My reborn husband and son are thinking about how to kill me every day.

Looking at the old Fang family house, Gu Chunzhi exclaimed, "Although this house is a bit old, it's kept quite clean. The Fang family really are people who pay attention to detail."

Ji Yunshuang frowned slightly when she touched the table and benches and found that her fingers were clean as before.

Even if the Fang family is particular, they would only come over to the yard to weed when they have free time. They wouldn't wipe the tables and chairs so clean that there's not a speck of dust, would they?

This house has clearly been cleaned recently.

Thinking of the expression on Liao's face when she first heard that they were refugees who had moved to the village, a guess arose in her mind.

I'm afraid this house was originally meant for someone else...

Just then, a roar came from outside, and the door was suddenly pushed open.

"Who are you? Who let you in? This is trespassing, which is illegal. Do you know that?"

A young man in white glared angrily at Ji Yunshuang and the others, and shouted, "Get out of here right now!"

Ji Yunshuang opened her mouth, about to speak, when Liao came running over breathlessly, gave Ji Yunshuang and the others a smile, and then grabbed the boy, saying, "I brought these people here. Come back with me first, and I'll tell you something when we get back."

The boy refused to leave, shaking off Liao's hand and saying, "Mother! Didn't we agree that once Xiufang's family moved in, we would let them live in this old house first, and after Xiufang and I got married, we would renovate it and use it as our wedding house? How can you go back on your word and break your promise?"

"They can't move it all!" Fang Lizheng shouted. "Fang Zijian, if you don't get back to class right now, I, Fang Xingshan, will disown you as my son."

"Why can't we move them? Dad, didn't you promise me?" Fang Zijian retorted, glaring angrily at Fang Lizheng. "Are you just after money again—"

"You unfilial son!" Before he could finish speaking, Fang Xingshan took off his shoe and slapped it at Fang Zijian.

Having probably been frequently whipped by his father with the sole of his shoe, Fang Zijian reacted quickly, leaping behind Liao Shi like a monkey.

Liao habitually stood in front of her son and advised Fang Lizheng, "What kind of behavior is this in front of outsiders? If you really want to discipline him, wait until we get home and you can beat him however you want behind closed doors, I won't care."

Fang Lizheng said with great distress, "A doting mother spoils her son! A doting mother spoils her son! Look at him, look at what he's become! And you still protect him? When we get home, will you still let me hit him?"

"That brat doesn't study hard and is always causing trouble. I'll beat him up without you even having to lift a finger!"

Liao grabbed Fang Zijian, "You're coming back with me!"

Fang Zijian was unwilling, but judging from his mother's expression, he knew she was truly angry this time.

He stopped struggling and let her drag him out of the courtyard.

After Liao dragged her son away, she left behind a courtyard full of people facing each other awkwardly.

Fang Li was putting on his shoes when he said awkwardly, "What a misfortune for our family! It's truly a misfortune for our family, making us a laughingstock for everyone."

Ji Yunshuang quickly replied, "Village head, you flatter me. I think that although your son is a bit unconventional, he seems to be an outstanding person and will surely achieve great things in the future."

Which parent doesn't like others praising their child?

Moreover, Fang Lizheng not only doted on his youngest son but also had high hopes for him, believing that although he was physically weak from a young age, he was smarter than his two older brothers. With proper upbringing, he might achieve great things and bring glory to the Fang family.

Ji Yunshuang's words were a compliment that touched his heart.

However, though he was happy inside, he humbly said, "I'd be grateful if that brat didn't cause any trouble. How could I expect him to accomplish anything?"

Ji Yunshuang also said that the more outgoing and troublesome a child is, the smarter they are. As long as they put in a little more effort in their studies, they will definitely get into high school.

She also said that Fang Zijian was very similar to a brother from her old neighbor's family. She said that when she was little, she often saw the old man who was a scholar next door hitting his son with the sole of his shoe. Later, that brother passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). The government came to announce the good news with gongs and drums.

