“What? You really agreed? I have to tell you upfront, we don't accept credit. If you want your father to sign, you must pay in cash.”
Xu Wangshi was afraid that Xu Dongyang was just saying that.
In her view, they had already completely fallen out, and since she had already played the villain, she absolutely had to secure the benefits, otherwise, it would be a huge loss.
The Clan Leader, who had remained silent, looked up at Xu Dongyang, whose eyes were already red, after writing the last character, and shook his head helplessly.
“You few are truly going too far! How can you name such a price?”
“Clan Leader, the way you put it. My parents raised Second Uncle for so many years, even found him a wife, and he had several little girls. The food and drink alone cost money, right? In my opinion, this amount is still too little.”
“You…” The Clan Leader was angered by Xu Wangshi.
The other old masters who had been silent also couldn't help but speak up, “Dongwang’s wife, you are simply asking for the moon. How can ordinary farming households have so much silver? You are simply bullying people too much!”
Xu Dongyang was truly exhausted; he just wanted to resolve this matter quickly.
“Forget it, I appreciate the good intentions of you uncles. One hundred taels it is, one hundred taels. Clan Leader, write this clause down too: one hundred taels for my family’s peace and quiet—it’s worth it!”
Seeing him say this, although the Clan Leader was somewhat displeased, he couldn't say much more.
He quickly wrote down the remaining clauses, let both parties review them, and once there were no issues, they each signed and made their mark.
Xu Dongyang took out a one-hundred-tael Silver Note from the room and handed it to Old Master Xu. “Father, this is the last time I will call you that. Take care of yourself and Mother from now on!”
“Keep the Silver Note safe. When you need it, you can exchange it directly at the silver house in town. If there is nothing else, you all should leave now; we still need to pack things.”
“Uncles, thank you for your trouble today. Once my family is settled, I will have Jiayin prepare a feast, and I will invite you all over for a few drinks.”
Everyone was still in shock and hadn't recovered.
They secretly wondered when Xu Dongyang had become so wealthy that he could casually produce a one-hundred-tael Silver Note.
However, since this was the Xu Family's private matter, no one dared to ask, no matter how curious they were.
Just as they were preparing to leave, Xu Wangshi spoke up again with ill intent, “I say, Xu Dongyang, you aren't trying to fool us with some fake paper, are you? When did you get so rich?”
Xu Dongyang was angered by her words. “You don’t want it anymore, is that it? Fine, I’ll take it back.”
“Don’t! I just didn’t expect you to suddenly become so wealthy. Is this Silver Note really real?”
Although she worried it was fake, Xu Wangshi was still afraid Xu Changyang would actually take the Silver Note back, so she stood beside him, blocking him from getting close.
“Xu Wangshi, do you know what you are saying? Are you suspecting Doctor Liu of giving fake money?”
“This Silver Note was given by Doctor Liu a few days ago. A few of us found some wild ginseng on the mountain and sold it to Doctor Liu. You can go ask him if you don’t believe me.”
“Uncles, you are experienced and knowledgeable; please check if this Silver Note is fake. Don't let my Eldest Brother's Wife say later that I used fake money to fool them. Otherwise, they will come looking for me to argue and demand money again. I truly don't have that much money.”
This time, Xu Dongyang intentionally held something back.
Regarding the Silver Note, he needed several people to look at it to prove he had indeed given it.
As for how they divided it afterward, that had nothing to do with him. If they handled it poorly and the First Branch blamed him again, they would suffer a great loss.
He couldn't guarantee others, but his uncles had all seen Silver Notes before.
Especially his Third Uncle; several of his children had become successful.
And most crucially, he had previously worked as an Accountant for a wealthy family, handling quite a bit of money. He wouldn't misjudge something like a Silver Note.
After receiving assurances from everyone, Old Master Xu, supported by Xu Wangshi, left Xu Dongyang’s house.
After seeing off the other elders, Xu Dongyang gave a wry smile, made an excuse, and went back to his room early to rest.
Soon, Xu Jianing heard suppressed sobbing. She knew their Parents were venting their emotions.
They had endured too much during the situation just now. Making such a decision was a last resort.
It seemed that the happiest people in the whole family should be the two sisters.
Eldest Sister Xu Jiayin asked in an excited whisper, “Ning’er, have we really gotten rid of that bunch of people? I still can’t quite believe it.”
“Come on, I’ll go with you to the Kitchen to tidy up the things we bought today. We’ll make something delicious tonight.”
Xu Jianing looked at her with some amusement and deliberately teased her, “Sister, aren't you worried at all that we might not even have a thatched hut to live in?”
“What’s there to fear? As long as the family is together, even living in a cave would be better than now. I see now, you’ve changed. Following you, we won’t have to worry about food, drink, or shelter.”
Cough, cough, cough, Xu Jiayin was too excited and spoke too much at once; her throat was a bit uncomfortable.
Xu Jianing quickly helped soothe her breathing. “Sister, don’t rush, take it slow. As long as you’re willing to talk, that’s what matters. Let’s go cook now. You watch the fire, and I’ll take the ladle and show off a bit, make some good dishes to celebrate properly.”
Xu Jiayin nodded. The two sisters divided the labor and busied themselves in the Kitchen.
The family had just acquired quite a few things. Xu Jianing rinsed the large piece of Fatty meat and lard she had bought earlier with Clean water, cut them into small pieces, blanched them in a pot, and then removed them.
She then poured a small bowl of water into the pot, threw in the cut lard and Fatty meat pieces, and soon the water boiled dry, and the pig oil slowly rendered out.
To save time, Xu Jianing asked her Eldest Sister to help mix the dough; she wanted to use the cracklings to make Steamed Buns.
She could manage some simple theoretical operations based on what she had read in books.
But for techniques requiring slightly higher skill, like mixing dough, she wasn't confident she could do it well.
She knew their Eldest Sister was an expert in this area and had a certain talent for cooking. She would surely be a great helper in the future.
Not long after, waves of fragrance drifted out of the Kitchen.
The cracklings had been fried to a golden color. Xu Jianing quickly scooped them out, picked up a small piece with chopsticks, and stuffed it into her sister’s mouth. “How is it? Isn’t it fragrant?”
Xu Jiayin nodded vigorously. She took out a clean Jar from the cabinet and poured the pig oil, which wasn't too hot, into it, setting it aside.
She then chopped up a small portion of the cracklings in the bowl, mixed them with some chopped scallions to make a filling for the Steamed Buns, and after finishing this, she began wrapping the Steamed Buns seriously.
Xu Jianing, standing nearby, wasn't idle either. She cleaned the Pig trotters she had bought earlier, blanched them in a pot, and set them aside.
She then took out some dried Chili peppers, dried tangerine peel, and star anise she had bought from the Grocery store, put them in the pot with the Pig trotters, added an appropriate amount of Clean water, a little salt, Soy Sauce, sliced ginger, and tied scallions, and began Braised Pig trotters.
Half an hour later, the steaming hot crackling Steamed Buns and Braised Pig trotters were ready.