The governor observed the commotion without saying anything, but the Second Furen seemed oblivious to his feelings. She turned to her husband for help.

    “Husband, Fang’er didn’t mean it,” she pleaded.

    “Guards, escort the Young Mistress and the Second Furen back to their quarters,” the governor commanded, not wanting to further embarrass the family in front of outsiders. So he thought about punishing both of them later.

    Despite his love for the Second Furen, he cherished his only son and heir more. His anger towards the Second Furen and his eldest daughter was immense.

    Realizing the precariousness of their situation, the Second Furen supported her daughter and left.

    “Little lady, my household is at fault. Please don’t hold it against us. You’ve found the herbs; on behalf of the governor and myself, can we still buy them from you?” the First Furen requested.

    “Furen, these herbs were gathered because of your purchase announcement. If you’re still willing to buy, I’m willing to sell,” Haitang replied.

    “May I see the herbs?” asked the First Furen.

    “They’re right here,” Haitang said, lifting the basket for the First Furen and the governor to inspect. They immediately summoned the doctor treating the young master to verify the herbs.

    The doctor nodded in confirmation, prompting the governor to order the steward to pay without hesitation.

    The twenty-two herbs fetched a price of two hundred and twenty taels.

    Haitang carefully tucked the banknotes into her bosom. Before leaving the governor’s residence, the First Furen had servants pack several boxes of pastries as a token of apology and gratitude.

    With the major transaction completed, it was time for the secondary one.

    Haitang sent the three brothers to eat noodles at a restaurant to avoid carrying the heavy baskets of goji berries around. Meanwhile, she and Qian Tai went to sell the two snakes at the pharmacy.

    “Shopkeeper, I’ve brought something valuable to sell,” Haitang announced to the shopkeeper who was seated at his usual spot.

    “What have you brought today?” he asked. Instead of answering, Haitang let Qian Tai place the bag with the two snakes in front of the shopkeeper.

    Seeing the two venomous snakes, despite being different species, he offered five taels for each.

    The price delighted the couple. It often took years to accumulate a single tael, so they felt today was a very fortunate day indeed.

    Qian Tai and Haitang returned to the noodle shop to find the three brothers had finished their bowls. Haitang then took them to buy necessities, starting with an oxcart.

    After securing the goods on the cart, Haitang handed each brother one tael, instructing them to purchase whatever they needed and to buy several packets of tonics for their mother. She and Qian Tai waited in the cart parked at the city gates for the brothers to return.

    Haitang saw a steamed bun shop nearby and bought five buns to share with her husband.

    "Big Brother, Sister-in-law, we’re back!" Qian Sao’s voice called, making the couple turn to look.

    Only Qian Sao held something in his hands—a packet of medicine for their mother.

    "Didn’t you buy anything else?" Haitang asked when she saw they were empty-handed.

    "We didn’t have anything we wanted to buy. Here’s the change,"

    Qian Sao said, handing all the money back to his sister-in-law. Haitang took the money and hurried everyone onto the cart to head home.

    As the oxcart passed through the village, the villagers began gossiping about how the Qian family managed to acquire it.

    "Hey, did you see the Qian family’s oxcart?"

    "Only the blind could miss it, passing right through the village."

    "Where did they get the money for that?"

    "Just from selling wild goods? No way they’d make enough for an oxcart."

    "Maybe they’re up to no good."

    "I don’t think so."

    "Then how do you think they got the money?"

    The village women gossiped until rumors spread that the Qian family’s money might not be clean. They speculated wildly about the cart's origin, unaware that the Qian family knew nothing of the rumors.

    The elderly Qian couple waited anxiously for their children to return. When they saw everyone arrive with the oxcart, they were excited.

    "Father, Mother, we’re back."

    "You’re back? How did it go? And the cart…"

    "Father, Mother, let’s talk inside. Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, unhitch the ox and take it to the back. Don’t forget to give it grass and water," Qian Tai quickly instructed his brothers before helping his mother inside to talk.

