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

Seeing that Wang Chunxiang had left, Yuan Pan'er quickly went inside to check on Zhou Changlin.

"Changlin, are you alright?" Yuan Pan'er asked with concern. She was afraid that Zhou Changlin would be hurt, and also afraid that he would soften his heart.

“I’m fine. I realized the truth the day I hurt my back. Actually, I’ve known for a long time that Mother favors Changsen and dotes on her youngest son the most. Don’t be fooled by Father’s hope that Changsen will change his family’s fortunes; in fact, he likes Changshui the most. Changshui has a sweet tongue and always knows how to please him. Otherwise, how could Father have tolerated Changshui’s laziness and lack of work all these years? I, on the other hand, am the one who is neither loved by my father nor my mother.”

"They disappoint me, yet they always give me a glimmer of hope. I'm the eldest son, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'll definitely be with my parents after they divide the family property. As the eldest son, I'll also get half of the family fortune. I work for the public treasury, but I'm also working for myself. I just never expected them to be so ruthless, wishing they could kill our whole family. My disappointment in them has been overwhelming. From the moment I made up my mind to sever ties with them, I will never look back. Pan'er, don't worry, even if Mother brought a few sweet potatoes today, or even if she brought a mountain of gold, I still wouldn't turn back."

"Mm." Yuan Pan'er grasped Zhou Changlin's hand. As long as they didn't get involved with the Zhou family, their future would be bright.

……

Carrying sweet potatoes, Wang Chunxiang walked and cried as she returned to Dongshan Village.

Zhou Changshui quickly came forward, "Mother, my brother didn't let you in? What happened?"

Old Zhou was also listening intently.

"I hadn't even gotten close when Sheng Guihua swept me away with a big broom... Waaah." Wang Chunxiang wiped away her tears and sniffled.

"Useless thing! Didn't I tell you to cry?! You, as a mother, brought food to see your son and grandson, and you cried at the door. Do you think they wouldn't let you in?" Old Zhou cursed.

"I cried! How could I not cry? My crying attracted the villagers from Shanhou Village. At first, they helped me, but after one of them told me about the severing of ties, they spat at me!" Wang Chunxiang felt wronged and wanted to cry even more. "I told you not to sever ties with the eldest son, but you wouldn't listen to me!"

Old Zhou frowned. The news spread so fast? Everyone in the village behind the mountain already knew about his severing of ties with Changlin?!

Damn it, Changlin has gained the upper hand in public opinion, this is really going to be a difficult situation.

Originally, as parents, they had an inherent advantage and could manipulate their son and daughter-in-law however they wanted. Now, the severing of ties has put them in a very passive position.

"Changlin didn't say a word? Where are Pan'er and the three younger ones?"

Wang Chunxiang was overcome with grief. "Changlin was lying in the house. He must have heard my voice, but he didn't say a word. When I arrived, Pan'er was in the yard. She didn't say anything and just watched as her mother chased me away with a big broom. The little ones who were playing in the yard went straight into the house when they saw me."

Zhou Changshui curled his lip and said, "I told you long ago that my sister-in-law is no good. My brother is such a filial son, it's probably Yuan Pan'er who instigated him to not acknowledge us and to make him disloyal to us."

Zhou Changshui's words were exactly what Old Man Zhou and Wang Chunxiang wanted to hear.

Wang Chunxiang muttered, "I used to think she was a good person, but I never expected her to be such a person. My incredibly filial son has been completely swayed by her pillow talk."

Old Zhou nodded in agreement. He was pretty sure it was her instigation that his son broke off his marriage, but then he realized that Zhou Changlin's current life was all thanks to his brother-in-law, and Yuan Pan'er was not someone to be trifled with. "After all, she gave birth to three children for Changlin, so we should still treat her with respect. If we want to win Changlin's heart, we can only take it slowly."

Zhou Changshui also thought of this and couldn't help but nod.

