Yu Sanlang accepted Lao Yezi’s explanation. He carefully pondered the old man’s words, focusing particularly on the term “reputation,” and almost immediately realized that Lao Yezi was worried that Liu Shi’s affairs might affect his and Fourth Brother’s future prospects.
Half of the discomfort that had been gnawing at him all night dissipated, and Yu Sanlang decided not to suppress the remaining half. Turning to his eldest brother and sister-in-law, he began to demand repayment.
“With spring plowing and reclaiming wasteland for medicinal herbs lately, everyone in the village is quite busy. I’m afraid I’ll have to go to the city to find bricklayers. The house is needed urgently, so I’ll probably have to pay extra.”
“Eldest Brother, we agreed earlier that when Liu Shi was brought back, you would give one-tenth of the family division to Hongdou as compensation. I won’t calculate anything else, but for the cash and land from the division, just convert it to six taels of silver!”
Yu Sanlang’s words caused Yu Dalang and his wife to change expressions. Yu Dalang looked miserably at his father, while Zhang Shi covered her face as if about to cry.
“Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law, over the years you’ve borrowed money from me for various reasons, and I’ve overlooked it all for the sake of brotherhood. But Hongdou nearly lost her life at such a young age—surely you don’t intend to renege on this compensation too?”
Yu Sanlang took the initiative, and after speaking, he glanced at his second brother, remembering how their eldest brother had often swindled them brothers in the past.
“That’s right, Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law. I’ve been meaning to say this—since we’ve already divided the family, the money borrowed earlier should be repaid now. Our Li Zi and Hu Tao will soon be discussing marriages, and we need to build houses. There are plenty of places where money is needed.” Before Yu Erlang could react, his wife Sun Shi quickly seized the opportunity to speak up.
Zhang Shi could no longer hold back, slapping her thighs and beginning to wail: “Where would we get the money~”
As his wife cried, Yu Dalang also started wiping tears and playing the victim: “Second Brother, Third Brother, the money from the family division was only that much. Now Dad wants to drive us out too. Building a house costs money, Yinxing’s marriage costs money, Liu Shi having a child costs money, and spring plowing is coming soon…”
“I’m not as capable as Second Brother or as clever as Third Brother. Zhenzi is unpromising, and Xiang Zi left us too early… I know I owe you both a lot. It’s my fault…”
While crying, Yu Dalang stole glances at his father’s expression. Seeing that his father remained unmoved, he clutched his chest and began breathing heavily.
“Enough, Eldest Son. Repaying debts is what you ought to do. You’re not setting any example as an elder brother.” Yu Laoyezi glared at his eldest son.
Was he lacking sense? If he didn’t settle this promptly now and leave a good impression with his younger brothers, did he really want to spend the rest of his life completely isolated?
Yu Dalang hadn’t expected his father, who had always favored him, to truly abandon him now. Choking up, he genuinely began to cry.
Yu Hongdou, clinging to her father, watched the entire drama unfold, once again revising her impressions of her family members.
She swore that when her uncle clutched his chest, her grandfather, her father, and her silent second uncle had all rolled their eyes.
Clearly, everyone was well aware that Uncle was pretending to be sick—yet he still acted so seriously!
Yu Hongdou had often heard her parents muttering behind closed doors about the eldest branch being “foolish on the surface but cunning underneath,” though she hadn’t known the details. Judging by Yu Sanlang’s debt-collecting words just now, Uncle must have frequently swindled her father and second uncle out of silver in the past.
Yu Dalang knew best who held authority in the family. Seeing that his father wasn’t siding with him, he had no choice but to drop the act and nudge his wife—who was still sitting on the ground weeping and wailing—with his foot.
Zhang Shi received her husband’s signal but remained unwilling to concede. Money in her hands was hers—no one could make her spit it out.
Yu Dalang understood his wife’s nature perfectly and gestured for her to observe Lao Yezi and the matriarch. The couple had long established their strategy: no matter how others stirred, their branch would cling firmly to Lao Yezi’s authority. After all, whether their siblings prospered or not, they’d still need to support their parents.
Zhang Shi glanced at her in-laws and froze at their somber expressions. There had been disputes before, but each time the elders had remained silent spectators. This time, their demeanor was distinctly different.
In the end, the eldest branch reluctantly produced twenty-six taels of silver—sixteen for the third branch and ten for the second.
