After transmigrating, he supported his family by working at a garbage dump.

Of course, that's all for later.

However, having gone through so much time, Xu Wenjie finally managed to come to town, originally intending to visit the ailing Old Man Mi.

But then I thought about it again. I had come empty-handed today, and it was for other things. Besides, it wasn't on the way to the east of the city, so I gave up.

Xu Wenjie stopped by Mr. Wu's shop on his way, but the shop was closed and the couple were not there. He wondered where they had gone. Xu Wenjie was disappointed that he did not meet Mr. Wu.

On the way back, there were no more oxcarts to ride in.

Xu Wenjie and his wife Li Quanfu took advantage of the early hour and hurried along the way, finally making it back before dark.

Before leaving, he also considered that if he went to the yamen and didn't run into Hu Da, he would inevitably have to give some money to bribe the officials.

At Zhang He's suggestion, Xu Wenjie brought some loose silver. Fortunately, he did, otherwise the three of them would have been harassed at the yamen and would have been able to meet Constable Hu without any trouble.

He still had some loose change in his pocket, and he planned to buy some nice pastries to cheer up his two children, but the grocery store was closed, which puzzled Xu Wenjie.

Li Quanfu was also puzzled. He looked at both sides of the street again and saw that the shops that were open for business on weekdays, whether it was a market day or not, such as rice shops and wine shops, were all closed. He became even more puzzled.

"Why are all the shops closed today? That's strange. Could something have happened?"

Xu Wenjie noticed it too. His eyes darkened, he pursed his lips, and shook his head without saying a word.

He guessed that it might be related to the government's plan to audit the accounts.

Hu San Niang didn't notice any of this; her mind was still on the silver that Xu Wenjie had spent to pay off the yamen runners.

Looking back now, I can only sigh with regret.

While at Hu Da's house, she couldn't help but mutter a few words after the meal, but she didn't ask Hu Da to help her get it back. The couple just secretly discussed that they would pay it back slowly in the future.

Since we can't get the money back anyway, we have no choice but to give up.

Those two men were, after all, people the county magistrate had given to the registrar, and her elder brother dared not offend them, especially since his current situation was not very good either.

She had already displeased the registrar by helping Xu Wenjie cover up these things, and now if she made a scene over these trivial matters, it would be bad for her elder brother and for everyone else.

Xu Wenjie understood this perfectly and naturally wouldn't agree to Hu Da doing this, nor would Hu San Niang agree to it either.

The couple discussed this matter in private, speaking in hushed tones, not wanting to get too engrossed in it, and didn't notice Sister-in-law Hu passing by. She overheard them.

Without telling Hu Da, Sister-in-law Hu took out the money she earned from cooking for others and gave it to Hu San Niang, saying she wanted to help Xu Wenjie make up for it.

The eldest brother and sister-in-law had helped their family a lot on a regular basis, so how could Hu San Niang and the others accept this money? Hu's sister-in-law had guessed it all along and immediately pulled out Hu Da.

“…If you don’t accept it, I’ll tell your older brother. You know his temper; he might take it to the authorities, and then it won’t be something I, as his sister-in-law, can handle.”

Hu San Niang accepted the gift with tears welling up in her eyes, and held Hu Da Sao's hand, deeply grateful.

"Sister-in-law, I'm so grateful to you all these years."

Sister-in-law Hu smiled and gently patted Third Sister Hu's hand, "We're all family, talking about these things..."

……

Looking at the silver Li Quanfu handed over, Xu Wenjie paused for a moment, then smiled and refused.

He was only going to the government office because of his own business; if he accepted the money, he would have no face to face the Li couple in the future.

He would never accept the silver that Li Quanfu offered.

“They say even brothers should keep clear accounts,” he said, waving his hands repeatedly. “...If Brother Li really does this, he’s treating me like an outsider. Not to mention me, even Zhuzhu, I won’t dare let her recognize any godfather or godmother anymore.”

Li Quanfu hesitated upon hearing this and looked at Hu Sanniang.

Hu Sanniang isn't someone who can be easily intimidated by a few words. If Xu Wenjie refuses to accept it now, there will naturally be a time when he will.

So when the three of them returned to the village, Xu Wenjie said goodbye to the couple and went home. Hu Sanniang quickly stopped him and told him not to leave yet.

