As for Old Yang’s request, Yang Chuxia agreed to it, not for any other reason but for his tolerance and patience. Back when he thought that Yang Dachuan wasn’t 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 Da’an’s family to stay. Old Master’s magnanimity was truly remarkable. As for Old Lady Hua possibly having a hand in the death of Yang Dachuan’s 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 Yang’s life had been somewhat weak, but if you think about it, he was just a servant back then, and now he’s 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 madam’s 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 wouldn’t do anything unless they provoked her. But if they ever did, it wouldn’t 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 didn’t plan to tell Ms.Wang about what Old Yang had said. There was no point in telling her because they were powerless and couldn’t do anything now anyway. She would deal with it later.
"Your dad left early to work the wasteland. I thought he would be sad for a few days." Old Lady Hua’s death had affected Yang Dachuan’s mood these past days, so he hadn’t been feeling well.
"You’re overthinking it. She’s not my real mother, so there’s nothing to be sad about." After pondering for a moment, Yang Chuxia said, "Mom, I’m going to visit Grandpa Land Officer first, and when I come back, I’ll go deliver lunch to my dad."
When she arrived at Land Officer Yang’s house, he had just sat down to eat.
"Oh, you’re 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, "I’ll talk to the villagers later, it doesn’t matter where they work, doing it in the village is the same, and it’s 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 they’ll get a meal during lunch."
"Why are you giving them so much?" The Land Officer’s wife was taken aback and said, "You girl, you’re too careless with money."
Land Officer Yang responded, "You, you can’t 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.