Divorced by her husband's family and rejected by her own! She defiantly turned her life around

After the magistrate and his entourage were taken away, he walked up to Liu Dawang and said, "Go back and tell Liu Siyue that I have taken care of things for her. She should also hurry up with what she mentioned before."

Su Yimin really wanted to go to Liujia Village to see for herself, as she believed that going there in person would be more effective and would allow her to work even harder, but she was also afraid of being discovered.

What if someone steals the credit for the research that's actually been developed? This tremendous achievement can only belong to him and his son; no one can take it from them.

Liu Siyue is just a countrywoman who has never seen the world. When the time comes, I will give her some silver and praise her a few times, and she will probably lose her bearings.

If she wants to live in Lingshui County, she has to obey her.

Liu Dawang looked bewildered. He didn't know what the magistrate was talking about. He wanted to ask but didn't dare, so he could only bite the bullet and agree.

On the way back, both the village chief and Liu Dawang were thinking about what they needed to do. Liu Dawang kept pondering the magistrate's words: What had he done for his niece? What had his niece said?

The village chief kept thinking about what to do if the women in the village couldn't give birth to sons and their husbands wanted to divorce them and remarry.

Thinking of the way those women looked at him, he knew that if he acted unfairly, they would definitely come and tear him apart. This wasn't just about one woman; it was about all the women in Liujia Village. He was really worried!

Liu Siyue and Qingwu also drove a horse-drawn carriage to town. The reason they didn't use an oxcart today was because it would be too conspicuous.

"Qingwu, we both have to change into men's clothes today. You come with me to the bookstore. I'm afraid the shopkeeper will take all the manuscripts and refuse to pay us."

"Yes, Master."

"Let's drive the carriage to our shop first, and then we'll walk over in a bit."

The two left the carriage at the shop, changed their clothes, and Liu Siyue, carrying a bundle on her back, left the shop.

"Master, shall we go to the bookstore now?"

"No, let's find a small teahouse and sit inside."

Going too early now would make us seem rushed.

The two arrived at the teahouse, ordered some snacks and a pot of tea, and chatted while drinking.

"Gentlemen, your food has been served. Please let us know if you need anything."

Feeling bored, Liu Siyue thought that taverns and teahouses were places where information gathered, and since she had nothing else to do, she figured she might as well learn about the history of Sifang Town. "Waiter, are you from Sifang Town?"

"Yes, my family has lived in this Sifang Town for generations."

"I'd like to ask, why is our town called Sifang Town?"

"You've come to the right person. I actually know the answer. My grandfather told me that decades ago, Sifang Town was a bustling and prosperous place with convenient transportation. It not only had a dock, but also had an army stationed here."

Suddenly one day, the army stationed here disappeared. Not long after, one night, a group of people suddenly came to the town. They killed anyone they saw. My grandfather said that they seemed to be looking for someone, but he didn't know if they found them or not.

When my grandfather saw that things were not going well, he led the whole family to hide in the cellar, which saved them from disaster.

The next day, as dawn broke and all was quiet outside, the survivors dared to open their doors. A strong stench of blood permeated the town. Only a few hundred people had survived in the entire town.

The villagers were terrified when they came to town and saw this scene. For more than half a year, almost no one came to town.

The matter was reported to the county government, and the officials there asked everyone to help dispose of the body. The explanation given was that it was caused by bandits.

And so it ended without a resolution; the once bustling town of Sifang, with its well-connected roads, never lived up to its former glory again.

It was only in the last 20 years or so that people gradually settled in Sifang Town, leading to its current prosperity.

"Oh, I see. Where's that dock?"

"It has long been abandoned. It is now overgrown with weeds, and the river is blocked by silt."

My grandfather told me that Sifang Town used to be almost as good as the county seat.

"Thank you for clearing up my doubts, brother."

"You're welcome, you're welcome. Just call me if you need anything."

"Qingwu, how about we go check out the pier after we leave the bookstore?"

"If Master wants to go see it, then I'll accompany him."

The two lingered in the teahouse until almost lunchtime before heading to the bookstore.

Shopkeeper Shen paced back and forth in front of the bookstore countless times throughout the morning, waiting anxiously for Liu Siyue and the others to arrive.

Yesterday he went to the prefectural city, and his master was very interested in the storybook. He praised him highly, saying that he was decisive and insightful, and that spending 28,000 taels of silver to buy the storybook was definitely not a bad deal.

Yesterday, nearly a hundred people were brought in from the prefectural city to copy the text, and three copies have already been made and sent to the capital immediately.

Xiao Liu comforted Manager Shen, "Manager, don't worry, it's still early. Young Master Zhang is probably on his way."

"If he urgently needs the money, he should have come much earlier. Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

"Maybe something came up and delayed things, who knows?"

"I hope it's as you say, that the employer takes this matter very seriously. If it's handled well, both of us will benefit."

"I understand, I understand."

Xiao Liu ran to the door again and saw two people walking towards them from afar. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Young Master Zhang.

"Manager, manager, they're here, they're here!"

"Who's there? Why are you jumping around like that!"

"Young Master Zhang, Young Master Zhang is here!"

Manager Shen sat as still as a mountain. It was good that he had arrived; he needed to keep things calm.

Liu Siyue and Qingwu walked to the door, where Xiao Liu greeted them with a smile, "Young Master Zhang, we've been waiting for you! Please come in, the manager is waiting for you."

When Manager Shen saw Liu Siyue enter, he immediately stood up to greet him, "Young Master Zhang, let's talk upstairs."

"Please come in, shopkeeper!"

"Young Master Zhang, please!"

Qingwu followed her upstairs, and she stood outside the door.

"Young Master Zhang, did you bring the rest of the sketchbooks?"

"I brought it." Liu Siyue patted the bundle on her body.

Manager Shen took out the silver notes he had prepared beforehand, placed them on the table, and pushed them forward. "These are 18,000 taels of silver notes. Please take a look, Young Master Zhang."

Liu Siyue didn't rush to take the silver notes. Instead, she took out the six storybooks from her bundle, put them on the table, and pushed them forward.

The two couldn't help but chuckle, each picking up the item in front of them to examine it.

Liu Siyue picked up the silver notes, counted them, and confirmed that there were 18 notes worth 1000 taels each. She slapped the notes on her palm, and she was now officially rich. She no longer needed to worry about the source of her money or make others question it. If anyone did have a reason to doubt her, she would have something to say.

Shopkeeper Shen carefully examined the storybook and found no problems. He then tidied up the picture book and set the storybook aside.

"Young Master Zhang, our boss is quite satisfied with the novel 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer,' but he thinks it's a bit expensive. This is only because it's from Yuewenzhai; most bookstores simply can't afford it."

Our boss isn't the kind of person to be petty. He said that since it was his first time working with Young Master Zhang, he wouldn't hold a grudge and would accept any loss.

However, our boss said he hopes that if Mr. Zhang has any new stories to write in the future, he will choose to collaborate with Yuewenzhai first.

"Of course, we've gotten to know each other better before, and if we cooperate again, you'll be old clients, so of course we'll give you priority."

"I, Shen, would like to express my gratitude to Young Master Zhang on behalf of my employer."