A peasant girl travels through time with a hospital, rising to become an empress.

The Liu family's old house was filled with joy, while the Nie family's house was shrouded in gloom. News of Liu Yan's grand house-raising banquet had already spread throughout the village. The invitations, handwritten by Nie Qianqian, were simple yet full of ceremony, written in black ink on red paper. The villagers had never seen anything like it before. Those who received the invitations were very proud and passed them around. Those who did not receive the invitations felt regretful and thought that they should visit Liu Yan's family more often in the future. For a time, receiving an invitation to Liu Yan's house-raising banquet became a topic of conversation in the village.

At the dinner table, Liu Chunhua stabbed the coarse rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, saying, "Their high-profile celebration of the Liangliang wine is simply disrespectful to the Nie family."

Nie Daqiang glanced at him and scolded, "You talk too much! Why bring this up?"

Liu Chunhua obediently shut her mouth and stopped talking, but her face was full of displeasure.

The second son's family affairs were not handled well, which made his family lose face in the village.

Nie Erzhuang sat in the corner with his head drooping and his body hunched over, without saying a word.

During this time, the villagers looked at him more and more like he was a fool, with a mocking gaze.

The bold ones directly mocked him to his face, saying he was blind to talent, while the timid ones gossiped about him behind his back, saying he lost the big picture and didn't even pick up the small things.

In all his years, he had never felt such a sense of defeat. In the dead of night, he lay alone in bed, utterly bewildered. Liu Yan had divorced him, and he and Nie Qianqian had moved out of the Nie family home. Not only had their lives not become unbearable, but they were actually getting better and better!

He couldn't help but feel remorse; he shouldn't have agreed to the divorce in the first place.

Grandma Nie was even more upset. She had personally driven Liu Yan away, but now Liu Yan was building a new house and running a food stall. The happier Liu Yan was, the more unhappy she felt.

But she couldn't show it, lest she boost the morale of others and diminish her own prestige.

Grandma Nie said, "Erzhuang, raise your head. So what if Liu Yan is proud for a moment? She's still the woman you abandoned. Once Wenye passes the imperial examination and becomes a high-ranking official in the capital, our whole family will move there. No woman in this village can compare to her."

Grandma Nie had said these words countless times, and Nie Erzhuang was numb to them. Nie Wenye passing the imperial examination was a matter for the future; he could only see the present. He was ridiculed by the whole village for being foolish and stupid.

Before Old Mrs. Nie could say anything more, Nie Erzhuang suddenly stood up, his face full of gloom, his body tense, and rushed straight out of the house.

Grandma Nie called out from behind, "Erzhuang! Erzhuang! Where are you going!"

Nie Daqiang: "Mom, should I go out and see what's going on?"

Grandma Nie said angrily, "No need, Erzhuang is being stubborn again. Let him have some peace and quiet."

After calming down, Grandma Nie asked, "How's Wenye's studying lately?"

Mentioning this, Nie Daqiang said with a smile, "I went to see him a few days ago, and everything went smoothly. Wenye said that his article was praised by the vice dean. The vice dean values ​​Wenye very much now and will teach him his studies separately, placing the academy's hopes for passing the imperial examination next year on Nie Wenye."

Grandma Nie finally felt a little relieved. "This vice president is a discerning person. Unlike that Dean Qiu, who's old and senile and blinded by his own ignorance, he couldn't even detect that disability was clearly cheating."

After the meal, Grandma Nie called Nie Wenting over alone, "You've been observing these past few days, so how much money does Liu's Restaurant actually make in a day?"

Nie Wenting lowered her voice, but her surprise was still evident. "Grandmother, I've been squatting nearby counting for several days now. I sell more than 200 meals every day. Each meal costs either 10 or 15 coins."

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Nie gasped in shock, "You didn't miscount?!"

Nie Wenting nodded, "It can't be wrong, I've been counting for several days."

Grandma Nie squinted her eyes. More than 200 meals a day, that's more than 2 taels of silver. Looking at it this way, Liu Yan is not only a hen that lays eggs, but she's practically a hen that lays golden eggs!

Grandma Nie said, "Why didn't she have this ability when she was in the Nie family?" If Liu Yan had this ability, why would Grandma Nie have agreed to Er Zhuang's divorce?

