Compared to the subtle atmosphere at Elder Luo's house, the household of the Second Elder Luo was recently filled with joy. After all, the marriage arrangement for their only daughter was not something one could easily secure; it was an event that would make a great many people envious!

Luo Qing, the daughter of the Second Elder Luo, had been feeling as if she were dreaming lately. Due to her mother's circumstances, few people had shown interest in her, and she had already resigned herself to the possibility of remaining unmarried. Who would have thought such happy news would befall her? She had instantly transformed from the object of pity among her friends to the focus of their envy. Although there were a few sour remarks, she promptly ignored them.

Luo Qing had also heard about the Wang Er's family and knew her future in-laws possessed considerable assets. She looked forward to a beautiful future life with great anticipation, sometimes even breaking into involuntary smiles when daydreaming. Afterward, she would secretly regret it, feeling she appeared somewhat flighty.

When the news spread that the Wang Er family was seeking an alliance with the Second Elder Luo's family, it truly took everyone by surprise. Considering the Wang Er family now had a respectable standing, why would they set their sights on the Second Elder Luo's family, whose reputation was currently not the best? Moreover, they were the ones actively proposing the marriage. This completely refreshed the villagers' understanding of marital alliances. Especially for those girls still unmarried, it sparked endless fantasies: the Second Elder Luo's family had a poor reputation, yet their own family’s reputation was good; perhaps one day they, too, would be struck by a falling piece of fortune, just like the Second Elder Luo's daughter?

However, none of this affected Caiyun. Because, after her meticulous care, the ducklings and chicks hatched from the eggs incubated by her Big Flower had broken shell that very day, which delighted her immensely. Madam Yang also placed high importance on this, as these creatures would eventually bring income to the household.

In the end, both duck eggs hatched into ducklings, and sixteen chicks emerged from the twenty eggs. Although four egg whites went to waste, this could not dampen Caiyun's excitement. She was now in charge of these two ducklings, sixteen chicks, and one old hen, Big Flower.

Besides constantly circling around them, Caiyun would also catch grasshoppers and other insects to bring back as feed when she went out digging for wild vegetables. This directly led to the poultry growing fond of following Caiyun around; after all, one must stick close to the provider of food and sustenance.

The whole family cherished these little birds. When Wang Qingchen returned from school, he would also stop by to see them; those fluffy, little ball-like creatures were undeniably endearing. Wang Youfu and Wang Qinghua, upon returning from the fields sometimes, would also come to check on them. Especially Wang Youfu, who would occasionally sigh; the last time their family raised chickens was before the family split, when the Old Madam was managing them. Now, his own household was keeping chickens, filling his heart with an indescribable feeling.

Caiyun's devotion to these birds was quite astonishing. She named every single chick and duckling. Although they were just sequential names, like Little One, Little Two, and so on, miraculously, she could accurately identify which name corresponded to which bird. The family found it both amusing and slightly exasperating. Wang Qingchen even considered conferring the title of "Commander" upon this dutiful caretaker.

What made things even more comical was that after Hongying visited Caiyun’s treasures several times at her invitation, she went home and relentlessly nagged her mother, demanding to learn how to hatch chicks like Caiyun. Initially, when Hongying first visited Wang Youfu’s house, all she saw was an old hen squatting on eggs and duck eggs, and after watching a few times, it ceased to be novel. But now it was different; these were not just bare eggs anymore, but fluffy little cuties. Which little girl could resist the desire to possess them? Hongying’s mother, cornered by the persistent pleading, decided that raising a few chickens wouldn't hurt. She went to the village and bought a broody hen along with some hatching eggs, handing them over to Hongying, who finally quieted down.

Setting aside how Caiyun and Hongying began their respective poultry-keeping ventures, a few days later came the betrothal feast for Wang Qinghua and Luo Qing. Madam Yang prepared a generous engagement gift in advance. On the day itself, Wang Qinghua wore the new clothes Madam Yang had stayed up late sewing. The whole family was dressed neatly, although Wang Qingchen still couldn't attend, as he had to go to the academy.

Also unable to attend were Wang Qingtong and Wang Qingyi. However, since Wang Qingyi was younger, he quickly forgot his disappointment after playing around with his little friends at the academy. But it was different for Wang Qingtong. Not only could he not attend the betrothal feast, but he also had no peers in his class to play with, since his age-mates were all in higher classes.

Wang Qingchen was relatively fine. Although he couldn't witness his elder brother’s shyness, he understood that studying was paramount and managed to maintain his usual demeanor.

"I wonder what the person engaged to Brother Qinghua looks like. I wonder if she's as pretty as Second Sister-in-law. Alas, what a pity I can't go today!" Wang Qingtong finished, slumping onto his desk.

Wang Qingchen responded by saying, "She hasn't even married into the family yet, and you're already calling her Second Sister-in-law?"

"Oh, well, it's happening soon, isn't it? I'll have to call her that sooner or later anyway," Wang Qingtong replied dismissively.

"I really don't know what to do with you. But you can't call her that in front of others, or you might damage her reputation," Wang Qingchen cautioned.

