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

If it's just the hand-copying stage, there's no need to look at it. At most, there are only a few dozen books. Yuan Sheng believes that with Yuan Qingfeng's strength, he wouldn't tamper with such a small amount of money.

However, things are different when copper plates are used. If the book becomes a hit, some wealthy individuals will inevitably want to collect it. Because copper plate production is expensive, the initial selling price will be higher to quickly recoup costs. Once the initial production costs are recovered, the book price will decrease, and sales will actually increase significantly.

If book sales reach several thousand or even tens of thousands of copies, that's no small sum. Money can be a powerful motivator, and it's at this point that a person's true character is revealed.

Movable type printing involves significant interests, and Yuan Qingfeng wouldn't part with it until Yuan Sheng fully confirmed Yuan Qingfeng's character. He'd rather forgo some money than bring trouble to his family.

His purpose in making money is to give his family a better life; he shouldn't put the cart before the horse.

Eager to see the rest of the story, Yuan Qingfeng said to Yuan Sheng, "Nephew Yuan Sheng, logically speaking, I can't urge you to write the second draft before we've seen the results of the first installment. But if you trust your uncle's judgment, then start writing the second draft as soon as possible. This book is sure to be a bestseller."

"Of course I trust Uncle Yuan. I'll get back and work on the second draft as soon as possible." Since he had to practice calligraphy anyway, he might as well practice while writing the book. Yuan Sheng was confident in The Humble Cultivation Chronicle.

Yuan Qingfeng was very pleased. "Nephew Yuan Sheng, this book is a groundbreaking work. If this book becomes a hit, I believe there will be more cultivation novels on the market."

"Ah."

After Yuan Sheng finalized the manuscript, he left with Zhu Chenxi without mentioning Zhu Chenxi's new novel to Yuan Qingfeng. The two had already agreed before coming that they would wait until the worldview of "The Humble Cultivator's Tale of Immortal Cultivation" was established and readers enjoyed the genre of cultivation novels and were looking forward to a new book before Zhu Chenxi would create a new work from the female protagonist's perspective to fill the gap in the market for novels about young ladies from humble backgrounds.

Having nothing lacking at home, Yuan Sheng and Zhu Chenxi didn't buy anything in the county town and prepared to head home.

On the way, they saw the guy selling candied hawthorns again. Yuansheng looked at his wife, thought about the three little ones at home, and was about to buy four skewers. But then he thought about how his father was like a child, so he decided to just buy one skewer for each of them and bought nine skewers from the guy.

The young man selling candied hawthorns was so happy he could hardly see his eyes. The total was seventy-two coins, but he rounded it down to seventy coins.

Yuan Sheng became more and more skilled at driving the cart, and Zhu Chenxi, holding a candied hawthorn, sat on the oxcart as the two headed back.

A gentle breeze blows, time flows by, and life is peaceful and beautiful.

As Yuansheng walked, he saw a family of five in the distance.

The woman carried a basket on her back and walked alongside her two sons, while the man carried their youngest son.

Looking at the woman's profile, that's... his second sister?! Yuan Nian'er?!

Yuan Sheng shouted excitedly, "Second Sister! Second Brother-in-law!"

Yuan Nian'er turned around, saw Yuan Sheng, and excitedly ran towards him, "Bao'er, Bao'er! It really is you!"

Yuan Sheng also drove quickly forward, saying, "Second Sister, don't turn back, I'll catch up with you soon."

Yuan Nian'er thought about it and realized it made sense, so she quickly stopped. She had gone to such lengths to get here, and if she ran back, wouldn't that be a wasted trip?

Brother-in-law Zhao Mingde, holding his youngest son, also waved happily to Yuan Sheng.

Soon, the two groups met up.

Zhu Chenxi quickly jumped off the oxcart, calling out, "Second sister, second brother-in-law!"

Yuan Sheng pulled Zhu Chenxi aside and introduced her to his second sister and brother-in-law, "This is the wife I married to bring good luck, the young lady from the scholar's family."

Yuan Nian'er patted Yuan Sheng on the shoulder, "You're lucky, kid. You even got to marry a scholar's daughter in a marriage of convenience." The second sister didn't look down on Zhu Chenxi because of her ugly appearance.

