When Ziqing and the others arrived home, it was already past ten o'clock at night. After settling the accounts and directing the driver to take them to a small inn in town, Zifeng finally rang the doorbell of their house. Zeng Rui Xiang came out to open the door, followed by Zilong, Zishou, and Zixi, who all ran out. Zixi, still sleepy and rubbing his eyes, saw Ziqing and rushed over to hug her leg, exclaiming: "Sister, Xiao Si missed you so much! Why did you just get back?"

  Zi Qing picked up Zi Xi and said, "Sister misses you too. Have you been naughty at school? Can you understand the books Father teaches? Have you practiced writing well? Why are you still not sleeping so late? Sister also bought gifts for you."

  "Little Fourth, where's Big Brother? Why haven't you mentioned missing Big Brother? Big Brother also bought you a gift. If you don't mention missing Big Brother, his gift will be given to Little Third instead."

  Zi Xi rolled her eyes at Zi Fu, ignoring him, and buried her face in Zi Qing's shoulder. Zi Fu continued to tease, while Zi Shou and Zi Lu chuckled and said: "Little Fourth doesn't miss Big Brother, we hear him ask every day when Sister is coming back, but not once does he ask when Big Brother is coming back."

  "Big brother, you went out to study early, and Xiao Si was still unable to speak at that time. Xiao Si grew up with me, can our feelings be the same?" Zi Qing hugged Zi Xi and dodged Zi Fu's magical claws, laughing.

  Seeing the large pile of things at the door, Zeng Rui Xiang asked: "You don't lack anything at home, you're also too good at spending money. Those who know think you've gone to take an exam, those who don't know think you've gone to stock up on goods."

  "It's all sunny days for you, you like everything you see and want to buy everything, as if nothing costs money." Zi Fu complained.

  Just then, Mrs. Shen also came out, and Zi Qing hurriedly hugged her arm and said: "Mother, they all think I bought too many things, you don't know, the fabric in the provincial city is so cheap, our whole family, I still think I didn't buy enough! Wait until we get back to the house and take a closer look, I really didn't waste money."

  The family went into the house. Ziqing hurriedly boiled water, eager to take a good bath, and Shen's wife made some noodles. Zifu and Ziqing had been traveling hard all day, so they didn't talk much that night.

  The next day, Ziqing woke up and heard the whispers outside. She stretched her waist and walked out. It turned out that a family was surrounding Zifeng looking at things brought from the provincial city. Ziqing remembered the Western clock, picked it up and took a look, and it was already past 10 o'clock.

  Zeng Ruixiang and Shen's family heard that the object cost thirty taels. They shook their heads repeatedly, and Shen said with a heartache: "You child, you're too wasteful with silver. You say it wasn't wasted, but I gave you fifty taels of silver and not a single cent was left over. And then there were twenty taels spent on four pieces of rock. You should know that fifty taels of silver could support our family for ten years in the past. Mother won't dare to give you silver so casually from now on."

  "Girl, you also know it's different from before. Now the silver earned is just for spending, don't worry, this stone has a great use, wait till I make something out of it and send it to you, you'll definitely like it. These four stones, who knows when they'll be worth hundreds of taels. If you don't want them, leave them to me as dowry, don't regret it later." Zi Qing said with a yawn, speaking carelessly.

  "What nonsense are you talking about again? Who taught you this? The older you get, the more outrageous you become. I've never seen a girl from a good family who always talks about dowry like it's going out of style. Don't you know shame? Are you itching for a beating? It seems that I have been too lenient with you lately." Zi Qing's words struck a chord in Shen Shi's heart, and she immediately gave Zi Qing a few hard slaps on the buttocks.

  Zi Qing only then realized she had misspoken, and didn't care about her sore butt anymore. She quickly hugged Shen Shi and said: "Mother, I was just speaking casually, it's not like I saw you adding makeup for the aunts and remembered. Next time I won't speak nonsense again, isn't this also at our own home? Outside, I've never spoken nonsense before, really, I guarantee it. By the way, where is grandma?"

  "Your second uncle's family had a good fortune, your elder brother got married last month, and your grandmother went back to live for a while." Madam Shen said, then carefully checked the fabric that Zi Qing bought back, and asked about the price, and indeed forgot about Zi Qing being beaten.

  "Mother, the provincial city is a big city with many rich people. The old fabric patterns are no longer fashionable, so they either get rid of them and sell them or send them to the countryside to sell. I can pick up some bargains. Anyway, we're also wearing them in the village, it doesn't matter. If all else fails, we can still use them as gifts for others." Zi Qing said.

  "It's not bad, it's actually cheaper than in Anzhou City. It wasn't a waste following me for a few years, this is the life. When it comes to calculating costs, one must calculate." Shen's expression finally had a hint of a smile.

  "Mother, this is what my brother and I got for you. We also bought a set for grandma, which my brother paid for. I chose the pattern myself, isn't it pretty?"

  "Last time your paternal grandmother had her birthday celebration, I bought a lot of jewelry. This time it's just going to be a waste of money? Buying one set for your maternal grandmother is enough," said Shen Shi.

  "This is what the children want, besides, this style is different, it's just right to wear them alternately, and the silver ones won't be too flashy. Now that your family conditions are better, you should add a few more things." Zeng Ruixiang advised.

  The family chatted and laughed, while Madame Shen busied herself sorting and putting things away. She then took out a piece of plain white silk and cut off two pieces, saying she would make new clothes for Old Master and Tian Shi.

