Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

happy Mei took the money and returned to the east wing, repeating Sun Sao's words verbatim.

After listening, Zhang Sanlang put the string of copper coins back on the low table and stared at the west wing for a while.

This Mrs. Sun and her daughter are really kind-hearted; he remembered this favor.

He was about to pour himself a bowl of water when he placed his hand on the low table, causing it to wobble slightly.

It wasn't the kind of wobbly, about to fall apart like before; instead, it moved steadily, and the table legs no longer felt loosely attached to the ground.

He looked down and saw that the bench with the missing leg had also been repaired. The missing leg had been replaced with new wood, and the tenon still had a shallow mark left by the chisel.

When Qingge saw the surprise on his face, he said that in the afternoon, Carpenter He came in with a saw and hammer and repaired all the tools in the house.

He also reinforced the door to the east wing, re-oiled the hinges so they no longer creaked when opened and closed. Mother He followed him in and took a cloth soaked in vegetable oil to wipe the hinges and window frames. She even wrapped the handle of the iron pot with new hemp rope.

Zhang Sanlang pressed his palm against the table, but the table did not budge.

He pulled the bench over and sat down, sitting very comfortably.

Xi Mei brought out the porridge; the millet porridge in the pot was thicker than usual, and there were also two pancakes.

Zhang Sanlang glanced at the repaired table, then at Qingge'er's well-fitting new jacket, and said, "We must remember the neighbors in this courtyard from now on."

happy Mei nodded emphatically.

The porridge in the pot was almost gone. As usual, happy Meier cleared away the dishes and chopsticks, while Zhang Sanlang picked up the flint on the table to light the lamp.

Suddenly, footsteps came from the courtyard, but they were not the footsteps of the neighbors from the old house.

Old Sun dragged his left foot as he walked, Carpenter He stomped his feet like he was hammering nails, and Zhou Qing always took small, quick steps.

The footsteps were those of two people, their heavy footsteps pounding the rammed earth without restraint.

The door was pushed open.

Zhang's father stood at the door, with Zhang Shouren following behind, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Upon seeing Zhang's father, Qingge'er reflexively took a step back and stood close behind Ximei'er.

Zhang's father glanced at Qing'er's brand-new linen jacket, then at the porridge bowl and pancakes on the table, and his brows furrowed even more.

Zhang's father spoke in a low voice, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "You moved the household registration certificate and occupied those ten acres of ancestral land?"

Zhang Sanlang put the flint back on the table and stood up. "Yes."

"That's the Zhang family's ancestral land! What right do you have to touch it!" Zhang Shouren stepped in, his finger almost poking Zhang Sanlang's nose.

"Based on the ancestral land deeds of the old house, this household registration certificate is now in my name." Zhang Sanlang neither retreated nor raised his voice.

"The severance agreement clearly states that the old house is being transferred. The household registration and property boundaries have been verified, and the ancestral land is registered under the old house's name. The household registration certificate has been changed, the red deed has been stamped, and my name is also on the land register." He paused. "Did Zhang Shi'an tell you this?"

"This is property infringement! I'm going to the county government to sue you!" Zhang's father's hand, which was holding a cane, was trembling.

"Sue me for what?" Zhang Sanlang looked at him and smirked. "Sue me for being disobedient and unfilial? The signature on the letter of severance of kinship is your old man Zhang's name, and the clan elders have witnessed it. If you want to sue, go ahead. Zhang Dalang knows the way to Juancheng County Government."

Zhang Shouren was so angry that the fleshy parts of his face trembled, and he was choked and speechless.

The commotion in the courtyard had already alerted everyone in the house.

Aunt Sun peeked out from the west wing, still holding a needle and thread in her hand.

A-Yun followed behind her, carrying a paper box that wasn't finished being pasted, looking from the west wing towards the east wing.

Mother He walked unsteadily from the back room, rubbing her hands together as she stopped a few steps away from Father Zhang, and greeted him with a forced smile, "Old Manager Zhang."

Zhang's father didn't even glance at her, only snorting through his nose.

Mother He stopped awkwardly, rubbing her hands back and forth on her apron several times.

Zhou Qing and his wife also came out of the main house.

Zhou Qing stood on the steps, looked around, opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

Zhou Chenshi leaned against the door frame, cracking watermelon seeds. Her eyes swept over the faces of the people in the yard before finally settling on Zhang Shouren. She smiled slightly and casually spat the watermelon seed shells onto the ground.

Carpenter He was originally squatting by the stove sharpening his saw, but he had stopped when he heard the noise. Now he slowly stood up.

He Liu was about to say something behind him, but he pressed her hand down and shook his head without making a sound.

Aunt Sun walked over to Zhang Sanlang and asked him in a low voice what was going on.

Zhang Shouren glanced at her, sneered, and said, "Our family matters are none of your business. You tenants, mind your own business while living in my Zhang family's house. Anyone who utters a word of complaint will have their rent paid for next year and will be fired."

The color drained from Aunt Sun's face instantly.

She opened her mouth, and the scene of kneeling at the door and begging all night when she was kicked out of the house by her in-laws flashed through her mind. She was afraid of causing trouble and afraid that the peaceful life she had finally settled down would be kicked out again.

She wanted to speak up for Zhang Sanlang, but Zhang Shouren's words left her speechless, her chest heaving violently and her hands trembling uncontrollably.

At this moment, Zhou Chenshi suddenly spoke up.

She spat the sunflower seed shells on the ground and glared at Zhang Shouren from afar: "Oh, Uncle Zhang, you've got quite the airs. Trying to control everything, even our tenement? Pack your bags and get out? Brother Zhang, you can say that all you want, but who do you think you are?"

She put the melon seeds back in her pocket, patted the broken shells off her hands, turned around and went back to the main room, swaying the curtain with a thud. She didn't even glance at Zhang Shouren once.

Qingge poked half his head out from behind Ximei.

He was too young to understand what the adults meant by "severing ties with relatives, registering ancestral lands" and "familial lands".

Just now, when Ximei saw Zhang Shouren raise his hand, he pulled up his sleeve to reveal a section of his inner garment cuff, and she recognized the pattern.

It was her mother's favorite old silk shirt, which was altered to fit her.

Later, when she couldn't fit into them anymore, her aunt took them.

That piece of cuff is now on Zhang Shouren's wrist; it was originally cut off to make a patch. After all, it was silk, and even when it's old, it's worth more than linen.

She secretly told Qing-ge about it.

"My uncle stole my mother's clothes and is wearing them." Qingge pointed at Zhang Shouren's sleeve. "Those are my mother's old silk shirts. How come my uncle is wearing them?"

Zhang Shouren's face flushed red. "What nonsense are you spouting, you little brat!"

He grabbed Qingge'er by the collar, lifting the child off the ground. The collar of his new jacket dug into his chin, making it hard for Qingge'er to breathe. His face turned red, and his legs kicked wildly in the air.

A rough hand gripped Zhang Shouren's wrist.

Old Sun came out of the gatehouse at some point. He stood next to Zhang Shouren, his five fingers gripping Zhang Shouren's wrist like iron hoops. Without saying a word, he pressed his fingers down inch by inch.

Zhang Shouren groaned as he was being squeezed, and when he loosened his grip, Qingge'er fell down and landed on his bottom. He didn't cry out in pain, but quickly got up and ran back to Ximei'er's side.

Zhang Shouren shook off Old Sun, rubbing his wrist and glaring at him: "You old bastard! You've guarded the Zhang family's door for half your life, and you're nothing but a watchdog! How dare you lay a hand on me!"