Ji Yunshuang's casual conversation made Fang Lizheng feel completely at ease.

If even a scholar would use the sole of his shoe to whip his own son, then it proves that his behavior just now wasn't too impolite.

In particular, when Ji Yunshuang told him about the neighbor's child, he felt that the child was very similar to his own youngest son.

He could almost see the officials coming to his family with gongs and drums to announce the good news.

At this moment, his unease and displeasure at the disruption of his plans caused by Ji Yunshuang and the others' arrival had completely dissipated.

He smiled and asked about the basic information of Ji Yunshuang and the others. After reviewing their household registration documents and making the registration, he took them to select a homestead and allocate land to each family.

During the Great Zhou Dynasty, only males who were sixteen years of age or older could be allocated land, and the amount of land allocated to each person varied from region to region.

In Shuanghe Village, each male could be allocated three-tenths of an acre of farmland and five-tenths of an acre of dry land. Women, however, were not entitled to any land. Therefore, Ji Yunshuang's family was allocated a total of nine-tenths of an acre of farmland and one and a half acres of dry land.

The Zhao family's situation is unique because the man is dead, and the child is still young...

Fang Lizheng was in a difficult position, but in the end, it was only because Ji Yunshuang spoke up for him that he reluctantly allowed her family to choose a house site first, and also allocated six fen of land and one mu of dry land to her family.

He said that these fields should have been allocated to Zhao Zheng and Zhao Rong after they came of age, but considering their special circumstances, they were allocated to them first, and he would report the matter to his superiors later.

In addition, there are the Zhou family and the Mu family.

Only Zhou Dalin from the Zhou family met the criteria for land allocation.

Fang Li sighed as he looked at the pitifully small number of people in the Zhou family. In the end, although Zhou Erzhu was not old enough to receive land, he was allocated land ahead of schedule.

Apart from Village Chief Mu and Mu Zhigang, who met the criteria for land allocation, only Mu Yuancheng, who turned sixteen this year, met the criteria for land allocation in the Mu family. The other children did not meet the criteria.

The Mu family received the same amount of land as the Lu family.

Although the land was divided, it was actually all wasteland. It was only distinguished as dry land and paddy fields because of the different locations.

It's not an easy task for several families to plant their spring crops without missing the deadline.

If these families don't want to find other ways and only want to rely on the produce from the land to survive...

Fang Lizheng felt that perhaps only the Lu family could manage. Other families, he feared, would be in a much more difficult situation.

But that's not his concern.

After registering the land matters, he hurriedly returned home.

At the Fang family home, Madam Liao had already explained the situation to her youngest son, saying, "It's not that your father doesn't want to help you, it's just that there's really nothing he can do. The refugees have already been taken care of, what else can your father do?"

Fang Zijian said, "I don't care, you tell Dad to think of another way."

"If you ask me, that girl from the Kong family isn't a good match either. She said her family has been having some bad luck these past two years, and they lost money in business. Do you really believe that? Maybe something else happened at home, and they can't stay in Hongdu anymore. They're keeping it from you!"

As she spoke, Madam Liao opened the small bundle that Lu Yuzhu had given her. Inside, besides a coin, there were several oil paper packets. She opened them and saw that they contained pastries, so she handed them to her son to eat.

Fang Zijian was feeling annoyed, so he grabbed a snack and stuffed it into his mouth. After taking a bite, he froze and looked at Liao Shi abruptly, asking, "Mother, where did you get this?"

Liao was puzzled by his reaction and said, "It was given by a young wife among the new refugees."

I said no, but she insisted on giving it to me. That young lady was pretty and eloquent; she was simply likable!

As she spoke, she couldn't help but feel regretful. If only her own brat could find someone like that as a wife.

Fang Zijian didn't listen to a word of his mother's long praise of Ji Yunshuang.

He stuffed the oil paper package into his arms and turned to run outside.

At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind: Xiufang's shop was saved.

As long as he helps Xiufang's family save their shop, even if he doesn't manage to bring them to the village to settle down, she'll forgive him, right?