  Zi Qing is teaching Zi Lu and Zi Shou how to tell time and wind up a watch. When she sees Shen Shi pulling out the silk fabric, she suddenly remembers that she bought a piece of light green gauze to paste on the windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering. She quickly picks it out, and Shen Shi likes it very much, saying that just looking at it makes her feel cool, and hurries to change into it.

  In the late afternoon, the sun was not so poisonous. Zeng Ruixiang took Zi Fu and Zi Qing to carry some snacks and dried fruits to the old house. Only then did Zi Qing know that Xia Yu was still at her mother's home for confinement, and the school had already started summer vacation, so Da Mao and others were not there.

  The old man and Mr. Tian were delighted to see Zifeng, holding his hand and asking him questions one after another, while Ziqing was completely ignored.

  Tian's wife wiped away tears and asked Zi Fu: "You child, you've grown up and your heart has also grown bigger. You didn't tell us about going to the provincial city for such a big exam. We only heard it from others. If you had told us earlier, Grandma would have gone to Qingyuan Temple to pray for a safe symbol for you. She could have burned incense for our ancestors and asked them to bless you. Child, tell Grandma, how was the exam?"

  "Right, tell Grandpa how did you do on the exam?" The old man also looked at his grandson with a sincere face.

  Zifeng said it was okay, and accompanied the old man to talk about their experiences of rushing to take the exam and what they had seen in the provincial city. Ziqing wasn't interested in listening, and originally wanted to go find Xiushui, but when she turned around, she saw Qiuyü lying on a reclining chair with an extra layer of thin bedding, which was somewhat strange. She quickly asked: "Young aunt, it's so hot today, why are you still using a quilt? Isn't that uncomfortable?"

  Qiu Yu's eyes welled up with tears as soon as she heard, and Tian Shi quickly said: "Little month can't cry, it will hurt your eyes if you turn back, anyway, you're still young, take good care of yourself, and you'll have one soon."

  "Who knows, Eldest Sister just had one and then didn't get pregnant again for ten years." Qiu Yu was still choking back sobs.

  "Shoo, stop talking nonsense. Who curses themselves? People are all different. I thought I'd never have kids in this lifetime, but unexpectedly, heaven pitied me and I got pregnant. You'll definitely have yours too, don't worry." Xia Yu comforted.

  Zi Qing only then knew that her younger sister had a miscarriage, because her younger brother's husband married his wife, and her younger sister Zhang arranged for two days and was tired, so the child was not kept. Now she is also recuperating at her mother's home.

  Zi Qing glanced at Tian Shi, who was serving her two daughters alone without complaint. She thought back to when they hadn't split the household yet, and how Tian Shi wouldn't even lift a finger to help with anything. Despite this, she still complained that Zi Qing's family had too many children and were too noisy, eventually driving them out after the split. Probably Tian Shi didn't expect that the poorest household would be the first to turn their fortunes around. Now, thinking about it, it was fortunate that they had moved out of the old house; otherwise, with their temperaments, this trouble wouldn't have ended yet.

  Ziying saw that Zeng Ruixiang was also persuading Qiuyu not to be sad, so she slipped into the back room. Xiushui was not at home, and Old Lady Zeng was crying in her room. Ziying accompanied her and chatted with her for a while before learning that it was because of another quarrel with Pengshi.

  "When people get old, they're no longer useful. There's no one around to take care of them, and as they age, they become a nuisance. Don't look at her now, all smug with several sons, but I've seen through it - those sons are heartless too, eyeing the old man's property. The eldest took advantage first, taking things and leaving without even visiting for a year. The second is nowhere to be found nowadays either. Once they get married, they forget their own parents. The third is following in their footsteps, and I fear she'll end up alone and helpless too. Zi Qing, you're the only one who still remembers to visit your aunt, you're a good kid, your blessings are yet to come. A person's capacity determines their fortune, unfortunately, it took me half my life to understand this."

  Zi Qing was chatting with Zeng Rui Xiang and Zi Fu came to find Zi Qing, the three of them accompanied Zeng's family for a while before taking their leave. After returning home, Zi Qing suddenly remembered to ask Shen Shi, have all the peaches in the house been sold? And how about this year's watermelon?

  Shen's family listened and poked Zi Qing's head with her finger, smiling and saying: "I said you're a housekeeper, but you don't want to listen. You've been taking care of these things since childhood. Don't worry, the peaches sold for less than ten taels, the watermelons are almost all gone, not even two thousand taels, much better than last year. I also kept some seeds, is there anything else you want to ask?"

  Everyone laughed at Ziying for being a little miser, but she didn't care and went straight into the house. Zifeng thought she was really angry and hurriedly followed her to coax her, stroking her hair and praising her for half a day, calling her "little sister" this and that, and Ziying secretly smiled for a long time.

  Zi Fu, having just finished the exam, needs to relax properly. During the day, he goes fishing or catching loaches with Zi Lu, and at night, he catches pheasants again. Zi Qing eats spicy stir-fried pheasant every day, drinks delicious loach ham soup, reads books in the house when the sun is strong, and does needlework. When the sun is weak, she takes Zi Shou and Zi Xi to the back mountain to fertilize the fruit trees, weed, pick eggs, and lives a very comfortable life.

  Half a month's time passed quickly, and on this day, Shen Shi and Zeng Rui Xiang said that the results of Zi Fu's exam should be out. They were feeling anxious in their hearts when the doorbell rang.

  Zi Qing hurriedly ran out to open the door.