Since the decision to purchase cattle had been made, the first order of business was constructing a cowshed. Wang Youfu enlisted the help of several acquaintances from the village, and within a few days, the shed was complete.

Once the cowshed went up at the Wang Youfu household, everyone in the village knew he was planning to buy cattle. Suddenly, the village buzzed with talk that the Wang Youfu family must be flush with wealth. Not only had they repaid their debts, but they were now buying a shop, acquiring cattle, and seemingly preparing for their eldest son’s marriage—these were all grand expenditures. Those with sharp minds did the arithmetic and concluded it would take at least one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty taels to manage all this, and that was a conservative estimate.

Looking further, if the eldest son of Wang Youfu were to marry, they might even need to build a new house, as the current one wouldn't suffice. Once this calculation was factored in, the villagers' eyes turned green with envy. They unanimously agreed that Wang Youfu must have stumbled upon some secret source of fortune, perhaps some trick involving 'raising flowers,' and that everything else was just a smokescreen. Consequently, lately, the entire village had begun paying involuntary attention to the Wang Youfu residence.

And if the villagers were astute enough to notice these things, how could Wang Youfu’s own brothers not see it, especially when money was involved?

Thus, when Wang Youliang heard the news, he immediately sensed an opportunity. He had been sporadically lavishing funds on the attractive widow in town and was worried about running low on pocket money. He shared the villagers’ conviction: Wang Youfu had deceived everyone and must possess some secret scheme, even fabricating the story about the flowers. This second brother was indeed cunning; this time, Wang Youliang was determined to extract the source of his good fortune.

So, Wang Youliang and his wife, Tian Shi, instigated the Old Master and Old Madam to visit together to inquire. The Old Master reasoned that merely asking the second son to offer some assistance to his elder brother, not demanding money, should be manageable. Moreover, since the second son had thoroughly deceived everyone last time, even fabricating that nonsense about raising flowers, surely he must feel some guilt. A few pointed words from the Old Master should settle the matter. The Old Madam, recalling the clothes she obtained last time, wondered what she could ask for this time. Thus, the Old Master and Old Madam, accompanied by the eldest son and his wife, headed to Wang Youfu’s house.

Wang Guifang, residing in the old homestead, naturally overheard this development. She decided it would be best to keep her distance from the eldest branch of the family going forward; she simply couldn't bear their habit of trying to claim any good thing they saw. Having made up her mind, she returned to her embroidery.

Shortly after, Wang Qingshan’s wife, He Shi, came to join her in embroidery. He Shi had been married into the Wang family for several years without conceiving and constantly feared displeasing the elders, which made her exceedingly cautious around everyone. Now that her sister-in-law had been sent home, He Shi felt there was finally someone in the household with whom she could interact normally. Consequently, since Wang Guifang moved back to the old homestead, He Shi had been getting along quite well with her.

Meanwhile, when Wang Youfu saw the Old Couple arriving with the eldest son and his wife, he knew trouble was brewing again. However, what surprised him this time was that they had come to ask about his 'secret,' rather than demanding money directly.

Wang Youfu and Yang Shi welcomed the contingent from the old homestead inside. As soon as the Old Master sat down, he began, “Second son, you’ve struck immense fortune this year. After clearing the family debts, you bought a shop in town, arranged a marriage for Qinghua, and now you’re buying cattle. I estimate before Qinghua gets married, your family will even build a new house. Seeing your family prosper makes me happy, Father. But when I think about how your elder brother’s family is living, my heart aches. I’ve come today precisely about this matter. Don't try to fob us off with stories about your little one raising flowers. For my sake, if you have some good fortune-bringing secret, offer some guidance to your elder brother.”

A secret source of fortune? Wang Youfu glanced at the visitors from the old homestead, utterly unable to comprehend.

Wang Youliang saw the confusion on Wang Youfu’s face and snapped, “Stop trying to fool us with that flower nonsense! How expensive can flowers be? You lied to us, saying your little one raised them—are you taking us for fools?”

Only then did Wang Youfu realize that virtually no one believed the story about his second son earning money by raising flowers; everyone assumed he had some hidden financial scheme. This realization instantly worried him. If he told the truth, no one would believe him; did he have to invent a lie? But a lie might fool others, yet it wouldn't fool Wang Youliang, who was directly demanding a secret path to wealth.

“Father, I truly have no secret scheme. This silver was truly earned by Qingchen. I was still serving my corvée labor then; where would I find a scheme? If I really had such a way, why would I subject myself to the hardship of the corvée? Wouldn't I just pay the five taels of silver and be done with it?” Wang Youfu argued.

The Old Master considered this. Indeed, the second son’s family only began to prosper after he returned from the corvée. If he had a secret before his labor service, why wouldn't he have simply paid the silver to avoid it? And during the corvée, it was impossible—it was nothing but hard labor all day; when would he have time to seek out schemes? But if the scheme only appeared after the corvée, that also seemed wrong; it was as if the money appeared right when he returned, the timing was off. Could it truly be that his little son earned it while he was serving his term?

Seeing that the Old Master was beginning to believe Wang Youfu’s defense, Tian Shi, standing nearby, grew anxious. “Qingchen is so young, what does he know about raising flowers? Besides, what kind of flower could possibly be that expensive?”

