Wealthy beyond measure, yet you call me a sister-supporting-brother demon?

"What did you say?" Yuan Pan'er's voice rose unconsciously. She looked around and then lowered her voice, saying, "Sixty taels of silver! Where did your uncle get the money?! How is this possible?! Absolutely impossible!"

"From what my uncle said, it's not just about helping my dad stand up and live a normal life; he seems to mean he wants to completely cure my dad!"

Yuan Pan'er gripped Zhou Yuchuan's shoulders tightly. "Yuchuan, do you know what you're saying? Didn't you hear what Doctor Zhong said? It will cost four hundred taels of silver to cure your father! That's four hundred taels of silver! The Zhou family has forty mu of land, and even if your father works from dawn till dusk, we can only save seventeen or eighteen taels a year! At this rate, it would take us more than twenty years to save up, not to mention your maternal grandfather's family only has ten mu of land! How could your uncle possibly earn so much money so quickly!"

“Mother, I’m serious. To put my mind at ease, my uncle took out a hundred taels of silver notes and forty taels of silver right then and there.”

Yuan Pan'er's voice was a little shrill, "What did you say?" Realizing that she had spoken too loudly, she quickly covered her mouth and lowered her voice, saying, "You saw your uncle take out one hundred and forty taels of silver with your own eyes?"

"It's true."

Yuan Pan'er pinched her own flesh. This was real; she wasn't dreaming. How could this be?

Although she knew her brother had sold some money from the family property when he visited last time, this was a huge sum of 140 taels! And it had only been a few days! She couldn't help but frown. "Could your uncle have been gambling? He just got lucky this time, but once he gets addicted, he'll be finished. After selling off the family property, he'll have to sell his children!" That was the only possibility. Otherwise, it was impossible to explain how her brother had acquired such a large sum of money in just a few days!

Zhou Yuchuan thought for a moment and shook his head. "Mom, it's probably impossible. When my uncle took out this money, my maternal grandparents and aunt were all there. If the money came from gambling, they wouldn't have ignored it. This money must have been earned by my uncle."

Yuan Pan'er still couldn't believe it. Earning 140 taels in just a few days? That must be the work of a god of wealth!

Zhou Yuchuan added, "Grandpa and Grandma's family even bought a brand new oxcart!"

"You even bought a new oxcart?"

"Yes, that cow looks very healthy and doesn't look cheap. Mom, don't overthink it. Just ask Uncle when you have a chance."

“That’s true.” Yuan Pan’er stopped worrying about it and decided to ask Yuan Bao’er later.

“Mom, my uncle told me that after this incident, my dad should have seen through the true colors of the Zhou family. We can take this opportunity to separate the family. That’s why my uncle didn’t reveal that he has money to treat my dad’s illness. Mom, you must pretend to be convincing, otherwise it will be a waste of my uncle’s good intentions. My uncle asked you to tell me in advance, mainly because he was afraid you would worry too much about Dad.”

Yuan Pan'er's heart pounded with excitement; how had life gone from despair to good days? She nodded, "Son, don't worry, I definitely won't hold your uncle back."

"Also, Mother, my uncle said that he will tell my father the truth only after he is sure that my father has seen through the true colors of the other members of the Zhou family and is willing to separate the family. He is afraid that my father will be soft-hearted."

"Hmm." Yuan Pan'er knew that Zhou Changlin was too loyal and righteous, which was why he had rushed to steal ten taels of silver from home to save his younger brother as soon as he learned that Yuan Sheng was unconscious and needed a marriage to bring good luck. Before he completely saw through the Zhou family and before he made a final decision to separate the family, it was best not to let him know the truth.

“Mom, my uncle specifically told us to keep a close eye on my dad. Knowing his personality, he might commit suicide if he's afraid of dragging everyone down.”

“I thought of that too, so before your uncle arrived, I didn’t dare leave your father’s side for even a moment.” Yuan Pan’er thought to herself, is this still the same little Yuan Bao’er who used to nag her for money to buy malt candy? This meticulous arrangement is so unfamiliar. But then she thought of the look of concern in her younger brother’s eyes just now, and it felt so familiar.

