Lin Dajiang was an honest man, fearful of his wife. In the past, when his younger brother’s family struggled, he had considered offering assistance, but each time he broached the subject, his wife, the He, would scold him back. Thus, he felt too embarrassed to ask his brother for such a large sum outright and merely stood by silently. Hearing his wife speak that way, he felt it was excessive, so he nudged He, but she ignored him.

Seeing his sister-in-law speak like that, Er Niu’s brow furrowed even tighter, and he spoke up, saying, “Sister-in-law, why speak like that? I never said I wouldn’t help Qingshan. Do you think my family is some wealthy household? Fifty taels isn't something we can pull out casually. We just built a house recently, and now we’ve hired a tutor to teach the children; how much money could we possibly have left? As for Qingshan’s matter, let me think of a way; there will always be a way.”

When Zhao heard Er Niu say this, she was naturally displeased, and she spoke up, “Er Niu, Qingshan is your nephew, your own flesh-and-blood nephew. Your elder brother only has this one son. We’ve exhausted every solution we can think of. You know all our relatives; they’re dirt poor. You have money to build a house, money to hire a tutor, money to support outsiders, yet now that your own nephew is in trouble, you’re unwilling to help? If you let this get out, aren't you afraid people will point fingers at your back?”

Hearing Zhao’s words, Lin He felt a surge of anger. Did she think fifty taels of silver was five copper coins, or did she assume their family were landed gentry, able to produce fifty taels without a thought? Their household was merely ordinary farmers. Now that the elder uncle’s family was in trouble, they expected Lin He’s family to bankrupt themselves to help, even acting as if it were something owed to them. She couldn't recall the elder uncle’s family ever returning the favor to help them when their own livelihood was on the line.

When Lin Er Niu heard his mother speak this way, he indeed felt a deep pang of distress. Although his mother’s words were harsh, if he truly abandoned his nephew, people would certainly criticize him.

After a moment of thought, Er Niu said, “Mother, Sister-in-law, listen. I truly don't have that much cash on hand right now. Let me think of a way; I’ll see if I can borrow some from various places. I’ll come to your room tonight to give you my answer.”

Hearing her son say this, Zhao finally breathed a sigh of relief; her son was willing to help. She knew this son of hers would never truly abandon his kin. She was only worried that her daughter-in-law, being an outsider, might object. With that thought, Zhao glared fiercely at Huang a few times before walking out.

Over there, He also said, “Then we’ll have to trouble Second Uncle. Please be quick; the deadline is tomorrow.”

Lin He thought this He was truly a piece of work. Not only did they ask for help in borrowing money, but they demanded such a large sum right off the bat without an ounce of shame. Instead, she acted as if others owed her money, rushing them. How is it that every corner has a few of these exceptional people? It truly was bafflingly amusing.

After He left, Er Niu urged Huang to bring out the money. Huang sighed, lifted a brick from the side of the heated kang bed, and retrieved a small box from underneath. Huang unlocked it and counted the silver inside. In total, the family had sixty-two taels left—this was the money for their daily sustenance, plus the funds needed in early spring to buy farming tools and seeds. During winter, there was no income coming in.

Er Niu instructed Huang to count out fifty taels. Huang remained seated, motionless. Of course, she was extremely reluctant. All women in the world are the same; if the money they painstakingly saved was to be spent on their own husband and children, they wouldn't object, not a single word. But now, they were expected to hand it all over to others in one go; any woman would resist.

To put it another way, if what was taken today was only a portion, Huang would have handed the money over without a second thought. Or if it were for some other pressing matter, that would be different. But now, Qingshan himself was living it up outside, draining their household, and now they wanted to drain her family’s resources too. The mere thought that her own children might have to endure the same hardship they had in past winters made Huang’s heart pound.

Nevertheless, Huang ultimately counted out fifty taels of silver and handed it to Er Niu to take. Lin He watched the remaining scattered silver pieces lying alone in the box and sighed; it seemed they would have to struggle through this period again.

In this era, generally speaking, for a very ordinary life, like the one they lived before, where meals were often missed, a family’s annual expenditure was about three taels of silver. If life was slightly better, including clothing and food, it approached five taels.

But now, with so many mouths to feed, buying farming tools in the spring would likely consume nearly half of this remaining silver. Farming implements in this time were made of iron and were rather expensive. Coupled with New Year celebrations and festivals, where gifts needed to be bought for elders and neighbors, this money might not be enough.

The shop over there was still under renovation and hadn't officially opened. Lin He had already told Uncle Wen not to issue any dividends until the money was repaid, and she couldn't easily go back on her word now. Besides, Lin He didn't want to use money from there anyway; she hadn't put in a single penny of her own cash. To take dividends now just because she said so would make her look mercenary. What would Uncle Wen think?

Lin He and Huang had no idea what awaited them next; He didn't even intend to leave them the remainder of the silver.

Er Niu was also clever. He knew that if Zhao and He realized he had produced fifty taels so easily, he would face endless trouble in the future. So, he deliberately walked out to the edge of the village and didn't return until dusk.

That evening, Er Niu took the money to Zhao’s room and handed the silver to He, saying, “Sister-in-law, here is fifty taels. My own family didn't have enough, so I borrowed some from my wife’s elder brother to make up the full fifty taels.”

Upon receiving the money, He’s face immediately broke into a wide smile. “Second Brother is truly the best! Qingshan’s mother thanks you on his behalf.”

Lin Dajiang truly felt ashamed. He just held his younger brother’s hand and choked out, “Er Niu, I have treated you poorly in the past. Seeing how hard your family worked, I never offered you aid, and now that you’re facing difficulty, I have to ask you to lend such a large sum. I really have no face.”

Er Niu gently held his elder brother’s arm, saying, “Big Brother, what are you saying? Your family has also had a tough time. Our family has scraped by for so many years too; what’s past is past, let’s not mention it. Now that Qingshan is in trouble, he is my nephew, and I will naturally help where I can.”

After a brief silence, Lin Dajiang spoke again, “Er Niu, rest assured, I will repay this money as quickly as possible. Your family is large, and times are difficult for you too.”

Er Niu, however, smiled and said, “Big Brother, let’s not talk about that much yet. We are brothers; we’ll discuss repayment when you have the means. There’s no rush.”

He glanced at Dajiang, thinking what a useless speaker her husband was. This fifty taels—when would they ever be able to repay it? Right now, their family had nothing; how could they possibly pay it back? With a smile plastered on her face, she chimed in, “Yes, Second Uncle said there’s no rush. We’re family; why be so meticulous about accounts?”

Er Niu could only offer a helpless smile at his sister-in-law’s words. Since he had taken the money out, he hadn't expected his sister-in-law would ever repay it. Now that Big Brother’s family had lost their shop and their fields, even if they had the heart to repay, they wouldn't have the ability to do so.