“I’ve got some more sword bean sprouts. He Niang definitely doesn’t have any. Take some back to her. I think she even wants loofah sprouts. She’ll definitely like this too.”

Since the weather warmed up, Zhang He has spent all her time, apart from household chores, wandering around the vegetable garden in the backyard. It's clear she loves it, so Xu Wenjie had no reason not to support her.

"Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law."

Xu Wenjie smiled and thanked him.

Little did they know that Hu San Niang had secretly hidden the few taels of silver in the vegetable basket during this break.

Fearing that Xu Wenjie might not know and might have lost it, she specifically told him to be careful.

"These bean sprouts are very delicate, so you have to hold them carefully. If they get broken, they will be difficult to grow."

Xu Wenjie had also farmed before and felt that Hu Sanniang was exaggerating a bit, but because it involved Zhang He, he was still extra careful.

When Xu Wenjie returned home, Zhang He happily put the bean sprouts into the pot, and the few taels of silver rolled down the sprouts with a clattering sound.

She was immediately terrified, thinking that Hu San Niang had lost it.

Hearing Zhang He's exclamation, Xu Wenjie rushed over.

Upon seeing the scattered silver coins on the ground, he was first taken aback, then he understood what had happened.

He squatted down, picked up the silver, and said to Zhang He with a wry smile, "This silver wasn't lost by Li Ersao; she deliberately hid it in the vegetable basket."

Zhang He looked bewildered, her brows furrowed slightly. "What's going on? Why would she do this?"

Xu Wenjie sighed, placed the silver on the table, and explained, "Third Sister Hu and Brother Hu are both kind-hearted people. They felt bad that we spent some money on the trip to the yamen and wanted to help us make up for it. I originally refused to accept it, but I didn't expect her to come up with such a way."

Zhang He was touched by what she heard, but felt mostly helpless.

She shook her head. "We can't accept this money. Brother Li and Sister-in-law Li aren't well-off either. How can we let them spend money? Besides, we're going to the yamen for our own business. If we accept this money, what kind of people would we be?"

Xu Wenjie nodded in agreement with Zhang He: "You're right, we have to return this money. However, He Niang, you'll have to make another trip. If I go, Li Ersao will definitely be able to find it."

Zhang He nodded. The Li Quanfu couple weren't stupid. "That's right, then I'll go first thing tomorrow morning."

Xu Wenjie wrapped the silver up and then thought of his two children.

"...Where are Zhuzhu and An'an? Are they inside? Why haven't I seen them come out? Are they angry because they know Daddy didn't bring anything back?"

As Xu Wenjie spoke, he peeked into the house but didn't see the two children. Remembering that Zhang Xiaolin was missing, he felt a pang of anxiety.

Seeing his nervous appearance, Zhang He chuckled and said, "What's wrong, my husband?... Tuanyuan didn't go to town with Uncle Deng today; he came to visit Zhuzhu and An'an! It just so happens that Sister Xiangyun wanted to go for a stroll in the village, so I asked Tuanyuan to take the three of them to Uncle Deng's house."

Xu Wenjie breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Still a little nervous, I continued to ask questions.

"When did they leave? Why haven't they come back yet, so late?"

Zhang He smiled and said, "I went after lunch. Tuanyuan said that Uncle Deng's family made some delicious food today and wanted the children to come and try it. I was busy with the vegetable garden in the backyard, so I didn't go. Mei Xiangyun said she would take good care of the children. Husband, you are worried too."

Xu Wenjie was worried and said he would go pick up the two children.

Zhang He was surprised, wondering why Xu Wenjie, who was usually so composed, was suddenly acting so easily.

Zhang He trusted Mei Xiangyun, but after all, Mei Xiangyun was an outsider.

Although Xu Wenjie had suspected that she was a member of the Liang family, it was only a suspicion and was later proven not to be true. To the two children, Mei Xiangyun was just a stranger they didn't know very well.

It's normal for him to be worried.

Although Zhang He didn't think Mei Xiangyun was a bad person, seeing Xu Wenjie's worry, she smiled and waved her hand, saying, "Then husband, go and bring them back. It's getting late, don't go too far."

Xu Wenjie left with a frown on his face.