After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 162 The Wei Family Emerges from Seclusion
Shen Yi didn't stand on ceremony with him. He threw the wild boar outside the thatched hut, put down the wicker basket, and handed the package to Wei Laoqi's two sons, Wei Yi and Wei Gang, before following Wei Laoqi into the dark and cramped house.

The women of the Wei family had already hidden inside the house when Wei Yi shouted. At this moment, only Wei Laoqi, his two sons, and Shen Yi were in the main room.

Wei Laoqi staggered as he poured Shen Yi a glass of water, his face full of warm smiles. "Why are you hunting in the mountains at this time? Wild boars aren't good to eat right now, they're tough and skinny. Wild boars in autumn are much better, when they're plump and strong."

Seeing that he was going off-topic, Shen Yi quickly explained, "I came here specifically to find you. On the way, I happened to encounter that wild boar that was pursuing me relentlessly, and I couldn't resist killing it."

"Hiss!" Wei Laoqi's two sons gasped.

Wei Laoqi laughed heartily, "As expected of you, Shen Yi, even catching wild boars requires restraint! Tell me, what do you want from me? To fight something?"

Shen Yi glanced at Wei Laoqi's two sons.

Wei Laoqi understood immediately and led him out to the spacious courtyard behind the cave. "Is it okay to talk here now? No one can hear us."

Shen Yi nodded and lowered his voice, saying, "To be honest, I wanted to ask you to help me smooth things over. Here's what happened."

After Shen Yi explained the situation, Wei Laoqi was completely stunned. It took him a long time to sort out his thoughts. He was both excited and confused. "No, no! Those hoes and rakes aren't anything shameful. How did they end up in my hands?"

Shen Yi said helplessly, "I don't know either. I only know that the other party likes peace and quiet and doesn't like to be disturbed. I won't let you help for nothing. Here are ten taels of silver as your reward. How about it?"

"Ten taels? You've struck it rich?" Old Wei's eyes widened as he held the silver in astonishment.

If he remembered correctly, Shen Yi was an orphan, and his family was so poor that all they had left was a boat. Unfortunately, there was a three-year drought, and the water level of the Daxun River kept dropping, so his fishing boat should have been useless.

Shen Yi chuckled and told him everything that was happening outside.

Wei Laoqi was stunned and stood there.

"You mean the crops are now yielding a thousand catties per mu? Every household has surplus grain and money, and no one is afraid of going hungry anymore?"

The more he listened, the more he felt that Shen Yi was trying to fool him.

Seeing the doubt in his eyes, Shen Yi didn't argue. "Anyway, that's the situation outside right now. I just wanted to let you know. Don't worry, I only have farm tools here, no weapons. I won't cause any trouble. If anyone comes looking for me, just cover for me, okay?"

Old Master Wei nodded repeatedly, hesitated several times before finally saying nothing.

Because it was getting late, Wei Laoqi specially invited Shen Yi to stay at his house for the night.

That night, the entire Wei family gathered in the main room to talk.

Wei Laoqi rephrased Shen Yi's request, saying, "Shen Yi came to ask me to help make some farm tools. It's inconvenient for us to stay at home, so I might need to go out often. Of course, I'll have to pay him accordingly."

The Wei family members indicated that they understood and had no doubts.

After thinking for a while, Wei Laoqi gritted his teeth and told his family what Shen Yi had told him about the situation outside.

Liu Jinhua, Wei Laoqi's wife, was the first to lose her composure.

"Old man, did Shen Yi really say there's grain yielding a thousand catties per mu outside? If that's the case, what are we still hiding in the mountains for? Hurry up and go back to the village!" Since their family hid in the deep mountains, they no longer worried about starving or dying of thirst, but their lives remained as poor as ever. With the birth of each grandchild, the family became poorer and poorer. The clothes they wore were brought from the mountains a few years ago, and they hadn't bought any new clothes in all these years.

She could overlook all of these things, but she simply couldn't stand idly by and watch her grandchildren's life unfold.

Now the eldest granddaughter is sixteen and still no one is getting married. Next is the eldest grandson who will be fifteen. How many more years can we delay?
Wei Laoqi was very conflicted. "It's not that I don't want to go out, but we don't know what the situation is like outside. What if the situation is different from what Shen Yi said?"

"What else can we do? If all else fails, we can always go back to the mountains. Trees die when transplanted, but people thrive. There's no reason for a living person to be suffocated! I don't care, I'm definitely going out this time. It's spring planting season, so we need to pick up our land and start planting again." Liu Jinhua seemed determined not to change her mind.

Old Qi Wei didn't directly object, but instead looked at his son and daughter-in-law, "What do you think?"

The two daughters-in-law were also worried about their children's marriage prospects, and immediately expressed their support for Liu Jinhua.

The Wei brothers were also worried, but they kept quiet out of respect for their father.

Seeing this, Wei Laoqi understood everything. He breathed a sigh of relief and made up his mind. "Alright! Since you all want to come out of the mountains, then come out of the mountains! Anyway, I'll just pick up the blacksmithing job again. But it will probably take some effort to get our land back."

During the severe drought, they fled, and many others followed suit, leaving their homes far away. The government couldn't manage them all. After the drought subsided, he made a special trip back to the village and instructed the village chief not to touch their houses or land.

The village chief refused, but only Wei Laoqi returned. The whereabouts of the other members of the Wei family were unknown. Wei Laoqi was old and his physical strength was limited. The imperial court still gave preferential treatment to the elderly, which allowed him to keep his family's land and house.

But the fields couldn't be left barren, so the village decided to let the villagers cultivate their land and give them some grain every year.

This grain became one of the important sources of income for the Wei family. In the past two years, because he has gotten old, the things have been delivered by the villagers, and no one has mentioned this matter to him. It is really hateful!

Liu Jinhua looked dejected. "What are you afraid of? It's not even spring yet! If we don't go back soon, we might really be too late!"

Upon hearing this, the whole family immediately sprang into action.

They say even a broken home is a treasure, and the Wei family is pretty much like that.

Having lived in the mountains for so many years, I don't have any valuables, but after packing everything up, I couldn't even fit it all in the cart.

When Shen Yi woke up the next day, he saw his entire family preparing to move.

Without hesitation, he stepped in to help, and naturally, he had to bring out everything he brought untouched from the mountain.

The group walked from dawn until dusk before finally leaving the vast mountains, fortunately without encountering any wild animals along the way.

Shen Yi said to the Wei family, "You've just come out, and I'm afraid the houses in the village are all dilapidated and you won't be able to stay for a while. If you don't mind, you can stay at my house for a few days until things in the village are settled before you go back."

Old Wei really didn't know how to settle the women and children in his family. Upon hearing this, he immediately bowed deeply to Shen Yi. "Shen Yi, I can't thank you enough. If you ever need anything, just come to me. As long as I'm alive, I'll help you. If I'm gone, I'll have my son help you."

Wei Yi and Wei Gang also quickly expressed their opinions.

Shen Yi smiled nonchalantly and led the way for them.