“Eldest Sister-in-law, perhaps Qingchen just got lucky. The flowers thrived once they were in his hands. Such lucky occurrences happen. Furthermore, aren't the flowers used by high officials and nobles incredibly precious?” As he spoke, Wang Youfu turned back to the Old Master. “Father, this is what I think: good fortune like this doesn't happen often, and we certainly can’t rely on it for future income, as people with genuine skill are the ones who earn that money. Qingchen’s instance was just luck. I just want to use this money to secure what we can for the family now, lest the money runs out and our livelihood crashes again.”

The Old Master nodded. He was now completely convinced by the second son’s explanation, as the words resonated deeply with him. Just as the second son suggested, securing the family fortune while they had money meant no worries when funds were scarce, and future generations would also benefit. He recalled how he had labored his entire life to amass a respectable family estate so that he could benefit each son upon division. He knew that some families in the village were so poor that marrying off a son was a difficult affair.

“Second son, your thinking is correct. Your Qinghua needs to marry, Qingchen needs to study and eventually marry too, and Caiyun will need a respectable dowry. Planning early now prevents panic later. Since there’s no secret scheme, I won't press further,” the Old Master said, then turned to Wang Youliang. “Elder brother, you need to learn from your younger brother. Plan and secure your family assets early. Remember, your three sons are counting on you!”

“Father, I’d like to secure assets, but I have no money!” Wang Youliang muttered, pouting.

Wang Youfu grew somewhat angry hearing this. How could one have no money if one didn't earn it? It seemed his elder brother was always thinking about taking advantage of others. “Elder brother, you’ve misunderstood. Money must be earned through your own hard work. You haven't even tried earning, yet you claim to be penniless—is silver supposed to fall from the sky? Moreover, you can’t always expect others to support you. To put it bluntly, you are the elder brother; shouldn't you sometimes set an example and support us? It can’t always be us supporting you. This is your own household you must maintain; you must take responsibility. You can’t expect others to raise your wife and sons for you!” Wang Youfu appealed to the Old Master, “Isn't that right, Father?”

The Old Master coughed awkwardly. It seemed the second son had brought up a point he had never considered. His long-standing principle had been to help the poorer branch among his three sons with funds from the wealthier one, never realizing this might foster dependency and discourage initiative. Thinking back on past events, and looking at his eldest son and daughter-in-law now, the couple seemed utterly accustomed to relying on others for support—relying on their parents, and relying on their two younger brothers.

Wang Youliang felt a shiver run down his spine under his father’s gaze. “Father, why are you looking at me like that?”

Tian Shi also felt a distinct discomfort.

“Elder brother, I recall that your branch received the largest portion when we divided the estate. How is it that after several years, your branch is still in this state? Have you never considered saving money?” the Old Master mused, half-questioning, half-muttering to himself.

The Old Master's words struck a chord in Wang Youliang and Tian Shi. The couple certainly knew the real reason; in fact, everyone present except the Old Master probably did. It wasn't that they hadn't saved money; it was simply that they spent nothing while constantly crying poverty, urging the Old Couple to demand more resources from the second and third branches. This had led the Old Master to perpetually view the eldest branch as impoverished and always needing assistance.

Flustered by their sudden exposure, the couple didn't know how to respond. Wang Youliang regretted instigating the visit. Thankfully, the Old Madam was there; she always favored the eldest branch and would surely prevent them from falling into such a predicament. She interjected, “But the daily food and necessities cost money, not to mention supporting us, the elders. Isn't the outlay for daily needs naturally higher?”

“What kind of talk is that? Do the second and third sons not buy food and necessities daily? Besides, precisely because we, the elders, live with you, you received a much larger share during the division. How can you speak as if you’ve forgotten all that?” the Old Master countered.

It seemed the Old Master’s awakening made him much harder to fool. The Old Madam was momentarily at a loss for words. However, people sometimes possess sudden wit. The Old Madam winked sharply at Tian Shi, then suddenly clutched her head, crying out, “Oh dear, my head suddenly aches so badly! Oh dear, what is happening to me…”

Everyone in the room instantly panicked. Tian Shi rushed over in three quick steps to support the Old Madam. “Oh dear, Mother, what’s wrong? Husband, hurry and carry Mother back quickly! I’ll go call the physician, hurry!”

Wang Youliang caught his wife’s eye signal and understood immediately. “Quick, quick, I’ll carry Mother back! You go fetch the physician. Father, we can discuss this later; Mother’s illness is urgent.” With that, Wang Youliang quickly carried the Old Madam away, and Tian Shi hurried off under the pretense of fetching a doctor.

The remaining few in the room hadn't fully processed what had happened before the eldest son and his wife had completely departed. The Old Master was also concerned and, after cautioning Wang Youfu and Yang Shi briefly, hurried back to the old homestead himself.

Yang Shi, worried about the Old Madam, wanted to go check on her, but Wang Youfu held her back. “You don’t need to worry. It’s better if you don’t go; this matter is best resolved by the old homestead folk themselves. Outsiders shouldn't interfere.”

Wang Youfu had clearly seen that the Old Madam was feigning illness to protect the eldest branch. Yang Shi, though not fully grasping the nuances, heeded Wang Youfu’s advice and stayed put.