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“Hmph, keep talking nonsense, and I’ll have my daughter take the grain back.”

“This grain was given by Mayor Qian, not your daughter.” “It is my daughter’s. She deliberately said that to hide it from us.”

“Give it up!”

Qiao Shicheng’s eyes turned red when he saw the bags of grain. He tried to snatch some with his son but was beaten by the villagers.

Nobody bought their act. They all knew what kind of people they were. They were trying to save face for themselves.

Meanwhile, being true to their character, the Yuan family had already prepared firewood for themselves. They hadn’t left their home since the snow started. They stayed indoors, afraid that going outside would expose them to the cold.

They didn’t want to risk getting sick as they still had plenty of money to spend.

However, they hadn’t given up on Yuan Jiaqi.

Why should they stay in a simple earthen house while their son enjoys the comforts of the big mansion?

They should be living in the Lucky Garden instead.

These two were causing their own problems. They were even encouraging their four sons.

“I say, don’t just stay at home. Now that the roads are clear, visit your youngest brother. It’s getting colder. He should help you a bit, right?”

“Mother, please stop bothering us. Whether we visit him or not is none of your concern.”

“What do you mean none of my concern? Aren’t you going to prepare New

Year’s gifts for us?”

“It’s too early for that.”

The four sons didn’t want to engage with them, but they couldn’t ignore their parents’ words.

They had visited Yuan Jiaqi before and brought him gifts. Although the incident with the family leader made Yuan Jiaqi angry, they maintained a good relationship. They thought it was worth trying again.

So, the four brothers arrived at the Qiao residence together.

Upon hearing their arrival, Yuan Jiaqi furrowed his brows. But recalling the gifts they brought before, he put down his books and went to the front hall.

“My brothers. ”

“Little brother, please help us.”

As they spoke, the four grown men unexpectedly shed tears, putting on a pitiful act.

“What happened?”

“The snow is too heavy. Part of our house has collapsed, and we’re all crowded together for warmth. Can you help us? Don’t worry. We don’t need money, just some grain and firewood. The grain shops in town are closed, and they don’t have any more supplies.”

The four brothers had discussed it beforehand. They mustn’t ask for money directly; they should start with small requests and see how Yuan Jiaqi responded.

If he gave once, he could give again.

Yuan Jiaqi wasn’t that cruel. He sighed.

“I’ll give one family a hundred kilograms of grain and a big bundle of firewood. Is that enough?”

“More than enough! Thank you, little brother!”

“How did you get here?”

“We walked.”

“Go and get a small cart. Otherwise, you won’t be able to carry it all.”

“Can

“I can’t. It’s not right to give grain without her consent. If you don’t go home, get a cart, and transport it yourselves, you can forget about the grain. I’m not obligated to deliver it to your home.”

“We’ll go.”

The four men hurried back to their village, fetched a cart from their house, and returned to the Qiao residence. Four large bags of grain and bundles of firewood were waiting for them at the door.

The stern-faced maid said, “Master said you can each take one. He is busy with other matters.”

“Yes!”

The woman gave them a cold stare, locked the door, and watched as they loaded the grain and firewood onto their cart.

Troubled by the guilt, Yuan Jiaqi couldn’t concentrate on his studies. With a restless heart, he approached the door of Qiao Mai’s room.

“Wife, may I come in?”

Qiao Mai was busy doing embroidery when she heard his voice. She paused for a moment.

“Come in.”

As he entered, she gestured for him to take a seat. “Please have a seat. There’s tea on the table; you can pour it yourself. I’m a bit busy here.”

“Wife, I provided my four brothers with a bag of cornmeal and a bundle of firewood each without your permission.”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Mai pricked the needle on the cloth. She rubbed her face with her hand and looked at him, sensing his discomfort.

“Although we have signed an agreement, you are also a member of this family.

Let’s not discuss these matters for now. Instead, let’s talk about you, a scholar.” Yuan Jiaqi looked puzzled, not understanding the purpose of her words.

‘What?”

“Firstly, is it true that the Yuan family is truly struggling to make ends meet?” “The old couple have some silver. When they divide the family property, each will receive around one hundred taels of silver and ten acres of land.”

“If they divided the family property, why haven’t they built new houses? Why did they let the snow collapse their homes? I advise you to dress warmly and take Wu Zhui and Sai Xue with you to see for yourself. Trust your own eyes.”

Yuan Jiaqi’s face turned somber as he realized he had been misled by his family’s words. He had blindly believed what they said.

How could he be an official or make just judgments with such a gullible mindset?

Realizing his mistake, he stood up abruptly. “I was wrong. Thank you, Wife, for your guidance. I will quietly return to the village to see for myself.”

“Go. One should never deceive their own family.”

Qiao Mai lowered her head and continued her embroidery work. Meanwhile, Yuan Jiaqi walked out of the room, his eyes reddened.

He hoped that his older brothers hadn’t deceived him. His heart, which had started to warm up, was gradually freezing over.

He returned to his room, wore warm clothing, and didn’t call Wu Zhui and Sai Xue. Alone, he set out on the road back to the village.

The surroundings were eerily quiet. Not a single soul could be seen, and the snow on both sides of the road was piled high, making it almost impossible to hide.

His thoughts were consumed by today’s events. He hadn’t walked far when Wu Zhui and Sai Xue caught up to him.

His heart warmed at the sight of them. He was sure that Qiao Mai had sent them. These two dogs were highly intelligent and courageous. Several people combined couldn’t match their strength.

If they bit someone, bones would surely break.

After half an hour, he reached the entrance of Apricot Blossom Village. On this cold day, there was no sign of any villagers or children playing around.

He walked alone with his two dogs, proceeding silently.

Apricot Blossom Village’s houses were mostly ancient, still made of earthen bricks. There were only a few new houses with visible brick walls.

He walked from one end of the village to the other and back but didn’t find any houses that had collapsed.

With a grim expression, he arrived at the front of a new house and knocked on the door. A woman’s voice echoed from inside the courtyard. A woman’s voice came from inside, sounding irritated. “Who is it?”

Yuan Jiaqi didn’t respond and continued knocking.

The woman walked to the door while scolding, “Why didn’t you make any noise when you came? You’ve been knocking so persistently! ”

When she opened the door and saw Yuan Jiaqi, her face turned sour as if she had just eaten something unpleasant.

“Fifth Brother, you’re here?”

“I came to see if your house collapsed!”

The woman was frozen in place, not knowing what to do. Several men, reeking of alcohol, came out of the house. They were the four brothers who had just gone to collect grain.

What a coincidence! Yuan Jiaqi casually knocked on the door and ended up catching them in the act.

Are they celebrating because they got the grains?

“Big brother, you all are in such a festive mood, huh? The house collapsed, yet you can still drink and chat here? Truly remarkable! “