Sir Song, do you want to pledge yourself to me?

"Mom! Are you going to make this a mess until it's too late?" Ji Yuan had known his mother's unreasonable behavior since he was a child, and he never thought that he would have to deal with such a situation one day. He was really overwhelmed by the sound of her crying, and he felt an inexplicable pity for his father. It was hard for him to live with such a shrewd woman all his life.

The eldest aunt's mother immediately fell silent after being yelled at. She said with a righteous but unjustified tone, "You want me to give up? That's not impossible. Ji Nuan caused my little He to die in a foreign land. I no longer have a daughter to fulfill her filial duty. She must pay me one thousand taels of silver as compensation."

Upon hearing the eldest aunt's request, everyone in the first house had a secret glint in their eyes, even Ji Yuan. However, he quickly regained his composure. Regardless of whether or not he could obtain the 1,000 taels of silver, even if he did, it sounded enormous. Given his mother's vanity and financial mismanagement, without another source of income, they would be back to their current poverty within two years at most. Therefore, maintaining the existing relationship between the two families until he passed the imperial examination and became a scholar was the long-term strategy and the true benefit.

"Mom, Xiao He's problem isn't my cousin's fault. How can you have the nerve to ask her for compensation?" Ji Yuan was afraid that his aunt wouldn't be able to convince him, so he turned around and tried to find an ally. "Dad, big brother, my second uncle's family and I are blood relatives. This isn't my cousin's fault, so how can you blame her? Are you going to condone Mom's unreasonable demands for compensation?"

Everyone's eyes were focused on Uncle Ji and Ji Feng.

Uncle Ji felt uncomfortable being stared at by everyone, and said in a low and vague voice: "Mom, why don't we just forget about it." After that, he lowered his head, not daring to look at anyone again.

It is true that the Dafang family is sad, and it is also true that they are trying to make the most of Ji He's affairs.

Ji's father retracted his disappointed look. He had never imagined that his eldest brother, whom he had always treated sincerely, would actually use Ji He's matter to extort money from their second wife.

Ji Yuan is smart, and Ji Feng is always willing to listen to Ji Yuan's instructions when he can't make up his mind.

After receiving Ji Yuan's eye signal, Ji Feng persuaded him while analyzing clearly:

"Mom, I'll listen to Xiao Yuan. Second uncle usually helps our family a lot. We have to rely on my cousin to help sell the chickens and ducks raised in our backyard in the future. Besides, as for Xiao He's matter, we had no one to turn to for help at the beginning, and it was my cousin who went to help us to get information. Mom, let's not make trouble for no reason. Second uncle and aunt have always been kind and have never made a fuss about us before. But if we really take the compensation today, how can we have the face to associate with Second uncle's family as relatives in the future?" Second uncle's family is different now. If we do this, wouldn't we be alienating ourselves from our relatives and cutting off our own retreat?

The aunt-in-law has not yet understood the long-term considerations of the brothers Ji Yuan and Ji Feng, but after listening to Ji Feng's analysis, Uncle Ji's mind suddenly became clear.

He couldn't help but recall the various ways the Second Branch had helped them in the past, and he realized that the Second Branch was currently experiencing rapid growth and would undoubtedly become wealthy and prominent in the future. Furthermore, Ji Nuan's current marriage would undoubtedly benefit his family greatly.

Uncle Ji was secretly upset, wondering how he could have been led astray by the old woman's few words and become confused.

He secretly glanced at his second brother's expression. Fortunately, he seemed relatively calm and didn't seem to be interested in making a fuss. This made him feel a little relieved.

He patiently consoled her, "Mother, our whole family is grieving over Xiao He's passing, but you can't put the blame on Nuan Nuan. She doesn't owe us anything. And please stop making such a fuss. Second brother has helped our family so much. If you continue to make such a fuss, it will only embarrass us."

The two daughters-in-law were unreliable. When the eldest aunt-in-law saw that everyone in her own camp had turned against her and blamed her, she was so angry that she jumped up and down, cursing: "What's wrong with you, you old man? What did I do to make a fuss? I'm doing this for..."

"That's enough!" Uncle Ji interrupted her and sternly ordered his two sons, "Hurry up and help get your mother back. It's not fair to keep throwing a tantrum at your second uncle's house!"

Alas, he was blamed for all the good things and my aunt was blamed for all the bad things.

Ji Feng and Ji Yuan just wanted to leave this embarrassing situation as soon as possible. Each of them held one of their aunt's arms and dragged her out.

"Your sister-in-law just heard the news and was too sad to accept it, so she talked nonsense. Second brother, sister-in-law, please don't take it to heart." Uncle Ji didn't care whether the others believed it or not. He explained a few words and left in a hurry.

"Dad, Mom, look, we don't have to do anything, they solved the problem themselves." Ji Nuan looked at the receding back and said with a somewhat mocking tone.

Ji's mother gently poked her forehead and scolded her with a smile: "You, are you still here watching the show?"

Ji Nuan, however, looked serious. "Well, I've also discovered that my uncle isn't such a dull person after all. He can speak in a variety of ways at critical moments and is quite capable of handling situations."

Ji's mother glared deliberately and said, "Alright, you're still making up stories about the elders. Tell me about yourself first. Why did you leave without saying goodbye? Are you trying to drive your father and me crazy?"

Seeing that her mother was about to settle accounts with her, Ji Nuan quickly massaged her mother's shoulders and back and said coquettishly, "Oh, Dad, Mom, I'm sorry! I had planned to go out to collect herbs a long time ago, but Xiaoyao's sudden arrival delayed me. After entertaining her, of course I have to go collect herbs as soon as possible."

Ji's mother suppressed her smile and said sternly, "You're used to acting like a spoiled child with us! Don't do that next time."

Ji Nuan responded with a smile: "I know, Mom! I promise there won't be a next time."

Father Ji couldn't stand anyone talking about his daughter, not even Mother Ji, so he interrupted, "The child just came back. She must not have eaten or slept well outside. As long as she's back safely, it's good. Why do you think she's doing so much? Why not ask the kitchen to make more dishes that Nuannuan likes?"

Ji's mother rolled her eyes at him and said, "Just let her do what she wants. If she pokes a hole in the sky someday, I'll see what you'll do."

Father Ji winked at Ji Nuan, and seeing the tacit response, he asked proudly, "Can you poke a hole in the sky?"

Ji Nuan shook her head, looking serious: "No."

Father Ji said with an expression of "Just watch" and said even more proudly: "Look, the child knows his limits!"

Mother Ji watched the little tricks between the two with a smirk, and said to Father Ji in a bad mood: "You are old, aren't you childish? You are still playing with children as if they were little!"

The father and daughter looked at each other and started laughing.

- ??(?????)Thanks for the gift, cutie!