Grandma Nie said to Nie Wenting, "Go out and find your second uncle and tell him I have something important to tell him."

-

The Nie family wasn't the only one paying attention to the Liu family's house-raising banquet. After Huang Xiuxiu learned that Liu Yan's family was going to hold the house-raising banquet, she informed her husband and Old Madam Sun.

Huang Xiuxiu held Grandma Sun's hand and said, "In front of everyone, Wu Tongguang brought a generous dowry and proposed marriage in front of everyone. He made a grand show of it and gave everyone face. Which woman wouldn't want to climb the social ladder? If everyone cheers him on, Liu Yan will definitely agree on the spot."

Ever since Nie Qianqian had humiliated her, Old Mrs. Sun had been holding a grudge. "Once Liu Yan marries Wu Tongguang, she will have to listen to her husband's family. If they tell her to go east, she will go east; if they tell her to go west, she will go west. That girl Nie Qianqian can no longer interfere in Liu Yan's affairs."

Huang Xiuxiu snorted, "He's just a little girl, Mother, you don't need to care about him. If this matter is settled, your son-in-law will get the job of grocery shopping in the kitchen, and he'll make even more money. Then I'll save up some money and buy you a house in the county town so you can live there."

Grandma Sun touched Huang Xiuxiu's hand, feeling comforted. Xiuxiu had married well and could support her family; it was a blessing for her.

Then, she thought of Huang Zhenzhu. If she married well, she could subsidize her family; if she married poorly, she would have to rely on her family for subsidies.

Huang Zhenzhu was never as pretty or clever as Huang Xiuxiu. She wouldn't listen to her when it came to marriage, saying that Liu Xiong was a kind and considerate person who would treat her well for life. Despite Grandma Sun's objections, she insisted on marrying Liu Xiong, only to suffer for herself. That's how her life will be. The Huang family will still have to rely on Huang Zhenzhu and her son-in-law Li Rong in the future.

After Huang Xiuxiu finished speaking with Li Rong, she went to tell Wu Tongguang about the matter without further delay.

Wu Tongguang brought Huang Xiuxiu and Li Rong to see Steward Zhou and explained the situation.

Steward Zhou had been the steward of the mansion for ten years, managing dozens of people. He was dressed in fine clothes and had a very imposing presence. When the three of them entered, he sized up Huang Xiuxiu.

"So you were the one who acted as a go-between for my uncle?"

Huang Xiuxiu quickly bowed. This was her husband's boss, so she dared not be negligent. "Reporting to Steward Zhou, it is indeed me, Liu Yan. She lives in Qinghe Village. Her family is small, and she is honest and reliable. She cooks very well and now runs a small restaurant in the county town. She is truly a good match for Brother Wu."

Wu Tongguang had told Butler Zhou about this a few days ago, saying, "This time, please help your uncle and go with him. That way, he'll feel more at ease."

Zhou Yunlong knew what his uncle was thinking. His uncle was old and his family was just an empty shell. The man had no money in his pocket and felt insecure. He wanted his uncle to give him some support. In short, he wanted to borrow the tiger's power.

Huang Xiuxiu: "Yes, Steward Zhou is a dragon among men. With you here, things will definitely go smoothly. I'm not afraid that Liu Yan won't agree."

Butler Zhou picked up his teacup, which contained the finest Longjing tea. He was second only to the master in the mansion, and his food, clothing, and daily necessities were basically the same as those of the master.

He also wanted to resolve this matter as soon as possible, so that Wu Tongguang wouldn't keep nagging him every few days.

Butler Zhou put down his teacup. "That day, both the master and the young master were going out and wouldn't be looking for me, so I went with you."

Wu Tongguang's face lit up with joy, and Li Rong bowed and scraped as he flattered Steward Zhou, "With Steward Zhou's arrival, this matter will be settled."

Butler Zhou said arrogantly, "She's a country woman with no background. If my uncle, Zhou Yunlong's uncle, wants to marry her, she has to marry him. She can't refuse."

He's the manager of a household, and over the years he's done all sorts of shady things, both legitimate and shady. He's got plenty of tricks up his sleeve. If he goes there, he'll guarantee the marriage will go through; it'll happen whether it's a done deal or not.