Transmigrated into a seven-year-old child, my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens.

Upon entering the Qiao residence, Zhao Lian found it in disarray, with some servants hurrying by, carrying bundles as if they were about to leave.

In the courtyard, several maids and servants were talking to Steward Su. Zhao Lian overheard a few words and noticed that Steward Su was dismissing the servants.

Some servants were unwilling to leave, so Steward Su could only put on a stern face: "Go, all of you. The sooner the better. I've paid you three times your wages, so I've done my job well."

An old woman cried, "Steward Su, at least we could earn a living in the Qiao family. Now that you're kicking us out, where are we going to go?"

"What's going on? Is something wrong with the Qiao family? I don't need wages, I just want a bowl of rice." Granny Liu cried.

"Yes, Butler Su, please, please plead with the young master for us."

Since the drought, the Qiao family has dismissed many servants, leaving only about ten.

Yesterday, the young master suddenly announced that he wanted to dismiss all the remaining servants, but they refused to leave no matter what.

Unexpectedly, this morning, Butler Su packed up all their belongings, paid them three times their wages, and told them to leave as soon as possible.

"Ah~"

Butler Su sighed, "Old Liu, don't blame me. I was just following orders. I can't even take care of myself right now. Let's just pray for our own good fortune."

"There's nothing we can do about it, so please don't make things difficult for me."

Despite the maids and servants' best efforts to persuade her, they could not change the situation and could only leave dejectedly.

Butler Su breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and caught sight of Zhao Lian out of the corner of his eye. He immediately rushed over anxiously: "Miss Zhao Lian, you've finally arrived."

Zhao Lian frowned: "Steward Su, what's going on? Why are you only dismissing the servants now?"

Butler Su shook his head helplessly: "Oh dear, these maids and servants refuse to leave no matter what, and the master doesn't want to leave either."

"Steward Su, now that all the servants have left, what are you going to do?" Zhao Lian asked, puzzled, seeing that Steward Su wasn't in a hurry to pack up like the others.

Butler Su's eyes were burning: "Master saved my life. I won't leave. I'll follow Master wherever he goes."

This morning, the young master had spoken with Steward Su about fleeing the famine and also paid his wages, telling him to find another way to make a living. Steward Su also said he was unwilling to leave.

But the young master did not agree, and he still did not know what to do.

"Butler Su~"

Remembering the purpose of her visit, Zhao Lian asked, "Where are your young master and the others right now?"

Butler Su pointed towards the main hall: "They're still in the main hall!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the servants started arguing over something. Butler Su said anxiously, "Miss Zhaolian, you should go find the young master and the master yourself. I have to go and see."

Zhao Lian entered the main room and, as expected, found the Qiao family father and son there.

Qiao Tai sat on the stool, while Jordan and Qiao Feng stood beside him, earnestly trying to persuade him.

"Zhao Lian, you've come at the right time! Quickly, please persuade my father for me; he absolutely refuses to leave!" Seeing Zhao Lian, Jordan breathed a sigh of relief.

The two brothers were trying to persuade their father, but he refused to leave no matter what they said.

"Haha~"

Zhao Lian laughed like a silver bell: "Master Qiao is unwilling? This is a good thing! Anyway, he is old and it would be a hindrance to carry him on the road. This is a long journey with so many unknown dangers. At his age, he might even die on the way."

"In my opinion, you should give him some food and let him fend for himself. Maybe he can find a way to survive."

"Look, even Zhao Lian says so, so I'm really not leaving." Qiao Tai became more assertive when he saw someone chiming in.

Judging from Zhao Lian's words, she also agreed that he should not leave. Qiao Tai was even more determined to say that not only would he not leave, but neither would Li Chunhua and his youngest son Qiao Dun.

As for Qiao Feng and Jordan, they're grown up now, so let them be.

Zhao Lian then understood why Li Chunhua was in such a hurry to pack her things; it turned out that Qiao Tai didn't want them to leave either.

It is said that couples are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately. How much more so for this couple with an age gap.

Based on Zhao Lian's understanding of Li Chunhua, she knew that Li Chunhua would definitely not stay here.

They thought Zhao Lian would persuade her father to leave, but instead she made things worse and made him stay. Jordan and Qiao Feng were so angry they could only stare at each other helplessly.

Just as Qiao Feng was about to speak, he noticed Zhao Lian giving him a wink. He immediately realized that Zhao Lian was full of tricks and he wondered what she was up to.

But seeing her like this, Qiao Feng guessed she still had something to say, so he swallowed the words back down.

As expected, Zhao Lian changed the subject and continued, "Grandpa Qiao, I also support you staying, but let's think about it from another perspective. Qiao Dun is still so young. Can you really bear to let him stay here with you?"

He's not grown up yet; he'll have to get married and have children someday! In a while, when he's without water and food, unable to move an inch, he'll truly be helpless, with no one to turn to for help.

"If we go out there, we might still have a chance to survive. Once we get to a new place and settle down, we might be able to come back in the future."

"What parents want most is to see their children grow up, get married, have children, and establish themselves in society. Besides, you haven't even seen Qiao Feng get married yet! And your grandson is only a month old!"

After Zhao Lian finished speaking, her words were full of deep emotion, Qiao Tai fell silent.

Qiao Feng immediately smiled and secretly gave Zhao Lian a thumbs up. He knew Zhao Lian must have her own way.

Seeing that his father's expression had softened somewhat, he guessed that he had taken some of what he was saying to heart.

"Grandpa, please come with us!" A sweet-looking little girl ran out from the inner room and threw herself into Grandpa Qiao's arms.

This is Jordan's daughter, Qiao Xin. She has fair skin and a smart and well-behaved look.

"Dad, come with us!" Ling Yun came out carrying her son Qiao Zhen.

"Grandpa, please come with us!" Qiao Xin's eyes sparkled as she shook Grandpa Qiao's arm with both hands.

Qiao Tai's eyes softened immediately. Yes, these were his grandchildren, and he hadn't even watched them grow up yet.

His grandson was only a month old; he was his eldest grandson. Besides, Zhao Lian was right; Qiao Dun was still very young.

But this Qiao family estate was the business he had built up over decades. Asking him to give it all up and start over in a strange place seemed like something he was unwilling to do.

In an instant, Qiao Tai seemed to have aged considerably. He stroked Qiao Xin's head and murmured to himself, "Grandpa is old and can't walk anymore. Grandpa doesn't want to be a burden to you all."