At noon, Zhou’s younger brother had not returned yet. Ye Shi was very worried, “I don’t know if this child can speak.”

Yang Xi was also worried and looked at Zhou Yu, “You go and have a look?”

Zhou Yu ate the last bite of his meal, “Well, I’ll help you teach the child in the afternoon.”

Ye Shi couldn’t help but speak for her youngest son, “This is his first time earning money. If he doesn’t do well, you should be patient and don’t be mean to him.”

Zhou Yu didn’t expect his younger brother to earn much money. His main purpose was to train his younger brother, “Ok.”

When Zhou Yu drove the donkey cart to the temple fair, most people at the temple fair had already dispersed. After searching for a while, he found his younger brother in the corner. The younger brother was huddled up in a ball due to the cold. From a distance, he looked like a ball with his head shrunken in.

Zhou Yu, “…”

Hearing footsteps, little brother Zhou looked up with a smile, then froze. “Brother.”

As Zhou Yu approached, he noticed the written paper. It had instructions for writing and reading letters. “You’re really clever.”

Little brother Zhou sensed the irony. He knew he was stupid just by seeing the paper. Not many people could read. “I, I spoke.”

Zhou Yu didn’t believe it. When they were fleeing, little brother had spoken, but that was only after he became familiar with the people. Now, facing strangers, he didn’t argue with his little brother’s words. “How much did you earn today?”

Little brother’s hands were stiff from the cold. He rubbed them for a while before pulling out ten copper coins. “Five for writing letters, one for reading letters.”

Zhou Yu was surprised that he actually made money.

Little brother Zhou’s voice rose a little. “Brother, I really spoke.”

In Zhou Yu’s eyes, little brother looked like a puppy begging for praise. He held the cold copper coins in one hand and patted his brother’s shoulder with the other. “Well, I’m happy for you.”

The two brothers returned home. Zhou Xiaodi finished his meal before Yang Xi and Zhou Xiaomei returned.

Zhou Xiaodi and the others gathered. He talked about how he wrote letters today, concluding, “I didn’t choose the right place this time. I’ll definitely earn more copper coins at the next temple fair.”

Yang Xi said, “Sister-in-law believes in you.”

Zhou Xiaodi looked at Xiaomei, his hand shaking his purse, the copper coins clashing against each other with a particularly crisp sound.

Zhou Xiaomei, “…”

Zhou Yu was speechless. “Today, Third Yang took the handkerchiefs Xiomei embroidered to the county to ask for the price. Can you guess how much each handkerchief was sold for?”

Zhou Xiaodi didn’t want to guess. Seeing his eldest brother’s increasingly serious face, he held up five fingers. “Five?”

Zhou Xiaomei, “Heh.”

Zhou Yu, “Ten coppers a handkerchief. After deducting the cost, she made six coppers. She can embroider two handkerchiefs a day.”

Zhou Xiaodi was very good at math, so he stopped boasting. “Brother, I want to go to the county town tomorrow.”

Zhou Yu, “Okay.”

The next day, Zhou Xiaodi followed Third Yang to the county. Zhou Xiaodi asked the bookstore if he could copy books, but it was in vain. The bookstore had a regular bookkeeper who took the work, and they all had a long-term, trusting relationship.

Finally, with Third Yang’s recommendation, he got the job of organizing the library, with a salary of fifteen cents a day and no food. This was outrageous.

Zhou Xiaodi left the bookstore and asked, “How did you do it?”

As if nothing could stump Third Yang!

Third Yang drove the carriage and said, “I’ve been looking for books for my sister in all the bookstores in the county. There are so many books piled up in the bookstores, and no one is sorting them out. You are cheap and well-educated. The shopkeeper would be a fool not to hire you.”

Zhou Xiaodi, “That’s because you are great. They hired me right after you recommended me.”

Third Yang sneered, “The shopkeeper is still counting on me to buy books. Many books cost dozens of taels. Not many people in the county can afford to buy books. I need a lot of books. The shopkeeper has already sent people to the state capital to look for books.”

Zhou Xiaodi shut up. His eldest brother was the boss, Third Yang was second, and he was the last one in the family!