    "Father, Mother, this is all the money we made today."

    Haitang handed the banknotes to her parents-in-law, whose hands trembled with excitement at the amount.

    "Th-this is too much, isn’t it?"

    "Mother, the governor offered this price. He was willing to buy, and we were willing to sell. There’s nothing wrong with it," Haitang explained.

    "No, no. We can’t keep this much money at home. What are we going to do?" Zhushi, never having seen so much money before, couldn’t stay calm.

    "Mother, the reason I brought the money home is so my husband can take Father to the bank tomorrow. This amount will be our family’s reserve fund, and we’ll use the rest to renovate the house."

    "Renovate the house? How can that cost so much?"

    "Mother, this time we’ll do it properly. We’ll make it big enough to be a shelter for all of us for the rest of our lives. We need at least five rooms," Haitang persuaded the elders.

    "Daughter-in-law, this isn’t a small matter. If we build a new house, where will we stay in the meantime? Can’t we just repair this house and make it better?"

    Realizing the deep attachment the elders had to the house, Haitang found a compromise. "Then let’s buy the land next door and build a new house there. Meanwhile, we’ll repair this house to make it stronger. How does that sound, Mother?"

    At first, Zhushi was hesitant, but the thought of not having to demolish the old house convinced her to nod in agreement.

    "However, I won’t let this large sum of money stay in the house any longer. Before sunset, Elderest, take your brothers and father to the bank to open an account. Hurry," Zhushi insisted, worried about the large amount of money in the house.

    With the money earned over the last two days totaling more than 270 taels, Zhushi was anxious about keeping such a large sum at home overnight. In the end, Qian Tai took his father and brothers back to the city to deposit 250 taels, leaving only about 20 taels at home.

    Haitang also ordered them to buy food from the city to celebrate that evening.

    Now, only Haitang and her mother-in-law were left at home, since the men went to ensure the money was safely deposited.

    Before long, Qian Tai and his brothers returned, bringing back a large stone mill as well.

    "Elderest, why did you buy this mill?"

    After moving the mill into the kitchen, Zhushi questioned her eldest son.

    "Mother, it was my idea to buy it before we returned. Originally, we planned to have Father and my husband go to the city tomorrow to bring it back, but since we went today, I had my husband check if it was ready to bring back."

    While waiting for her brothers-in-law in the city, Haitang saw the stone mill at a stone goods shop. Realizing it would be useful after the upcoming harvest, she decided to buy it.

    The shopkeeper said he would clean and finish it before handing it over, so Haitang planned to pick it up the next day. Luckily, the shopkeeper finished quickly, so Qian Tai could bring it back today.

    In the village, there were only two mills: a medium-sized one at the village head’s house and a communal one. During harvest, the Qian family always got to use the mill last, which meant by the time they sold their wheat flour, the price had dropped. So, Haitang decided to buy their own mill. Though the price of 5 taels was similar to the cart they just bought, the mill was necessary.

    It wouldn’t be used just once; as long as they grew wheat, they would continue to need it. Moreover, this mill was a large one.

    After listening to her eldest son and daughter-in-law extol the virtues of the stone mill for a while, Zhushi began to feel dizzy and had to nod resignedly.

    The purchase was already made, and it wasn’t something that could be returned easily.

    Now, the entire family was cheerful, buoyed by their improved financial situation. The delicious food bought from the city to celebrate that evening wafted through the house, tantalizing everyone’s taste buds.

    "Zhushi, Qian Zhou, are you home?"

    A voice called from the front of the house, interrupting their meal preparations and causing everyone to look at each other in surprise.

    It had been years since anyone had sought their company. Why, today of all days, was someone calling for them at the front of the house?

    "I’ll go check."

    “I will help you, Mother,” said Qian Tai as he helped his mother to the door, followed by the rest of the family.

    They saw several villagers gathered at the front, including both men and women. The one who had called out was none other than the village head’s wife and her daughter-in-law, He Jiaojiao.

