Er Niu finished speaking and returned. Da Sheng and Hong Yun on this side could hardly believe their eldest brother had visited, yet he truly had.

Together they had one or two liang of silver, which was far better than farming, and they could still tend to their own small patch of land. Such a great opportunity—they never imagined their family could come upon something like this.

However, Hong Yun remained somewhat worried. His second brother’s family had never been wealthy; only recently had things improved with fish farming and ointment making. Offering such a high monthly wage—was it possible he was only offering so much to help pull their family out of hardship? Hong Yun pondered this and still felt it was improper.

He then said to Da Sheng, "Let’s quickly finish up the field work; Second Brother must be waiting anxiously. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can help. Also, when you go back, don't tell your mother you are getting paid this much a month to work for Second Brother. Just say you are going to help out for a few days."

Li Da Sheng looked at Hong Yun, perplexed, not understanding what his wife meant. Seeing Da Sheng look at him, Hong Yun explained, "Second Brother’s venture is just starting; we don't know if it will make money yet. Once they are profitable, we can discuss our wages. If they don't earn anything, we certainly cannot accept this amount."

Da Sheng considered this and agreed. His brother-in-law had indeed been good to their family. When it came to family matters, this brother-in-law was the only one from his wife's side who would unconditionally come to help. His wife was right to suggest this course of action.

Li Da Sheng nodded and said, "Then let's hurry up, finish up the field work quickly, and we can head over."

Meanwhile, Er Niu returned home and asked Da Bao to call Da Jiang over as well. When Da Jiang arrived, Lin He’s entire family was in the courtyard. Er Niu told Da Jiang about his plan to raise fish and invited him to work. Da Jiang’s eyes widened in surprise when he heard about the fish farming. "Er Niu, have you forgotten? Fish are notoriously hard to keep alive. If they all die, you could lose quite a bit of silver. You need to think this through carefully."

Er Niu knew that although his eldest brother’s words were direct, they came from a place of genuine care. He replied, "It’s alright, Big Brother, you don't need to worry about that. I’ve learned a specific method for raising fish; it should be fine, they will survive. As for you coming to work for me, do you need to discuss it with Sister-in-law first?"

Da Jiang replied, "No need. If you need help, I'm here. And don't tell your sister-in-law about the money. You know her; if she hears about the high pay, who knows what trouble she’ll stir up. Don't mention the money for now; wait until you actually have fish to sell."

Hearing his uncle speak, Lin He felt even more strongly that Da Jiang was an excellent person, but it was such a pity he had married that He-shi. If he had married a good wife, his family life would surely be better off. But instead, he married He-shi, and the children she raised were all sources of trouble.

Er Niu listened to his eldest brother and said, "Big Brother, whether the fish survive or not, I must pay you a monthly wage. I’m not only hiring you; I’ve asked Hong Yun and his wife to help too, and they are getting monthly pay as well. This money is compensation for your labor, it’s not charity. You absolutely must accept it. If you insist on refusing, I won’t hire any of you. I’ll hire people from outside the village instead."

Da Jiang quickly countered, "Er Niu, don't hire strangers from outside the village; you don't know who they are, they aren't reliable. Just do as you planned. However, do not let your sister-in-law know I’m getting six hundred wen a month. When I go back, I'll tell her it’s three hundred wen a month to help out, and the rest will offset the debt you lent my family, until it’s all settled."

Hearing his eldest brother say this, Er Niu worried Da Jiang misunderstood and thought he was only being hired to pay back the debt. "Big Brother, please don't misunderstand. I’m not asking you to work just to pay back the money. I see your family is large, and you only rent a few mu of land. Now that Qingshan is also married, it probably isn't enough. Moreover, since I’m just starting the fish farm, there are many things I can’t let outsiders know, which is why I sought out my own kin."

Da Jiang waved his hand hastily. "I know, how could I not know? You’ve supported my family for so long since we returned. Now that there’s a chance to earn money, you include me. My wife back home is already difficult enough; she’s given you no end of trouble usually. And yet you still look out for me like this—it makes me, as the elder brother, ashamed."

Everyone who heard Da Jiang’s words fell silent, or rather, they didn't know what to say. What Da Jiang said was the plain truth. To push away his offer would seem too hypocritical, but to accept it felt too devoid of human feeling. So, they all stood there without speaking.

After a moment, Da Jiang continued, "My family’s debt to you—your sister-in-law has never repaid it, she just keeps borrowing more. I myself am incompetent and can’t find the money to pay it back. Now that I’m working, you do as I suggested: pay off the debt first, no matter how many months it takes. My family has a few mu of rented land, a large family, and this few hundred wen a month will cover our daily expenses. If your sister-in-law comes to repay you, just accept it."

Lin He listened to her uncle's words and felt that the tolerance their family had shown towards her uncle’s repeated issues had finally paid off. Her uncle knew everything and had even stated he would pay back the money. It seemed inviting him to work was indeed a wise choice; it was like giving her uncle a much-needed lift.

It was just that He-shi—Lin He felt she needed to find an opportunity to deal with her. She was incredibly irritating. However, since Qingshan married, He-shi rarely came out. Apparently, there was friction between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and Qingshan's wife was quite formidable. Thinking of this, Lin He couldn't help but smile with schadenfreude.

Er Niu felt his brother's arrangement was also good. From his own perspective, the money his family earned was hard-won; giving away tens of liang front and back genuinely pained him. From Big Brother’s perspective, if he could repay the debt through his own labor, he would surely feel a sense of relief.

Er Niu considered this and then said, "Fine, Big Brother, we’ll do as you say. Your family's field work will take a few more days, right? Go back and help with that first. After three days, when Hong Yun and his wife arrive, you can all come together."

Da Jiang replied, "My family doesn't have that much work. Qingshan and his mother are enough to handle it. I’ll come tomorrow morning to help you start digging the ponds. Since the land is already bought, the sooner the ponds are ready, the sooner we can stock the fry and sell the fish for money."

Er Niu still wanted his eldest brother to go back and handle his own affairs for a few days, mainly because he feared He-shi might cause trouble again. But Da Jiang insisted on coming tomorrow, so Er Niu let him be and agreed.

Later that evening, Er Niu went to Old Man Li’s house to discuss hiring him to help dig the ponds. Old Man Li agreed, saying he would come in a few days, after they finished planting the corn on his own land.