“Here, this is our Hongdou’s dowry money. Let Hongdou keep it herself!” Back in their quarters, Yu Sanlang noticed his daughter’s unwavering gaze fixed on the sixteen taels and chuckled. He directly placed six small silver ingots in her palms.
“For me?” Yu Hongdou’s fascination with the silver wasn’t about greed—she noticed these ingots differed in shape and color from the two taels she’d obtained through Check-in from Zhang San’s private stash.
Never had she imagined her father would be so generous, handing six silver ingots directly to her. The girl, who’d always believed her family was impoverished, nearly dropped her jaw in astonishment.
Indeed, before the family division, Yu Hongdou had firmly believed they were poor. Her brother’s monthly wages were only two taels—a sum Liu Shi would fight tooth and nail for. It wasn’t until Lao Yezi produced 250 taels of silver on division day that Yu Hongdou remembered: though she’d transmigrated into a Farming Literature novel, it was simultaneously a Female protagonist’s power fantasy.
In such stories, the female lead building wealth and achieving prosperity was merely the baseline. True success meant amassing fortunes that rivaled nations and influencing court politics.
Thus, in “Tian Yi Man Man,” financial gains and expenditures followed satisfying patterns. For instance, after marrying into the Yu Family, the female protagonist’s first market stall earned eight taels in a single day, followed by a renowned restaurant offering 200 taels for one of her recipes. Later, she opened shops, purchased land, developed mountain estates—her wealth escalating from thousands to tens of thousands of taels, leaving readers cheering enthusiastically.
When historical accuracy enthusiasts raised questions, defenders would retort: “What’s the point of nitpicking in a transmigration story?” Others argued: “Ancient times weren’t that impoverished—haven’t you read about emperors rewarding ministers with hundreds of thousands in gold?”
Now, watching her father casually give six silver ingots to his five-year-old self, Yu Hongdou suddenly felt foolish for having proudly handed her two taels to her brother earlier.
“Father, are we this wealthy? Or is every family this rich?” Yu Hongdou couldn’t grasp the inflation situation in this society—a concerning blind spot—so she asked directly.
“Silly child, it’s only been a few years since the disasters ended. Not every family has such means,” Yu Sanlang laughed at his daughter’s question. But it was Xu Shi who tapped her husband reproachfully and answered seriously.
“? Then why are we so rich? Just from selling medicinal herbs?” Yu Hongdou immediately pinpointed the crucial question.
“Hehe, our Hongdou is so clever. Since you asked, I’ll properly explain it to you. But these words stay within our walls—you mustn’t speak of this to anyone outside, understand?” Yu Sanlang praised his daughter for cutting straight to the point and began recounting the past.
After Yu Laoyezi had sent off the medicinal shop’s manager on his final journey, he fled with the remaining money. However, the most valuable asset of a medicinal shop wasn’t the shop itself, but the medicinal herbs.
Though the shop had been seized by villains, the manager’s home still held considerable stock. Being alone and traveling light, Yu Laoyezi carried a full pack of medicinal herbs on his back.
During their flight, illnesses and disasters were commonplace. Relying on the herbs he carried and his rudimentary healing skills, Yu Laoyezi managed to earn a small fortune from others’ misfortunes.
After settling in Taoyuan Village, surrounded by several large mountains rich with hidden medicinal plants, Yu Laoyezi didn’t keep his knowledge secret. He taught all his children to recognize herbs. Once they were old enough to roam the mountains freely, he had each memorize several varieties and sent them daily to gather medicinal plants.
“That year I dug up a small ginseng root—rare in these parts—and sold it for twenty taels. I originally intended to save it for marrying your mother, but then your uncle’s second son Xiang Zi fell ill, so I lent the money. The child didn’t survive in the end, and I never asked for repayment.” At this point, Yu Sanlang’s expression turned somber.
Had his brother genuinely been struggling with such difficulties, he wouldn’t have pressed for the debt. But later, his elder brother and sister-in-law grew increasingly unreasonable.
“After your brother was born, your mother was pregnant again. During that year’s flood, she strained herself fleeing to the mountains. When I went up the mountain with your uncle, we found another ginseng plant. I insisted we keep it to nourish your mother instead of selling it, but he secretly sold it anyway… The child your mother was carrying ultimately couldn’t be saved.”
That time, he broke one of his elder brother’s ribs, leaving him with a chronic cough. Though his brother often feigned worse illness, Yu Sanlang knew the injury had genuinely damaged his foundation. This was why, despite his disgust toward his brother and sister-in-law, he could never bring himself to completely sever ties all these years.