"Sigh, I know..." Wang Qingtong sighed, then added, "This academy is so boring. The teacher’s lectures aren't fun, and there’s no one to play with. It’s truly miserable..."

Wang Qingchen ignored his lamentations, as he heard Wang Qingtong express similar sentiments seven or eight days out of every ten.

However, after a short while, Wang Qingchen was stunned. Could it be that Heaven had heard Wang Qingtong's wishes? Thinking this, Wang Qingchen took a closer look at Wang Qingtong for a moment. Was this fellow one of those people exceptionally favored by Heaven?

Wang Qingtong, on the other hand, was overjoyed. Whatever he wished for seemed to materialize instantly. Just as he was grumbling, a new student arrived at the academy, and surprisingly, he was placed in their beginner class.

This new student was named Zhao Cheng. He was quite shy, about the same age as Wang Qingchen. Wang Qingchen didn't pay much mind, but Wang Qingtong was ecstatic, finally having someone close to his own age.

Naturally, Zhao Cheng sat in the back row, just like Wang Qingchen and Wang Qingtong. Wang Qingchen observed that Zhao Cheng's family probably wasn't very wealthy, as the boy was only being sent to school at this age. Moreover, Zhao Cheng's clothes looked like they had been worn for a long time, faded from numerous washings, and covered with several patches. However, the stitching was neat, and the clothes were clean. Coupled with his fair complexion and decent looks, the overall impression he gave was very good.

As soon as Zhao Cheng sat down, Wang Qingtong couldn't restrain his excitement and began bombarding him with questions. Thanks to Wang Qingtong's warm and proactive approach, the two quickly became acquainted.

Thus, during lunchtime, Wang Qingtong enthusiastically invited Zhao Cheng to join them. However, Zhao Cheng lived in the town and went home for lunch, so Wang Qingtong had to drop the matter.

Of course, Wang Qingtong's behavior that morning was teased relentlessly by Wang Qingchen and Li Yuntai. Wang Qingtong didn't argue, as he was genuinely delighted by Zhao Cheng's arrival. Seeing that he wasn't cooperating, Wang Qingchen and Li Yuntai let him off the hook. The three then began discussing the betrothal feast of Wang Qingchen's elder brother, Wang Qinghua. Hearing this reignited Wang Qingtong's regret over not being able to attend, though he dared not voice it, as the other two had just spared him.

Upon returning from school, Wang Qingchen found the entire family at home, likely because of the betrothal ceremony that day, so he didn't head to the fields. Habitually, Wang Qingchen first went to check on Caiyun’s ducklings and chicks, playing with them for a while before stopping.

Entering the main room, he overheard the family discussing something important. It turned out that with the crops in the field nearing harvest, Wang Youfu planned to buy an ox.

"Husband, buying an ox will cost a lot of money, won't it? Renting one for a day only costs a dozen wen, and besides, we have to feed it every day," Madam Yang clearly felt buying an ox wasn't very cost-effective.

"I know what you're saying. The reason I want to buy an ox is because our family acquired another fifteen mu of paddy fields this year. If we rent someone else's ox then, won't it give us away?" Wang Youfu reasoned.

"That’s true. If the main branch finds out, who knows how much trouble it will cause!" Madam Yang also grew worried. "Then what about those fifteen mu of land? The rice harvested will certainly be noticed. Will the main branch not find out then?"

"You don't need to worry about that. I have a plan. We'll hire a few temporary laborers to harvest the rice there, and as soon as it's gathered, we’ll haul it straight to town to sell. Plowing, fertilizing, and sowing will also be handled by the temporary workers, so no one will notice," Wang Youfu explained.

"Then what about paying the land tax?" Madam Yang asked with confusion.

"We'll use silver to pay the taxes on the newly acquired fifteen mu of paddy fields. The original ten mu of land will continue to be taxed with harvested grain," Wang Youfu clarified.

"Alright then. I just wonder how much rice these newly bought fifteen mu of paddy fields will yield this year." Madam Yang felt uncertain; those paddy fields had cost a huge sum, and if the harvest was poor, they would suffer a heavy loss.

"Don't worry about that. I frequently visit those paddy fields. After deducting the tax, we should still profit around eleven or twelve liang of silver," Wang Youfu assured her.

"Husband, we can earn that much? Is that true? That's wonderful! Then our family won't have to worry anymore!" Madam Yang was almost moved to tears by joy.

"Yes, won't our lives get better and better from now on? Oh, right, we never sold the large amount of wheat harvested this year. When the weather cools down, we'll grind some of it first. We won't have to be so frugal with our food anymore; we can eat white flour frequently from now on," Wang Youfu said, a trace of excitement in his own voice.

"Ah..." Madam Yang was evidently equally thrilled.

Caiyun and Wang Qinghua, who overheard this, were also very happy. Being able to eat white flour often was the goal that farming families strove for. Now that their household could achieve it, it meant they were far surpassing many others. Their life was indeed getting better and better.

Though Wang Qingchen was also a bit excited about the significant improvement in their food supply, he still felt a touch of regret. Whenever the topic turned to harvests, he couldn't help but recall the vast quantities of produce he had gathered in his personal space. Alas, he wondered if he would ever have the chance to bring those items out in this lifetime.

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