That’s right—an entire half-mu of vegetable plots!

This meant the estate was far larger than it appeared from the outside.

The old man said, "Years ago, our ancestor specialized in shoeing horses at the livestock market. His craftsmanship was so good that he earned enough to buy this estate."

When it was his turn, he learned the trade as well. But his luck was poor. Once, while shoeing a horse, he was kicked in the chest by a hoof and knocked unconscious on the spot.

When he woke up, the old doctor told him his liver and spleen had ruptured. He was lucky to be alive, but he could no longer do heavy labor. He had to recuperate properly, or his life would be shortened.

The family’s fortunes declined step by step after that. Now, the old couple could only get by on the bit of money they earned selling winter vegetables they grew each year.

The old man said, "It’s a good estate, in a good location. If we could stand to stay here any longer, we wouldn’t want to sell our ancestral home."

The moment the words left his mouth, the old man realized his mistake.

’He’d already taken their deposit. That official had even given him advice on how to help his daughter get a divorce. To say he wouldn’t sell the house now... wouldn’t that be ungrateful?’

But Xu Su Ying didn’t mind. They were a pitiful family, and she truly couldn’t bear to pressure them. Besides, this wasn’t the only good estate out there. If the old man didn’t want to leave his home, he could simply return their deposit, and they would look for another place.

Unexpectedly, the moment Xu Su Ying finished speaking, the old man waved his hands frantically. "I can’t go back on my word! I’ve already taken the deposit... We can’t stay here any longer. The sooner we sell, the cleaner the break. Otherwise, once our former son-in-law gets over the shock, there’s no telling what kind of trouble he’ll make."

’Their former son-in-law had only agreed to the divorce because he’d been caught completely off guard.’

’But the man was no saint—he was ruthless. Once he got over his anger, he was fully capable of poisoning the three of them with a packet of rat poison, forging a will, and inheriting all their property. That beast was capable of anything.’

At this thought, the old man solidified his resolve. "Please, take another look at the estate. If you have no objections, we can go to the government office now to transfer the deed. I’ve already packed our things. We can load the cart and vacate the premises today."

Xu Su Ying had no complaints about the estate. As for vacating, there was no rush. If the old couple had nowhere to go for the time being, they were welcome to stay for a few more days to transition.

But the old man said, "We have a place to go. We plan to go stay with my wife’s older sister."

His wife’s sister’s family was quite capable and ran a large business. They weren’t destitute, so they didn’t want to live off their relatives’ charity. They just needed to borrow their influence to ensure they could live peacefully without being bullied.

With that settled, Chen Song, Xu Su Ying, the old man, and Sun—the four of them—headed to the government office.

After the group left, the old woman and her recently divorced daughter, who had returned home, came out and invited the others to come inside and sit.

Chen Wanqing naturally declined, and instead led her two younger brothers toward Qingxiang House.

She didn’t expect that, not long after they left the alley, she would spot two people in the distance.

One was her cousin, Chen Lian. The other was a shy, scholarly-looking young man with a fair complexion. He was thin and frail, and she didn’t recognize him.

They were coming from the same private school and walking together. Her cousin’s attitude was obsequious, almost fawning. The refined-looking young man, in contrast, seemed listless. It was hard to tell if he was lost in thought or simply had no interest in talking to Chen Lian.

Just then, another student ran up from behind the pair, shouting, "Li Cun, the teacher wants to see you!"

Chen De’an grabbed his sister’s hand. ’So that’s Li Cun?’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

’He’s not that good-looking!’

’He’s as scrawny as a chick. He’s not even as sturdy as me, and compared to Jing, there’s no contest!’

The young man named Li Cun called out a reply and was about to turn back.

But as he turned, he saw the three siblings. He froze for a moment, and then the listless look in his eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a bright sparkle.

He looked excitedly at the person beside him. "Li’an, isn’t that your cousin...?"

As he spoke, he began straightening his clothes, clearly intending to walk over.

Chen Lian’s head went numb with dread as he followed Li Cun’s gaze.

’It really is my cousin! What are they doing here?’

Chen Lian was as anxious as an ant on a hot skillet.

’Li Cun was betrothed to my sister, but he’s been kept in the dark. He thinks he’s engaged to my cousin. He even used his own saved-up silver to buy silk flowers and pastries, secretly giving them to me and asking me to take them to my cousin today.’

’How could I possibly give them to her?’

’I have nothing to do with my cousin!’

Chen Lian’s heart was on fire, but he managed to keep his composure. "Are you going to see my cousin? I wouldn’t. They seem to be in a rush, probably off to do something important. Besides, the teacher is looking for you. It might be about the county exams. You should go see him first."

But Li Cun couldn’t give up. He finally came up with a plan to have it both ways. "I’ll go see the teacher, and you can call your cousin over for me. I won’t do anything, I’ll just say a few words to her. No, I won’t talk to her. I’ll just ask De’an how his preparations for the county exams are going. Here are a few copper coins for your trouble."

Chen Lian took the copper coins and replied loudly, "Don’t you worry. I’ll go get my cousin... er, my male cousin. I guarantee I’ll bring him back for you."