

The title deeds for fifty acres of land lay before them. The village head couldn’t help but swallow, thinking this old couple was truly impressive. They had saved up so much wealth over the years.

“Fifty acres of land, divided into five parts. Each family gets ten acres. The six hundred taels of silver will be divided among the four sons, one hundred taels each. The remainder will go to the elderly. In the future, each family will provide the elderly with one hundred coins per month. During the New Year, they will be given a new set of clothes and three hundred coins as festive money. For their daily meals, your families will take turns providing them.

Don’t let the elderly starve.”

“They’ll eat what we eat. We won’t mistreat them, but we won’t be feasting all the time.”

“Naturally.”

“The division is fair, and we have no objections. Let’s split it this way.”

“Alright, that’s settled.”

The village head finalized the decision. Old Yuan and Madam Yuan Xu didn’t resist anymore, their hearts aching as they watched their hard-accumulated wealth being divided.

Today, the four sons were determined to split the family, even if they needed to report them to the town magistrate or the government office. They had seen through this that the elderly couple couldn’t push their sons to their limits since they might end up sacrificing themselves.

At least they hadn’t reached the point of valuing money over life. The family was finally split.

Once the family was split, Old Yuan and Madam Yuan Xu no longer had the energy to cause trouble. They were like a deflated balloon.

They had five sons, all of whom had turned against them. They all resented them. If they were harsh, their sons were now harsher than them.

With the document in place, the sons would provide the couple with a fixed amount of money every month and prepare their meals. They could not cause any problems.

Yuan Jiaqi didn’t know about this. Even if he did, he would have applauded.

Fortunately, the couple wasn’t very old, and their health was robust. They had over two hundred taels of silver, plus ten acres of land they could lease out.

They weren’t worried about food. If they wanted to improve their lives, they could spend their own money. For now, there wouldn’t be any issues.

With these families causing no more trouble, the residents of Tianshui Town enjoyed peaceful days.

At the Zhennan Gate Arch, construction began on January 26th. The Broker Center even set off a few firecrackers for the occasion.

They first fenced off the entire thirty-five acres of land for their residence. The remaining sixty-five acres were what Qiao Mai intended to lease out.

She had asked the town magistrate to find three honest and reliable tenant farmers. She leased out the sixty acres of wheat fields for five years. Of these, the five acres of land closest to the courtyard’s back wall remained, as she intended to use it for planting greenhouses in winter and rare fruits and vegetables in summer. Therefore, these five acre were enclosed within the courtyard.

For one year’s worth of grain, each acre only required three hundred grams, which included the grain tax. The rest depended on how much they harvested, which would be their net income.

The rental fee was a bit lower than market prices. The three tenant farmers were quite satisfied. If they could harvest an extra one hundred and fifty grams per acre, that would be three thousand grams for twenty acres. In two seasons, that would amount to six thousand grams, enough to last a family for a year.

With good management, they could even earn more. These sixty acres of the Qiao family land were located near a water source, saving the tenant farmers a lot of trouble.

Whenever she had time, Qiao Mai would bring Ling’er to the land to take a look.

Almost every day, dozens of workers labored ceaselessly. When Qiao Mai was in a good mood, she would buy buns and soup from a local bakery and send them over, providing a decent meal for the workers.

The workers praised the master for her kindness, and Qiao Mai’s reputation improved even more.

Not only did the people of Tianshui Town commend her, but even people from other places gave her a thumbs-up.

On the second day of the second lunar month, known as “Dragon Raises Its

Head,” it was Ling’er’s birthday. However, Qiao Mai told nobody. In the morning, Qiao Mai gave her noodles to eat. At noon, she made a small cake for her. In the evening, she prepared a few dishes that Ling’er could eat.

Ling’er, who was one year old, could already eat solid foods.

The birthday girl sat in front of the table while Qiao Mai fed her fish and meat. Ling’er clapped her hands in excitement, then suddenly exclaimed, “Daddy!”

Qiao Mai was speechless. “You need to call Mommy first for a lifetime of wealth. How can you call ‘Daddy’ first?”

“Hehe.”

“Call me Mommy, or else there won’t be any delicious food for you tomorrow morning. ”

“Hehe.”

“Do you miss Daddy?”

“Brother?”

“They’ll be back at the end of the month. You can see them then. Come on, call ‘Mommy’.”

Ling’er blinked her eyes several times. “Mum-

“Alright, works too. The pronunciation is similar.”

Qiao Mai never forced her children. They could call her whatever they liked as long as they were happy. That’s what mattered.

After they were full, Qiao Mai had the child walk back and forth in the house to aid digestion.

Although spring had come, it was still cold outside. The charcoal pot in the house burned, making it warm and cozy.

After putting the child to sleep, Qiao Mai checked the courtyard gate, the stable, and the quails before bringing the two puppies into the house. With the three sons absent, the puppies slept in Qiao Mai’s room.

However, they were alert to any disturbances outside.

Raising these two puppies was worthwhile. During the winter, several groups of thieves tried to scout the area. Upon hearing the dogs barking, they would go somewhere else.

Neighboring residents also benefited, avoiding unnecessary losses.

On Ling’er’s birthday night, the thieves returned. The two puppies growled in front of the bed, which was highly unusual.

Qiao Mai opened her eyes and immediately moved Ling’er into her space. She retrieved a silent pistol and placed it in her bosom. In one hand, she held a stick, and the other hand was on the gun.

As soon as the puppies saw their owner wake up, they immediately silenced and hid in the darkness.

The thieves had glanced at the entrance of every room and probably already scouted the place, discovering only a woman and a child in the house.

Perhaps they were familiar faces, as five thieves entered this time. They all wore black masks. Some held machetes, while others had daggers.

Silently, they headed straight for the room where Qiao Mai was sleeping..