Hongxia could truly wait no longer. "Zhou Dafa," she called out, her voice tight, "you truly are heartless. You wanted thirty taels, didn't you? I'll give it to you. Once you have the money, never show your face before us again. I will tell the children their father is dead."

Hongxia looked at Erniu. Erniu had intended to haggle with Zhou Dafa, but hearing Hongxia’s resolve, he had no choice. He signaled to Huang-shi to bring the money. At lunchtime, Erniu had Huang-shi fetch the funds from home. Zhou Dafa watched the silver ingots in Erniu’s hand, his eyes shining greedily, and reached out for them.

"Hold on," Erniu commanded. "We aren't finished yet. You can’t have this money yet. First, this document of separation must be settled. Did you bring the signed separation agreement from home? And you must write down clearly, in black and white, your complete relinquishment of all rights and ties to this child, and to Hongxia. You show me those documents first, and only then will I give you the money."

Zhou Dafa hastily pulled two pieces of paper from his robes. Erniu examined them closely. They indeed bore the clan elder’s seal, and Zhou Dafa had also affixed his own seal concerning the child. Satisfied, Erniu handed over the thirty taels of silver he held. Zhou Dafa snatched the money and turned to Hongxia. "The land deed. Give me the land deed."

Hongxia retrieved the deed from her person and handed it over. Zhou Dafa took the documents and left immediately, without the slightest hesitation, not even glancing back at his children, as if he were a solitary man whose son and daughter meant nothing to him. His eyes were fixed only on the money. A man, a father like this, was not worth keeping.

Having seen all this through, Hongxia let out a long, shuddering breath of relief. She had finally escaped that life. She looked at her Second Sister-in-law and Second Brother beside her. "Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law," she said, "I truly cannot thank you enough for your help in this matter. Deduct this sum from my monthly allowance. I will send Mother one hundred dàqián a month for my two children’s food, and the rest will go toward repaying this debt until it is cleared."

"After the New Year, on the sixteenth, you start working for me. The long-term laborers arrive that same day. Your monthly wage will be five hundred dàqián. I don’t have a place for you to stay yet, so you can live here with Mother. I won't increase your wages, but your two children can eat here with you, which counts as my subsidy for not providing lodging. I will still give you one hundred dàqián monthly, and the rest will go to paying off this debt. You need some money for incidental expenses with the children each month. What do you think?" Erniu proposed.

Hongxia nodded quickly. She was more than satisfied with these terms. Having food, shelter, and being able to keep her children, plus earning several hundred dàqián a month—no job outside would offer such favorable conditions.

With Hongxia’s situation finally settled, everyone in the household breathed a collective sigh of relief. Erniu, Huang-shi, and Dajiang returned to their own home. Hongyun stayed to keep Hongxia company. When only Zhao-shi and the two sisters remained in the room, Hongxia looked at Hongyun’s swollen belly and said softly, "Sister, this must be very hard for you."

Hongyun understood the implication of Hongxia’s question but could only offer a bitter smile. "How could I be the one working hard? You are the one suffering. Truly, Sister, I must thank you for this immense favor. Since I’ve been spending the New Year here, my mother-in-law has treated me much better; she doesn't ask me to do anything, and even her expression towards Dayuan and Xiaofang has softened considerably. Dasheng is also overjoyed. I wish for nothing else now but for Hongxia to give birth to the child safely."

Speaking selfishly, Hongyun felt that Hongxia’s divorce had significantly boosted her own confidence regarding this matter. Since Zhou Dafa had no further connection to Hongxia, she wouldn't be able to raise the child alone; it would inevitably fall to Hongyun. Although Hongxia had always claimed she was carrying the child for her, Hongyun had always held a secret worry. Now, even if Hongxia wanted to keep the child, she couldn't. Coupled with the joy she witnessed from her husband and mother-in-law during the New Year visit, Hongyun’s sole hope now was that Hongxia would deliver a healthy son, and then this entire affair would be concluded.

Meanwhile, at home, Lin He and Dabao were poring over the account books for the two He Cai dolls shops. The newly opened branch in the county town hadn't been operating for a full month yet, but its income was surprisingly robust. Its first month's net profit exceeded one thousand taels—more than double the profit of the first He Cai dolls shop when it first opened. It seemed the money in the county was indeed easier to earn than in the town, even though expenses were higher; the net earnings were significantly greater.

The county shop’s renovation had also cost a substantial sum. However, since the rent there was paid annually, Lin He expected to start drawing profits within a few months. Combined with the several hundred taels the town shop was netting monthly, within a few more months, the family's monthly income was projected to reach several hundred taels. After balancing the books, Dabao and Lin He were both extremely pleased.

Dabao asked, "Sister, by the second half of the year, shouldn't we open our own shop in town? This shop business truly earns a lot. If we open one ourselves, selling prepared foods or your ointments, that would work too. We're currently paying consignment fees for these ointments; it adds up to a significant amount annually."

Lin He thought Dabao’s suggestion of opening a town shop was quite good. They had already purchased the land, and Dabao would have gained more experience by the latter half of the year, making him suitable to manage such an enterprise. However, deciding what to sell required careful thought. Selling her own manufactured ointments, though, was currently not viable.

While her self-made products sold well, several factors contributed to this success, the primary one being their location within Cai Die Xuan. Cai Die Xuan specialized in such goods, and many customers were drawn to the name, trusting that anything sold there was high quality, which is why they purchased it. Once used, the products proved satisfactory, ensuring continued sales. In short, at this juncture, customers trusted the Cai Die Xuan brand far more than they trusted her own product name.

Furthermore, she currently only had a few product lines; opening a shop dedicated solely to those would not work. That could be considered later. A small food stall, however, was feasible; it wouldn't require much capital or a large storefront. Since it involved food, buying the premises outright would be better for Lin He to handle any necessary modifications and planning. Ideally, the setup would resemble the layout of the He Cai dolls shop. However, purchasing property would require a significant amount of silver, more than they currently possessed.

Considering this, Lin He told Dabao, "Let’s wait and see until the second half of the year. If a suitable shop becomes available, we can proceed with opening one. As for what exactly we'll sell, it’s too early to say; we’ll decide then. The most important thing right now is for you to keep learning more."

Dabao nodded, indicating his agreement with Lin He's proposal. (To be continued.)