Wang Chunxiang just felt that it would be so much better if she could go back to before the family ties were severed, when Yuan Pan'er would cook for the whole family, make pig feed to feed the pigs and chickens, and clean the pigsty. Now all these chores have become hers.

Ma Xiangqin is terrible at cooking, and she can't even feed the pigs properly. Taking advantage of her pregnancy, he keeps ordering her around.

Originally, she was looking forward to the golden grandson in Ma Xiangqin's belly, but now she only finds Ma Xiangqin's belly an eyesore.

"By the way, Changshui, have you found out how Changlin's brother-in-law made his fortune?" Old Zhou asked.

Zhou Changshui shook his head, "I haven't had a chance yet. I heard about my elder brother building a big brick house, so I rushed back to tell you."

"Hmm, let's find out quickly. See if Changlin can get involved. Once our relationship with Changlin improves, we can get involved too."

Zhou Changshui's face immediately lit up with joy. He felt that he wasn't cut out for farming; this kind of easy, quick money was more suitable for him. "Dad, don't worry, I'll go to the village behind the mountain to inquire later. My brother is angry right now, but once he calms down, he'll definitely acknowledge us."

Old Zhou frowned and nodded. He couldn't quite figure out his eldest son these days.

……

Yuansheng replaced the coarse salt for braising meat with fine salt, which further enhanced the flavor of the braised meat and offal.

In addition to Laishui County, Donglaishun restaurants in neighboring Heyuan County and Qing County have also started selling braised food.

Because Manager Cao handled the matter so well, the owner put him in charge of the entire Donglaishun business in Laiyuan County. If it weren't for his frequent contact with Yuansheng, which facilitated communication between the two, the owner would have promoted him to Jizhou Prefecture to oversee the entire Donglaishun business there.

Manager Cao was overjoyed when he read the letter from his boss. Brother Yuansheng was truly his lucky star!

The letter from the employer said: "This young man is capable of inventing tea eggs, refrigerators, braised meat and other things in succession. He must be extraordinary. We should continue to befriend him and not be impatient for quick success or bully the weak."

Even without his employer's instructions, Manager Cao would do the same. His employer is a benevolent businessman with businesses all over China, and if he can refrain from bullying the weak, he certainly wouldn't either.

With Manager Cao placing more orders, Yuansheng naturally earned more silver each day, reaching eighty taels a day.

The number of braised pork hock and offal ordered by Donglaishun quickly increased from five sets on the first day to ten sets.

When Yuan Pan'er and Zhou Changlin heard the news, they were so excited that they didn't sleep all night. Ten sets of head, hooves and offal would be worth thirty taels of silver. If they split it in half, that would be fifteen taels of silver! Fifteen taels of silver!

Earn fifteen taels of silver a day!

They used to farm their forty mu of land, working from dawn till dusk, and taking time to chop firewood in the mountains. They would also do odd jobs in town, and could only save about seventeen taels a year.

Now, they can earn fifteen taels of silver a day! That's equivalent to a year's worth of money before!

It's all thanks to Yuanbao!

Yuanbao, Yuanbao, his name is just like his name, he is the god of wealth in his family!

Not only does making braised pork offal earn a lot of money, but it's also not hard work. It's much more comfortable than enduring the freezing cold and scorching heat to chop firewood in the mountains!

Wow! This life feels like a dream!

A dream so beautiful it's almost bubbly!

If Zhou Changlin hadn't injured his back, he would have loved to jump around a few times!

After selling all the braised meat on the first day, Yuansheng wanted to settle the accounts with his sister and brother-in-law. However, his sister and brother-in-law firmly refused.

“Yuanbao’er, you’ve spent too much money on us. The money we spent on treating my injuries these past two days, and the money Dad spent on buying large blue bricks and roof beams—I can’t accept this money!”

Yuan Sheng knew his brother-in-law's strong temper. "Okay, sister and brother-in-law, I'll deduct this amount first, and then I'll settle the rest with you later."

Zhou Changlin smiled sincerely, "That's more like it."

The entire Yuan family was filled with a joyous atmosphere.