As for Old Yangâs request, Yang Chuxia agreed to it, not for any other reason but for his tolerance and patience. Back when he thought that Yang Dachuan wasnât his real son, he was willing to give away so much silver. And now, even though he knew that Old Lady Hua was not a good person, he still allowed Yang Daâanâs family to stay. Old Masterâs magnanimity was truly remarkable. As for Old Lady Hua possibly having a hand in the death of Yang Dachuanâs mother, those were still suspicions without any certainty. Moreover, Old Lady Hua was dead now. If anything, the real culprit should be considered that madam.
Of course, Old Yangâs life had been somewhat weak, but if you think about it, he was just a servant back then, and now heâs just a village elder. How much knowledge and ability can he possess? Back then, he would have been terrified to see Old Lady Hua talking to that madamâs mother. After all, that kind of family could easily wipe out both him and Yang Dachuan with the snap of a finger. He had lived a difficult life, full of too many concerns and entanglements. His life was a mess, and it was too challenging to untangle. Luckily, in the end, he was ruthless and decisive enough to resolve the issues.
Returning to the main topic, after saying goodbye to Old Yang at the entrance of the village, Yang Chuxia headed home. On her way back, she figured out the reason why Old Yang wanted to live with the fourth branch of the family. He probably feared that the relationship between the third and fourth branches might drift apart. This was not something Old Yang wanted to see. Yang Chuxia thought that since she agreed to take care of the fourth branch, she wouldnât do anything unless they provoked her. But if they ever did, it wouldnât be her fault.
"Oh, why were you gone for so long? What did your grandfather want?" It was already noon, so Ms.Wang casually asked a question.
"Nothing much, my grandpa just had a chat with me." Yang Chuxia didnât plan to tell Ms.Wang about what Old Yang had said. There was no point in telling her because they were powerless and couldnât do anything now anyway. She would deal with it later.
"Whereâs your dad?"
"Your dad left early to work the wasteland. I thought he would be sad for a few days." Old Lady Huaâs death had affected Yang Dachuanâs mood these past days, so he hadnât been feeling well.
"Youâre overthinking it. Sheâs not my real mother, so thereâs nothing to be sad about." After pondering for a moment, Yang Chuxia said, "Mom, Iâm going to visit Grandpa Land Officer first, and when I come back, Iâll go deliver lunch to my dad."
"Alright, go ahead."
When she arrived at Land Officer Yangâs house, he had just sat down to eat.
"Oh, youâre here, come join us. Your Grandmother Land Officer just stewed a fish today." He saw her and immediately invited her to eat with delight.
Yang Chuxia smiled and waved her hand, "No need, Grandpa Land Officer. My mom has already cooked food at home. I just came here to talk to you about something. In a few days, when the autumn harvest in our village is done, I want to hire some people to help reclaim wasteland. I was hoping you could spread the word in the village."
"Reclaim wasteland? Sure, I can do that." Land Officer Yang put down his chopsticks and said, "Iâll talk to the villagers later, it doesnât matter where they work, doing it in the village is the same, and itâs closer to home. Of course, they would be glad to."
"Thank you, Grandpa Land Officer. I just wanted to tell you about this. When you talk to the villagers, you can tell them that if they help my family reclaim wasteland, their wages will be increased by ten coins, and theyâll get a meal during lunch."
"Why are you giving them so much?" The Land Officerâs wife was taken aback and said, "You girl, youâre too careless with money."
Land Officer Yang responded, "You, you canât think as much as this girl does. Have you forgotten what Ms.Hua said by the river yesterday? I guess this girl took it to heart. Is that right?" After saying that, he asked Yang Chuxia.