Starting from a thatched cottage, the farmer embarked on the road to wealth through imperial examina

When Ye Changyan returned to the farm, night had already fallen and he saw the Zhong family's carriage still parked in front of his courtyard.

Originally, Ye Changyan planned to go to Yunfeng Tower early tomorrow morning to talk to Quan Youfang and arrange for the cook to prepare lunch in the processing workshop. Now that the Zhong family's coachman, Lao Huang, is still waiting, he will write a letter and ask Lao Huang to take it back to Yunfeng Tower.

Ye Changyan asked Lao Huang to wait for a moment, as he had a letter to deliver to Manager Quan. Lao Huang politely agreed, and Ye Changyan then walked into the yard.

Fang Xiaotong and Fang Xiaomei were lighting fires at two stoves respectively, while Erniu and Wulang were occupying one stove each. Erniu was cooking and Wulang was distilling wintersweet flowers.

Before Ye Changyan left, he asked Lian to soak the wintersweets received in the past few days in white wine. It seems that when Erniu and the others came back, the wintersweets they received in the afternoon had not been soaked in time.

Ye Changyan simply greeted a few people and went into the house.

Ye Xiaozheng looked at Ye Changyan anxiously, and Lian seemed to want to say something but hesitated. Ye Changyan then spoke.

"Dad, Mom, don't worry. Let me write a letter first and have Old Huang take it back to Manager Quan of Yunfeng Tower. Old Huang is still waiting for me outside the door."

Ye Changyan ran into his room in a flash. After a while, he ran out of the courtyard gate with a letter. Then the sound of a carriage leaving was heard.

When Ye Changyan returned to the house, he saw that his parents seemed to have a lot of questions to ask, so Ye Changyan asked them with a smile.

"Who will speak first?"

Ye Xiaozheng and Lian looked at each other, and finally Lian spoke first.

"Sanlang, this brother and sister came back with Erniu. Erniu said you bought them. What's going on?"

Hearing Lian's question, Ye Xiaozheng looked at Ye Changyan with a puzzled look.

"Dad, Mom, this Fang Xiaotong brother and sister are indeed servants I bought in the capital city. This brother and sister are also pitiful people..."

Ye Changyan then told Lian and Ye Xiaozheng and his wife the general story of how he bought the brother and sister.

The rough experiences of Fang Xiaotong and his sister made Lian and Ye Xiaozheng sigh with regret, but Lian's mind was still clear and he asked further.

"Sanlang, even if that's the case, are we the kind of family that needs servants?"

Hearing Lian's question, Ye Changyan smiled.

"Mother, I am a man of honor. According to the laws of my dynasty, I have the right to keep slaves. This is different from Aunt Chun and Ping'er employed by the old house. We can gradually teach them how to pick mushrooms and distill flowers to make pure water. After all, their personal deeds and family deeds are in our hands."

Seeing that Lian and Ye Xiaozheng were still looking at him in confusion, Ye Changyan continued.

"Our yard will be completed before the New Year, and we can move in when spring comes. Dad and Mom, you should go to the construction site and see that it's such a big yard. If we don't have maids and servants to sweep and tidy up, how busy will our family be?"

Lian and Ye Xiaozheng nodded slowly, and it seemed that they also understood this logic, so Ye Changyan continued to speak.

"From now on, the teacher will arrange more schoolwork for him. After the Chinese New Year, Wulang will be ten years old. I plan to let Wulang go to the private school in the county town with Datou and Ertou from Shuzhu's family. As for Erniu, I want her to learn how to read and write and how to do accounting and financial management."

Upon hearing how thoughtful their eldest son was for his younger siblings, Ye Xiaozheng and his wife nodded in satisfaction.

"Dad is weak. If there is a maid or servant who can help take care of him, Mom won't be too tired."

Ye Changyan's words completely moved Lian and Ye Xiaozheng. They both nodded at Ye Changyan, and then Lian asked again.

"Our house is only this big now, how are we going to arrange accommodation for this brother and sister?"

"Mother, it's freezing cold now. We are not a wealthy family in the city with many rules. These siblings were originally children of an honest family. They also suffered a disaster and were forced to choose to sell themselves. I think we should temporarily let Fang Xiaotong sleep with Wulang and Fang Xiaomei sleep with Erniu. When we move to a new home in the spring, things in this house will be easier to arrange."

Lian was a kind-hearted person, so when she heard Ye Changyan's arrangement, she nodded in agreement.

Just then, Fang Xiaomei came into the main room with the dishes, and she spoke a little awkwardly.

"Master, Madam, Young Master, the food is ready. I have already filled the basin on the washstand with hot water. Please wash your hands first and we will serve you."

Ye Changyan and the Lian couple were a little uncomfortable at first when they heard Fang Xiaomei call them that.

However, Ye Changyan was somewhat relieved. It seemed that Fang Xiaomei had already adapted to the change of her identity.

Soon Fang Xiaomei put the food on the table. Seeing that there were only five sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table, Lian asked Fang Xiaomei.

"Xiaomei, why did you only take five sets of bowls and chopsticks?"

"To answer Madam, there is some food left in the kitchen. My brother and I will eat in the kitchen and watch the fire in the stove."

"We don't have that many rules in our house, so let's just come out and eat together."

"Madam, if it weren't for the young master's rescue, my brother and I would not have fallen into that filthy abyss. My brother and I know how to respect the master and his kindness to us, and we will repay him like slaves. However, we cannot rely on the master's kindness and love to forget our own status and lose the etiquette. Please don't worry about my brother and my sister, we will take good care of ourselves."

Fang Xiaomei bowed to Lian, then left the main room and went to the kitchen.

Lian looked at Ye Changyan, shook her head and sighed, "What a good child."

Soon Wulang and Erniu came into the main room, and the family picked up their bowls and started eating.

Ye Xiaozheng held it in for a long time, and when he saw that Ye Changyan did not bring it up, he opened his mouth to ask.

"Sanlang, how is the situation at the old house?"

Lian, Wulang and Erniu did not say a word. They ate in silence with their bowls in hand and listened attentively.

"Grandma woke up once this morning, but she was so depressed after suffering such a blow that she couldn't find a way to relieve it for the time being, so she is still in a coma now."

Ye Xiaozheng went to see the old lady early in the morning. She had not woken up yet. Ye Changyan said that she had woken up once, which was at least good news.

"My uncle is lying in bed, still unable to move. My eldest brother has bruises all over his face and is in a very low mood. He doesn't want to go out. Fortunately, my aunt and eldest sister are taking care of him, so I think there won't be any big problems."

When Ye Xiaozheng heard this, he nodded and looked at Ye Changyan with anticipation.

"The matter of my second uncle and second brother is quite troublesome. I accompanied my second aunt and Silang to visit my uncle's home earlier."

Everyone stopped eating and listened carefully to what Ye Changyan said next.

"That Tang Laizi hasn't woken up yet. The county government will definitely not let my second uncle and second brother out. If something happens to Tang Laizi, then this matter will be very serious."

When Ye Xiaozheng heard this, his face was filled with anxiety and he hurriedly asked Ye Changyan.

"So what should we do?"

Lian, Wulang and Erniu all remained silent, as they also knew the seriousness of the situation.

"I plan to go with Second Aunt and Silang to visit Tang Laizi early tomorrow morning, and then go to the county government office to try to find a few adults to see if there is any solution."

Ye Xiaozheng listened to Ye Changyan's arrangements and nodded repeatedly.