“Brother, come with me to the fields outside. We’ll clear the weeds together, examine the soil, choose the plots suitable for planting, and then fetch water from the river to soak the hardened earth in preparation for sowing later.”
She paused, then picked up two strings of copper coins from the oil-paper bundle and handed them to Shen Jingzhi.
“Father, take this money to the town and buy some coarse rice, salt, and window paper. Also buy a few bundles of rough hemp cloth and hemp rope. As for the rest of the money, don’t spend a single coin carelessly. Save it all as our capital.”
Every instruction was clear and precise, without the slightest hesitation.
Holding the copper coins, Shen Jingzhi looked at his daughter’s orderly manner. The dejection in his heart finally faded, replaced by a determination he had never felt before.
“Alright! Father will listen to you! I’ll go chop firewood and buy rice right away!”
Liu Shi wiped away her tears and nodded vigorously.
“I’ll listen to Wan’er too. I’ll go clean the house right now. We’ll definitely make this place into a proper home!”
Shen Mingxuan straightened his back, his eyes full of resolve.
“Little Sister, I’ll go to the fields with you! Whatever you say, I’ll do!”
In just a short while, the family went from utter despair and helplessness to being full of energy.
The old, dilapidated courtyard no longer echoed with sighs and sobs. Instead, it was filled with the bustle of activity.
Shen Jingzhi shouldered an axe and strode toward the back hill to chop dead wood and repair the courtyard walls.
Liu Shi carried buckets of water, swept the floors, mended the windows, and gradually cleaned the three main rooms.
Meanwhile, Shen Weiwan led her brother to the thin fields outside the courtyard, where they bent over to pull weeds, loosen the soil, and inspect the land.
As she worked, she rapidly calculated her plans.
The most urgent matter was food.
The northern outskirts of the city were remote, with few shops and expensive grain. Relying on her father’s meager salary alone, there was no way they could support the family.
If they wanted to survive, they had to be self-sufficient and wrest food from the land itself.
She understood farming. She knew seed selection, raising seedlings, fertilizing, and every aspect of field management.
Although these fields were barren, if they were properly improved, a single harvest would be enough to save the family from hunger.
But beyond food, they also needed money.
Eighty-seven taels and eight qian of silver would not last long if they simply spent it.
She needed to launch her livelihood plans as soon as possible—making canned foods, raising livestock, and selling snacks. With the knowledge and techniques from her previous life, she would earn her first real fortune in this ancient capital.
The wind remained cold, stinging her face.
The weeds cut her palms, drawing tiny streaks of blood, yet she paid no attention, continuing to work without pause.
Watching his little sister’s small but resilient figure, Shen Mingxuan’s heart filled with admiration.
He had never imagined that his ten-year-old sister possessed such courage and ability, carrying the burden of the entire family in the face of despair.
As the sun set, its golden rays spread over the barren fields and the dilapidated estate.
The courtyard walls had been roughly repaired, the rooms cleaned, and the windows patched with fresh paper. Though simple, the house finally looked a little like a home.
Outside, a large patch of weeds had been cleared from the fields, and the loosened soil looked completely renewed.
The family sat together on a rough wooden platform, eating plain rice, yet not one of them felt bitter about it.
Looking at the tidy house, Liu Shi showed a smile that had not appeared on her face in a long time.
Shen Jingzhi put down his bowl and chopsticks and let out a long sigh. There was light in his eyes again.
“Wan’er, in all my life, I’ve never felt as at ease as I do today.”
Shen Weiwan looked up and smiled, her eyes bright.
“Father, this is only the beginning.”
“From now on, our lives will only get better and better.”
“We won’t rely on heaven, on fate, on the Marquis’s Manor, or on anyone else.”
“We’ll rely only on our own hands—to make a living, establish ourselves, and build a home.”
Night gradually deepened.
Inside the old estate, a faint but warm lamp glowed.
Though the light was small, it illuminated the path of the family’s new beginning.
Sitting beneath the oil lamp, Shen Weiwan looked out into the dark night, her plans crystal clear.
The first step—survival, securing food, and repairing their home—had already begun.
The second step—improving rice varieties, reclaiming wasteland, and stabilizing their foundation—was about to start.
The third step—building businesses, accumulating wealth, and paving the way for her father and brother—was already fully planned in her mind.
The contempt of the Marquis’s household, her grandmother’s harshness, and her eldest uncle’s disdain had all become things of the past.
From this day on, Shen Weiwan’s world contained only her family, only livelihood, and only the future.
Nothing to do with love or hatred.
Nothing to do with romance.
Only survival.
Her journey had only just begun.
They all slept soundly that night.
Though there were no brocade quilts, soft couches, or warm pillows, the family slept more peacefully than ever before.
There was no longer the constant anxiety of life in the Marquis’s Manor, no servants looking down on them, and no fear of trembling at a single scolding from the old matriarch.
The little courtyard was shabby, but it was free.
At dawn, the eastern sky had just begun to brighten, and the morning mist still lingered over the cold estate north of the city, carrying the chill of early spring.
Shen Mingxuan was awakened by the crowing of a rooster.
He rolled off the hard wooden bed and, without even washing his face, grabbed the rusty hoe leaning in the corner.
His sister’s instructions from the previous day still rang in his ears. The young man was brimming with determination and wanted to get to work immediately.
As soon as he reached the courtyard gate, he saw that Shen Weiwan was already there.
The girl wore a faded blue coarse-cloth tunic. Her hair was simply tied into a bun and secured with a wooden hairpin, and on her feet were a pair of old cloth shoes that Liu Shi had altered overnight.
In one hand, she held a roll of something wrapped in mulberry paper; in the other, she carried a long, slender stick while bending over to examine the ground outside the gate.
“Wan’er, why are you up so early?” Shen Mingxuan hurried over, concern in his voice. “The morning dew is heavy. Be careful not to catch a chill.”
Shen Weiwan straightened up and looked at him, her eyes carrying a clarity rarely seen in someone so young.
“Brother, spring plowing won’t wait for anyone. We need to understand the estate’s land first before deciding what to plant and how to plant it. Don’t rush to turn the soil yet. Come with me and take a look around the fields first.”
The mulberry paper in her hand was a simple map she had drawn by lamplight the night before.
Yesterday, she had made a special effort to survey the estate. She only knew that it covered about twenty mu of land—half paddy fields, half dry fields, plus a few mu of uncultivated hillside.
But she knew nothing about the quality of the soil, where the water sources were, or whether there were low-lying areas prone to flooding.
Shen Mingxuan immediately nodded and hoisted the hoe onto his shoulder.
“Alright, I’ll go with you. Wherever you say we should go, that’s where I’ll go.”
The brother and sister walked one after the other, stepping through the weeds along the field ridges and heading out of the estate.
Morning mist swirled around them, and the damp soil beneath their feet clung to their shoes.
The roadside grasses had only just begun to sprout, showing a hint of green amid the yellowed stalks. Looking out over the fields on both sides, all they could see was desolation.
This was the entirety of their family’s inheritance.
Shen Weiwan walked slowly, almost stopping at every step.
She first went to the dry field closest to the estate, crouched down, and used the wooden stick in her hand to brush aside the loose topsoil.