A family with three widows, after severing ties with relatives, she became wealthy and married into

"Your home?" Wang Xiuying looked at the thatched hut behind her.

"This thatched hut belongs to the village and was previously rented to a stranger."

"How did it become your home?"

Lu was hesitant and mumbled, "The village chief agreed to rent it to me."

"Can you afford to rent it?" Wang Xiuying asked directly.

"Even if this house is run-down, it would still cost at least a hundred or so coins to rent for a month. Do you have that kind of money?"

Wang Xiuying pushed Lu Shi away forcefully, saying, "If I don't have money, it's not rented to you, it's not your house, and I can search it whenever I want."

"Are you in charge?"

Lu was pushed so hard she almost fell, and Wang Xiuying took the opportunity to run into the house.

Tian Xiang helped Lu Shi up, "Mother, are you alright?"

Mrs. Lu shook her head, and at the same time felt something was wrong. Weren't the pottery jar, tinderbox, sickle, and kitchen knife all at the door?

Why did Wang Xiuying go straight into the house? Didn't she see her?

Mrs. Lu looked suspiciously at the place where the pottery jars were placed by the door, only to find that the pottery jars that had always been there were gone, leaving only the ashes left from yesterday's burning.

The tinderbox, sickle, and kitchen knife have all disappeared.

Tian Tian smiled smugly, having put everything away, leaving Wang Xiuying with nothing.

Sure enough, Wang Xiuying went into the house, walked around, and came out empty-handed.

She shook her head at Wang Yulan, "Mother, there's nothing there."

"No?" Wang Yulan exclaimed in disbelief, "Impossible!"

She left Tian Tian and went inside.

Tian Tian let her have her way, because she had already seen Tian Jinghe running over with the village chief.

The village chief was followed by some villagers who were watching the commotion.

She asked Jinghe to call the village chief so that he could give a word and prevent these people from searching the house at every turn.

Wang Yulan went in and searched the place, but came out empty-handed.

Besides Tian Xiang's bedding and a few worn-out clothes, there was nothing else in the room.

"Since you didn't steal it, let's just forget about it. It belongs to the eldest daughter, let's go."

"Wait a minute," Tian Tian called out to them.

Wang Yulan turned around and was about to pinch Tian Tian's ear, "Who are you yelling at, you brat?"

Tian Tian quickly dodged and called out to someone not far away, "Grandpa Village Chief, you've arrived."

Tian Bonian was brought here by Tian Jinghe.

When the little guy got home, he started whimpering and howling, looking anxious and annoyed. It scared him so much that he put down his bowl and ran over here.

"What happened?" Tian Bonian asked.

Tian Tian beckoned, and Tian Jinghe returned to her side, timidly hugging her leg.

“Village chief, we severed all ties with the Tian family two days ago. You are our witness.”

Tian Bonian nodded.

“That day, apart from my eldest sister, my mother, my younger brother, and I didn’t bring anything; we came out empty-handed.”

“They came to search our house because a few bowls were missing from their house today.”

"If they search our house less often—less often than a tinderbox, less often than a kitchen knife, less often than a water ladle—how are we supposed to live?"

"Grandpa Village Chief, you must do us a favor, we orphans and widows!"

Tian Bonian nodded knowingly.

“Second son’s wife, I was there that day when you broke off all ties. Apart from Tian Xiang taking her own bedding and clothes, no one else took anything.”

“Since you have severed all ties, you should each go your own way from now on. What happened today must not happen again.”

Wang Yulan pursed her lips, tossed aside the branch in her hand, and said, "Okay."

Wang Xiuying's eyes darted around, and she steered the conversation to the thatched hut, "Village Chief, Madam Lu said that you rented this thatched hut to them."

"This is a house in the village. Village chief, how many copper coins did you rent it to Lu and the others for a month? Did Lu and the others pay you?"

Hearing this, Wang Yulan perked up, "That's right, this is a house in the village."

"Village chief, how many copper coins did you rent? Since it's a house in the village, everyone should know."

The other villagers echoed his sentiments.

The money earned from renting out houses in the village belongs to everyone in the village.

The village must publish its annual income, expenditures, and surplus every year.

"Village chief, don't be a good person and let them live in the houses, making the whole village suffer." Wang Yulan stirred up the villagers' emotions.

When it comes to money, the villagers aren't so easily fooled.

"The rent is one hundred cash a month," Tian Bonian quoted the price he had already agreed upon with Madam Lu.

"Only one hundred coins?" the villagers muttered. "Didn't it used to cost one hundred and fifty coins to rent to outsiders for temporary accommodation?"

“Village chief, you can’t keep their plight a secret and give them such a low price.”

"No."

Tian Bonian pointed to the thatched house, "When it was rented to outsiders, this house was in perfect condition, and the vegetable garden in front of the door had been turned over."

"I also prepared things for home use."

"Let's look at it now."

"The thatched huts are in such a dilapidated state. The meadows are overgrown with weeds."

There was nothing inside.

"Renting for 100 coins is considered high."

The villagers muttered, "Why not just fix it, flip it over, and bring some other things along?"

Tian Bonian looked at the person who spoke, "Then you come and repair it, you come and till the land, you bring them pots, bowls, chopsticks, kitchen knives, sickles, tables and chairs..."

"The extra fifty coins each month will be given to you directly."

The man scoffed, "My family doesn't have any extra stuff."

Everyone's things are just right; who has extra money to buy more?

As for repairing houses, turning over the land...

He does have that idea, but his family doesn't agree.

Tian Bonian asked the others, "Who else is willing to contribute something? The extra fifty coins will go to that family."

Nobody can produce it...

Pots, bowls, and chopsticks are fine, but kitchen knives and sickles each weigh several ounces.

They are not stupid.

"Village chief, stop trying to fool everyone. Where would Lu Shi and the others get the money?" Wang Xiuying rolled her eyes at Lu Tao. "Could she possibly give a hundred coins a month?"

"I don't believe it."

The villagers also expressed their disbelief.

Lu Tao glanced at Tian Bonian. The village chief had already been very helpful to them, and she didn't want to put him in a difficult position.

"I don't have any money right now, but I'll give it to you when I do."

Wang Xiuying crossed her arms and said, "Wait? How long do we have to wait?"

"One hundred coins a month. If you don't pay this month, you'll have to pay another one hundred coins next month. It will only become more and more unaffordable."

“That won’t do,” she said, looking at the other villagers. “Don’t you all agree?”

"If you want to stay, you have to pay money first, then you can stay, right?"

The villagers, always eager for a good show, chimed in, "Yes, that makes sense."

"We should pay them first before they stay. What if they don't have the money and run away after a month? Who will we ask for the money back?"

"Village chief, are they asking you for money?"

"If you want to stay, pay upfront."

"Give me the money."

"Give me the money."

"Give it to me immediately!"