It's hard for my elder sister. I rely on the mountains to farm and pay off my debts.

After the meal, Song Zhi suggested to Wu: "Grandma, the villagers have been working in our house for such a long time, and we haven't specially entertained everyone."

"I still have half a day's work tomorrow. I plan to buy some food and set up two tables at home as a way of thanking my fellow villagers for their hard work these days!"

This was a reasonable and logical matter. Mrs. Wu had no objection to her granddaughter's suggestion. She nodded and said, "Okay, I'll do as you wish!"

After finishing the discussion about the banquet, Song Zhi said, "There's one more thing. While everyone is here tomorrow, let's pay everyone the money we owe."

After saying that, he called his eldest brother back to his room, and the two of them carried a wooden box to the main room.

Song Zhi opened the wooden box, and the piles of copper coins and silver ingots made people dizzy.

Afterwards, she took out a few hundred dollars and paid her grandmother, aunt, and cousin fifteen cents a day each as wages.

Because Song An and Song Huan worked hard to go to the city to sell every day, Song Zhi also gave them ten cents a day as wages.

The youngest children, Song Cheng, Song Kang and Song Zhi, were each given thirty coins to cultivate their sense of money.

Even his uncle Song Zhi, who was recuperating from his injuries, was given a hundred dollars.

Song Youshan pointed at himself with his left hand in amusement, "I have one too?"

Song Zhi nodded. "Isn't my uncle idle in the house helping to peel the mung beans?"

It turned out that after lying in bed for two days, Song Youshan, who was used to doing housework, insisted on running over to help push the millstone.

There are so many people working at home, why do we need him? But he refuses to listen to advice and says he is uncomfortable with being idle.

Yang was really worried that her husband would pull his arm if he exerted too much force, so she had no choice but to bring the mung beans for making cakes into the room and ask him to peel them.

Song Youshan pushed the money back to Song Zhi without much concern, "Take it, take it. Why should we pay wages for a family?"

"Dad is right!" After saying that, he also pushed the copper coin to Song Zhi.

With this father and son as an example, Yang was embarrassed to accept the money and looked at her mother-in-law eagerly.

The few younger ones who were fiddling with the copper coins curiously withdrew their hands, as if they realized they shouldn't hold the money.

Song Zhi couldn't help but sigh in her heart. This big pot idea was not acceptable.

Song Zhi coughed twice and said seriously, "Uncle, what you said is wrong!"

"I've seen it. If a family wants to thrive and be harmonious, it must clearly identify each person's contribution, be generous in rewarding when it's due, and be ruthless in punishing when it's due."

"Uncle, just like you, wipe out everyone's contributions all at once. It seems like you're trying to maintain family unity, but in reality, your approach of taking on so much will only dampen everyone's enthusiasm."

"What's worse is that it will give the younger ones the illusion that it doesn't matter whether they do it or how much they do, because they won't get any benefits anyway!"

"So, I think it's imperative to divide the money. Even if your uncle doesn't want to accept it, you can't stop the rest of the family from accepting it, because it's their hard-earned money."

After she finished speaking, the room fell into a brief silence.

She knew that it was not easy to change a person's ideas, let alone her uncle who had been influenced by traditional ideas for forty years.

But she also knew that if she didn't make changes today, the cancer that had accumulated in her family would eventually erupt.

In order to ease the tense atmosphere, Song Zhi had to wink at her grandmother, "Grandma, do you think I'm right?"

Mrs. Wu knew very well that if the family was not properly divided, there would be serious consequences.

She immediately made the decision, "Azhi is right. Since the children have worked hard to earn this money, they deserve it."

"But...."

Song Youshanhai wanted to say something else, but Wu stopped him, "This is also what I mean. Just do as Ah Zhi says!"

Wu made the final decision and the matter was settled.

At the dinner table, Song Youshan, feeling depressed, looked at his wife and children who were happy again, and couldn't help wondering, did he really do something wrong?

After the money was divided, Song Zhi took the silver ingots and more than ten taels of silver and brought them to Wu. "Grandma, here are twenty taels. Tomorrow, I'll ask you to pay back the money owed to the villagers."

Before Song Youshan could say anything, Yang interrupted, "Azhi, it was my aunt who was stingy before. How could I let you pay back all the money the family owes? Mother, didn't the Wang family compensate us with silver last time? Use that money first, and if it's not enough, we can get more from Azhi!"

Song Youshan nodded repeatedly, "What Mei Niang said is right, mother, just do as Mei Niang says!"

Song Zhi insisted, "I had agreed to pay the money back before. If I break my promise now, how will my family look at me?"

"Grandma, Uncle, I'm grown up now and have my own ideas and thoughts. I hope that in the future I will be the one to make the decisions about my own affairs, including those concerning Huanhuan and Xiaokang."

"I think I'm capable of arranging them well. These twenty taels are a good proof, aren't they?"

She curled her lips into a faint smile, but what she said made Song Youshan and Yang Mei very ashamed.

Although this was said bluntly, this was what Song Zhi meant.

With their current concepts, thoughts, and cognition, it is easy for them to think, "I am doing this for your own good!"

She didn't want them to say such things in the tone of their elders in the future.

On this matter, Song Zhi was unwilling to compromise and her attitude was very firm.