    "Village head’s wife, what brings you here?" Zhushi asked cautiously, eyeing the group with suspicion.

    "I heard that you’ve bought an oxcart," the village head’s wife said.

    Oxcarts were valuable, and only a few families in the village owned one. It was natural for people to be curious when the poorest family in the village drove one home.

    But did they really need to come and inquire about it at the front door like this? Haitang thought.

    "Yes, Elderest bought it today. Why do you ask?" Qian Zhou replied gruffly.

    "Some villagers also saw you buying a large stone mill," the village head’s wife continued.

    "That’s true," Qian Zhou’s tone grew more irritated.

    These were his family’s affairs. Why did others need to question their purchases?

    "That’s odd then. Everyone knows how poor you are, yet you’ve suddenly got money to buy such expensive things. Tell us where the money came from. Is it dirty money?"

    "Ridiculous! We earned the money honestly. Do we need to explain ourselves to outsiders? Are you all playing some sort of joke?" Qian Zhou’s anger began to rise.

    He didn’t mind being looked down on for his poverty, but accusing them of illegal activities was too much.

    "If you have nothing to hide, why can’t you tell us? If you remain stubborn, don’t say we’re cruel. To protect the village’s reputation, we’ll call the authorities to investigate."

    "Do you have any evidence?" Haitang stepped forward.

    "As the village head’s wife, I can’t stand by if someone in the village is breaking the law," the woman insisted.

    "Fine, then answer my question first. How much money does your family have, and where does it come from?" Haitang challenged, stepping up to confront He Jiaojiao’s mother-in-law.

    "That’s my business. What right do you have to ask me?"

    "Then the matter of my family’s oxcart is our business too. Who are you to question us?"

    “You… you…" The wife of the village head found herself at a loss for words against Haitang. “Haitang, don't force us to call the authorities.”

    “Go ahead if you want. We haven’t done anything wrong. When it comes time to present witnesses, we have them, and you only have your unfounded suspicions. Let's see who the authorities believe.”

    “What's going on here?” The voice of the village head boomed from behind the crowd.

    He and his son had just returned from the fields when they were summoned to this scene.

    “Husband, the Qian family is involved in illegal activities and suddenly has money. I came to inquire, but they refuse to tell the truth,” his wife said to him.

    The village head, already aware of the situation from what he had heard on the way, felt caught between a rock and a hard place. On one side were his villagers, on the other was the Qian family. Being stuck in the middle, especially with his wife leading the charge, left him feeling quite embarrassed.

    “Lao Qiao, while everyone shouldn’t pry into your matters, you must understand that unusual finances can raise suspicions. So, if you could...”

    “You want us to explain where the money came from?” Haitang asked directly.

    “Yes,” the village head replied.

    “Fine. For someone of your stature to lower yourself to pry into our affairs, we wouldn't want to seem arrogant. The money was earned by my husband and his brothers selling medicinal herbs.”

    Her words, which seemed to slight the village head, nearly made him choke with indignation.

    “That's a lie! What kind of herb could sell for that much money?” He Jiaojiao shouted.

    “The kind the city governor was seeking. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him yourself,” Haitang retorted.

    “You found that herb? Where? Where is it?” Someone in the crowd, unable to contain their greed, blurted out.

    “Are you stupid? Why would we reveal our source of income? Besides, even if we told you, what good would it do? I’ve already sold everything to the city governor. He likely won’t need more.”

    The villagers’ eyes widened at Haitang's words.

    The city governor needed twenty plants. If he no longer needed more, it meant he had already acquired twenty plants, equating to two hundred taels of silver. No wonder the Qian family could afford to buy a cart and a millstone.

    “Now that you all understand, go home. If you still have doubts, report to the authorities. I’ll have the city governor testify on our behalf.” Haitang finished speaking and promptly shut the door, refusing to entertain them further.

    The rest of the villagers, afraid to linger, walked away, murmuring among themselves about the Qian family’s good fortune.