I traveled back to ancient times, but I was able to lie down and relax.

Liu Nanjia secretly breathed a sigh of relief; she had managed to fool them.

Seeing that everyone's emotions had calmed down, he finally spoke up and explained his purpose:

“Uncle Village Head, we really do have a favor to ask of you today. It just so happens that Grandpa Li is here too, so please help us verify it. Have you heard about my sister Sirou being sick this morning?”

Seeing their serious expressions, the village head also straightened his expression and nodded.

As the village head, he was the go-to person for all matters, big and small, in the village, so he was well-informed and knew that Liu Yanxi had gone early in the morning to ask Doctor Li to treat his sister, but that Old Master Liu was unwilling to pay for it.

He asked, "You want me to step in and get your grandfather to pay? No problem. Even if you hadn't come, I would still have gone to give Old Master Liu a talking-to, out of respect for your father. He's really getting old and confused."

“It’s a matter of life and death, and it’s not like we’re really short of money. How come you won’t even buy your own granddaughter life-saving medicine?”

There had been rumors in the village that the Liu family was abusing the children of the second branch of the family, but the matter hadn't escalated, and the children hadn't come to him, so he didn't want to meddle in other people's private affairs.

After all, which family doesn't spank their child a few times at this point? Even if he asks, they'll just dismiss him with a casual remark about disciplining the child.

Doctor Li chimed in, "Yes, I also said that old man Liu is heartless. Si Rou is such a pitiful girl. When I took her pulse, her body was so weak, and her arms were covered in injuries. That's why I couldn't bear to leave her any medicine. I'll go and check on her again in a bit."

Liu Yanxi shook his head and said, "Uncle Village Head, we came because of this matter, but not to ask Master to pay money. We want to divide the family property."

"A family split up?" Both the village head and Doctor Li were surprised.

Liu Nanjia explained, "Uncle Village Head, Grandpa Li, you can force me to pay for Sirou's medicine, but what happens after that? We'll still be living in that house, and Sirou will still be beaten and scolded by her aunt."

"Moreover, this time, Grandpa was forced into this situation by you all. Not only did he spend money, but he also lost face. He already disliked me and my little sister, and because of Dad's situation, he also dislikes my brother. He won't let him continue his studies anymore, and from now on..."

She paused for a moment, then decided to be more direct, "Who knows how much they'll torment us in the future? If my little sister gets sick again, she might not make it through."

These words brought tears to the eyes of the brother and sister, and Zhao and Granny Liu, who were standing nearby, also wiped away their tears.

They had all heard the rumors in the village; it was said that Liu Nanjia's head injury was caused by her aunt.

Then, remembering that the little girl had just saved his family's stone, and feeling grateful, he urged the village head to make him agree.

The village head pondered for a moment and asked, "Now that the family has separated, where will you live? If you still live in that courtyard, then the separation will be meaningless."

Liu Nanjia felt a little embarrassed, as she not only needed help with the division of the family property, but also had to find a place to live.

Liu Yanxi was also a little uncomfortable, but he still took the initiative to speak up: "We...we want to stay in the village school for a while, and move out when we have more money. If that's not possible, the abandoned house in the east of the village will also be fine."

The village head was somewhat surprised to hear this, as he had not expected such a request. However, upon further reflection, he also felt that it was feasible.

Since Liu Xiucai left, no one in the village has been able to teach the children to read, so the school is useless now.

Liu Nanjia then added, "We're not staying here for nothing, brother. Since you're living in the school, you can take over Dad's job and teach the children!"

"Teaching?"

This time it was Liu Yanxi's turn to be surprised; his sister hadn't mentioned this before.

He shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, I've only been in school for a few years, I can't teach that."

Liu Nanjia actually only had the idea after seeing the village head's grandson.

She felt a little guilty for not informing her brother beforehand; she felt like she had betrayed him.

But she brought this up for Liu Yanxi's sake. Although he hadn't said it, he had never really given up on studying.

She had seen her brother secretly reading the books their father had left behind when no one was looking.

Letting him teach would also give him a legitimate reason to continue his studies.

Otherwise, he would suppress his ideals by using the excuse of needing to earn money to support his family and take care of his two younger sisters.

So he encouraged Liu Yanxi, saying, "Brother, you used to learn so fast when you were studying with Dad. Dad always praised you for being smarter than he was back then. If Dad hadn't had that accident, and you had continued studying, you might have even passed the preliminary examination."

"It's just for a child's early education, why can't it be done?"

He then turned to the village head and said, "Uncle Village Head, what do you think? Many village private schools only hire a student to teach. I don't think my brother is any worse than them."

“At least, we can always educate the children. Once they are educated, we can send them to the school in town. Consider it rent for our stay at the school.”

As the village head listened, his eyes lit up.

Yes, when his grandson was born, he planned to entrust him to Liu Xiucai for his early education as soon as he reached the appropriate age.

Now that the stone is getting bigger and bigger, it's time to teach him to read.

He was literate, but as the village head, he had too many affairs to attend to and couldn't spare much time.

Scholar Liu had often boasted to him about how clever his son was, so he figured he should let the boy from the Liu family give it a try and he could do it.

Moreover, everyone knows how difficult it is to pass the imperial examinations; otherwise, how could the Liu family have produced only one scholar in so many years?

Most people in the village send their children to school in the hope that they can learn to read and write so that they can find a high-paying job in town later.

If they really have talent, then it's not too late to send them to town for specialized training.

Most importantly, there isn't a single teacher in the village who can teach, and hiring one from outside is too expensive for them to afford.

The village head's eyes lit up: "I think this is a good idea. I've been worried about this for the past two years because hiring a tutor from outside is too expensive. Yanxi, you don't need to feel too much pressure. The villagers don't have high expectations; they just need to be able to read."

Liu Nanjia also chimed in, "Brother, I'm here for you too, I can help too."

Her body is only 12 years old, but her soul is not. She spent so many years in school in her previous life, so coming up with some teaching ideas is a piece of cake for her.

Looking at the village head's expression, Liu Yanxi understood that if he agreed to teach, the matter of dividing the family property should be settled, and the problem of housing could also be solved.

He gritted his teeth and agreed: "Okay, I'll give it a try, but you need to give me some time to prepare."

Li Zheng immediately agreed, indicating that he would take care of the division of the family property.

Liu Nanjia also breathed a sigh of relief. With the village in charge, the division of the family should be possible, except...

Some older brothers are useless.

After discussing and finalizing some details, the brother and sister left the village head's house.