……

After preparing the medicine, Zhong Langzhong said to Yuansheng and Old Man Zhou, "The treatment costing eight taels of silver has been completed. Today's follow-up treatment will require another five taels."

Yuan Sheng said, "Doctor Zhong, continue the treatment. My brother-in-law and his family haven't separated their households, so my father-in-law should pay for my brother-in-law's treatment. My father-in-law is wealthy; he owns dozens of acres of land and has a large amount of savings. You'll definitely need to contribute."

Zhong Langzhong got busy again and continued preparing the medicine.

Old Zhou's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. "Yuansheng, what business is it of yours to meddle in my Zhou family's affairs?! If you want to treat your brother-in-law's injuries, you have to pay for it yourself! I don't have any money!"

“That’s right, Yuansheng, what right do you have to interfere in my family’s affairs? We’ve already decided not to treat my brother anymore. If you want to treat him, fine, but you can pay for it yourself.” Zhou Changshui said impatiently. “And you, that doctor, stop prescribing medicine. We won’t pay you for it.”

Zhong Langzhong's hands never stopped preparing the medicine.

Zhou Changlin was still unable to move due to the needles in his body. He had become somewhat numb to the ruthlessness of his father and younger brother. Once you see some people clearly, you will no longer have any hope for them.

Yuan Sheng said to Zhou Qingchun, "Qingchun, find a gong and bang it in the village. Let everyone come to Old Zhou's house to watch the show. Tell them that Zhou Chunqiang's eldest son, who has been working like a slave for him, has been injured, and Zhou Chunqiang has told him to just wait to die! This kind of immoral family wants to take the imperial examination and pursue an official career? Dream on! They won't even pass the first step of being recommended as a filial and incorruptible official!"

"By the way, I want to emphasize why my brother-in-law went to the logging team. It was for Zhou Changsen's tuition fees! Now, my brother-in-law was injured when a tree fell on him while he was logging, and Zhou Changsen just watched his older brother die! There's no place to reason with people in Shanhou Village, so we're going to Qingshan Town and Laiyuan County."

Zhou Qingchun was about to go find the gong.

"Wait a minute, Yuansheng, why are you in such a hurry? I didn't say I wouldn't treat the eldest son. He's my most beloved son, how could I really ignore him? I just wanted to see if there was a cheaper treatment option." Old Zhou's weakness was his youngest son's chances of passing the imperial examinations. Any risk that might affect his youngest son's chances of becoming an official had to be nipped in the bud.

"Didn't your village doctor Zhang say that he has to be sent to the town clinic for treatment? Otherwise, if we send my brother-in-law to town now, the food, drink, and lodging will probably cost even more money." Yuan Sheng wanted to laugh a little. The old man didn't seem embarrassed at all. This lie was so clumsy.

Zhong the Physician has prepared the new medicine. "Five taels of silver."

Old Zhou was furious and at a loss. This Yuan Sheng was really troublesome, always finding a way to hurt him. He ordered Wang Chunxiang, "Stop crying and go get five taels of silver."

Zhou Changshui shouted, "Dad, we can't pay this money! Even if we cure my brother, he won't be able to get out of bed or do heavy work. What's the point of spending so much money to save a useless person?"

*Slap!* Old Zhou slapped him hard across the face. "What are you doing? What are you doing! You're still showing off because you're alright! You have a little wealth and a few drinks and you start bragging to everyone in the village. Now everyone in the village knows that the Zhou family is rich, but they won't treat their eldest son and just watch him die. If this gets out of hand, everyone will talk behind their backs. How will the third son ever be able to become an official?"

Yuan Pan'er and her children won't cause much trouble; after all, they're all Zhou family members, so they're easy to deal with. Yuan Sheng, that scoundrel, is different. When his youngest son was recommended for the civil service exam, he actually jumped out to cause trouble!