Yuan Sheng glanced at his wife and said, "I'm lucky and blessed. Not only did I marry a good wife, but I also have seven good sisters and brothers-in-law."

"Still so sweet-talking." Yuan Nian'er imagined pinching Yuan Sheng's cheek like when they were little, but then she felt he was too grown up for it, so she pulled away.

Zhu Chenxi quickly grabbed three candied hawthorns and handed them to her three nephews, who sweetly said, "Thank you, Auntie."

"Good boy/girl." Zhu Chenxi patted the youngest child's head.

The two youngest nephews also greeted Yuansheng politely, saying, "Hello, Uncle."

The eldest brother, Zhao Youliang, was biting into a candied hawthorn, pretending not to see Yuan Sheng.

Yuan Nian'er scolded, "This child is so insensible!"

Yuan Sheng didn't blame them. "Sister, brother-in-law, you must be exhausted from the journey. Hurry up and get on the oxcart."

Yuan Sheng carried the second son, Zhao Youxue, onto the oxcart. Yuan Nian'er put down the basket and carried the third son, Zhao Youchen, onto the cart. The eldest son, Zhao Youliang, got on the cart by himself.

"Brother-in-law, you must be tired after such a long journey. Get in the car quickly."

Zhao Mingde patted the ox, "I'm walking, I'm not tired, I'll save the ox if I can."

Yuan Sheng pressed his brother-in-law into the car, saying, "How far is Zhaogezhuang from our home? Hurry up and get in the car."

Unable to refuse, Zhao Mingde finally got on the oxcart.

Yuan Nian'er married into Zhaogezhuang Village in Zhaogezhuang Town, which is more than 80 miles away from Qingshan Town.

My sister and brother-in-law took the children and walked for a long time. The second child, Zhao Youxue, got sleepy as soon as he got in the car and dozed off leaning against Zhao Mingde.

Yuan Nian'er touched the brand-new oxcart. "Yuanbao'er, did you borrow this oxcart?"

It couldn't possibly have been bought by our own family. It hasn't been that long since Mother sent word that my younger brother was sick and needed money, and she asked Uncle Niu Gen to bring back six hundred coins.

Later, she received a message from her mother saying that her younger brother's condition had not improved after taking the medicine; on the contrary, it had worsened to the point of unconsciousness. The family quickly pooled their money to have a wedding for him to bring good luck. Fortunately, the wedding went well. However, due to the tight schedule, only her eldest sister and brother-in-law from the next village attended the wedding; the other sisters were not notified.

She felt somewhat guilty about this; her brother was in a coma and needed a wedding to bring good luck, yet she hadn't been able to help with such a big event, only giving the initial six hundred coins. Her eldest sister and brother-in-law contributed ten taels of silver, and she and Zhao Mingde had brought four taels with them this time, intending to first repay the money to her brother-in-law on behalf of her family. Her brother-in-law hadn't even divided the family property, and lending out ten taels of silver at once put immense pressure on her eldest sister and brother-in-law.

Therefore, her family is still facing a famine and it's impossible for them to buy such a nice oxcart.

"Sis, I bought this car."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Nian'er immediately frowned. She had married early and lived far away, so all she knew about her younger brother's current situation were her parents and older sister.

As far as she knew, her younger brother became lazier and gluttonous as he grew up. He spent all his time hanging out with Wang Damao and his gang of scoundrels who didn't do any proper work. He never did any farm work at home, but instead wanted to eat and dress well, and didn't care about his parents at all.

Looking at Yuan Sheng and his wife's brand-new clothes, Yuan Nian'er frowned more and more, her joy at seeing her younger brother and sister-in-law long gone. "Yuan Bao'er, tell your sister honestly, where did you get your money?! I'm not as easily fooled as Mom and Dad!"

"Sister, this money is all clean; I earned it honestly through my business."

Yuan Nian'er clearly didn't believe it, and her brother-in-law Zhao Mingde also frowned.

Yuan Sheng felt helpless. He used to be a terrible person and a complete scoundrel. Now that he's changed for the better, nobody believes him.