In the days that followed, the Zhou family had their own things to do. Even the Wu family worked as helpers everywhere to earn money.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, half a month had passed. Ye Shi’s health had improved a lot, and she was able to walk around. She only needed a few more days of recuperation to stop taking medicine.

One day, Third Yang came back from the county town with a book and brought back some great news. As soon as he entered the yard, he shouted, “Sister, Jiefu.”

The whole family was just waiting for Third Yang to eat. Third Yang came in, took two gulps of water, and said, “Jiefu, news has come out—the Emperor met with the three fanwang, and all three are dead.”

Yang Xi and her husband were stunned. They exchanged a glance; they had no recollection of this. In their previous life, information was so tightly controlled.

Yang Xi asked, “Is your information reliable?”

Third Yang’s tone was tinged with excitement. “It’s reliable. It’s from the bookstore owner.” The owner’s power was evident in the extraordinary ability of someone to own a bookstore.

Zhou Yu sighed, “The Emperor is already suspicious. Prince Jing has touched a nerve. This time, the three fanwang were killed. I wonder who added fuel to the fire.”

Third Yang dropped another piece of news: “The Emperor also summoned Prince Jiang to the capital. Who could have foreseen that Prince Jiang was assassinated en route? He was seriously injured, and his second son was killed. It’s said that Prince Jiang is near death and has returned to his fiefdom.”

Yang Xi’s heart trembled. Prince Jiang was a ruthless man. He must have been trying to deceive the Emperor about his injuries. He was so cruel to himself and even to his own son. Such a cruel man!

Yan Bing sneered, “No matter who dies, Prince Jiang won’t.”

Third Yang said meaningfully, “You know that very well.”

Yan Bing fell silent, lowering his head to hide the hatred in his eyes.

Third Yang continued, “Sister, aside from Collected Work on Industry and Economy, I’ve bought all the books that are available for purchase. Take a look—do you need any other books?”

Yang Xi said, “That’s enough. If you can’t find the Collected Work on Industry and Economy, forget it.”

Third Yang, already immersed in the joy of nurturing his sister, shook his head firmly, “I’ll definitely buy it for you someday.”

Zhou Yu, “Let’s eat.”

The news from the capital had no impact on the Zhou family for now. Yang Xi and her husband were busy preparing for the forty-ninth-day memorial. These past few days, whenever they had time, they would copy Buddhist scriptures.

Third Yang was also busy with the formal recognition of his family.

In the blink of an eye, the forty-ninth day since Zhou Huai’s passing—his Qiqi—arrived. The whole family faced the direction of the capital to offer their respects, and the sorrowful mood lingered throughout the entire day.

Zhou Yu thought he’d dream of his father, but he didn’t even dream all night.

Ye Shi hadn’t dreamed of her husband either. She said in a hoarse voice, “We should be happy. It means your father trusts us.”

Ye Shi continued, “Okay, let’s all be happy. Xi’er, let’s stew a hen today so we can all nourish ourselves.”

Yang Xi agreed, “Okay.”

But before Yang Xi could kill the chicken, Third Yang brought back a sheep that morning. “Sister, goat soup is very nourishing in winter. I’ll kill the sheep later.”

Yang Xi stopped him, “Let’s stew the chicken soup today. We won’t officially recognize our relationship until tomorrow. Save this sheep for tomorrow.”

Third Yang, “Kill it today so we don’t have to shed blood on the recognition day.”

Yang Xi, “Then I’ll do as you say.”

Today marked the first day after the Qiqi period ended. The Zhou family prepared a full table of dishes and invited the Wu family to join them for the meal.

The next day, Third Yang recognized his relationship. Many villagers came to congratulate him. Third Yang was also generous and gave a small piece of pork as a gift to those who came to congratulate him.

Wu Shan muttered, “How old is this kid? He’s so good at dealing with people.”

Zhou Yu thought of the list Third Yang had created, and his eyes deepened. “That’s his ability.”

Wu Shan was numb to Third Yang’s ability to make friends and asked, “When are we leaving?”

(End of this chapter)

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