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

"Alright, alright!" Uncle Qi happily saw Shen Yi off. The two agreed on a delivery time, and Shen Yi left.

When the workshop was completed, Shen Yi's house was only one-third finished, but it was exquisite in every way, and the villagers were very excited about it. In particular, the smooth and neat floor tiles that Shen Yi made were an eye-opener for everyone.

Many villagers inquired about where the paving stones came from, and Shen Yi only said that they were delivered by someone from the prefectural city and were expensive.

He dismissed a group of people with just one word.

Just as the villagers were working hard, Su Zhan and Su Chuan returned from the capital.

After returning to Dongmen Village, the two headed towards Shen Yi's place. Upon seeing the large house under construction, they walked around the ten-acre courtyard twice, marveling at its grandeur.

"Brother-in-law, once this house is finished, are you planning for all your descendants to live in it?" Su Zhan asked, his eyes wide.

Shen Yi smiled and nodded, then led them inside for a tour. "The whole house is square, with doors on all four sides. The front door is the main gate, where I'm going to build a large ancestral hall. The plaque will be hung on it. When there's nothing to do, the main gate won't be open; you'll use the other three doors."

The main courtyard contains a total of thirty-two smaller courtyards, each with its own entrance and courtyard. Each courtyard has a main hall, kitchen, bathroom, woodshed, side rooms, and backyard. Each smaller courtyard has eight side rooms, making it easy for three or four generations to live together.

The floor tiles have been laid, and the walls have been plastered. Later, I'll also install the pot and water tank, so we can move in whenever we want.

The two brothers were amazed.

Su Zhan joked, "My cousin's husband needs to work harder so my cousin can have a few more babies, otherwise this house won't be big enough for everyone!"

"Hahaha," Shen Yi laughed, "I'm already content that Xiao Tai gave me four children. I'll leave the matter of carrying on the family line to the children."

The country has been conquered, so he doesn't need to worry about anything anymore.

Su Chuan and Su Zhan were both very tempted after seeing the courtyard, but unfortunately, their family did not have an imperial plaque bestowed by the emperor, nor did they have a reason to build a large house.

The three of them finished looking at the house.

Shen Yi led them inside to rest and casually inquired about the business.

Su Chuan sighed, “Brother-in-law, trading really makes money, but the risks are too great. When we travel with caravans, we even encounter small caravans that get robbed. Even traveling with large caravans isn’t necessarily safe. Fortunately, our goods are all ordinary and worthless, so the large caravans don’t even bother with them, and no one has any designs on us.”

He used to think it was a pity that Su Tai didn't sell jade, but now he thinks Su Tai was prescient. If they had really been in the jade business, they probably would be dead in some remote corner by now.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yi frowned slightly. "Is it not allowed for more people to go out?"

“The more people there are, the safer it is,” Shu Zhan chimed in. “The Zhu family, for example, has its own caravan. They have their own guards and don’t need to hire a security escort agency. Moreover, their guards are highly skilled. Once the Zhu family’s flag is planted, at least in the vicinity of Lizhou, no one dares to mess with them when doing business.”

He wouldn't have paid attention to these things before, but since Ke Yunyun's incident, he has become more concerned about the Zhu family.

Su Chuan clenched his fists in frustration, "If only we could make our own brand like the Zhu family."

He wanted to be strong, strong enough to be a support for his family, strong enough that no one in Zhaohua County would dare to bully them anymore.

Shen Yi glanced at Su Chuan and Su Zhan, stroked his chin and pondered, "It's not impossible! My brother-in-law and Yongnian have nothing to do except farm at home, right? I'll find all the brothers who went to war with me. Xiao Tai should still have the things that protect everyone. We can wear those protective gear, carry weapons, and escort you on your trade. Slowly, we can make this business work."

Su Zhan and his companion's eyes lit up. They exchanged a glance and nodded with secret delight. Shen Yi and his men had returned alive from the battlefield; they weren't afraid of even thousands of troops, let alone bandits and thieves.

"If that's the case, we can take even more goods with us," Su Chuan kept calculating.

Shen Yi said seriously, "If that's the case, they will definitely bring their own goods as well. What I mean is profit sharing. For example, how many people will go, how to split the profits, these should be discussed in advance. Let's try it out first, and if there are no problems, we can continue to cooperate in the future."

Su Chuan nodded emphatically, "Okay! Let's do it this way. Brother-in-law, call them over, and we'll discuss it."

Everyone was either related or knew each other well, and they were all very familiar with each other's personalities, so the business deal was quickly finalized.

Shen Yi went to the village chief to decide on the amount of strawberry jam needed this year, and then went back to work on the house.

Shen Dagou also told his family about his business trip.

Huang Xinghua and Shen Mu were both happy and worried.

“You finally came back safely, why are you doing such dangerous things again? If you ask me, you should stay at home and take good care of the farm work. Look, we grow strawberries now, and we can earn several hundred taels a year, enough for our family to live comfortably for the rest of our lives.” Shen Mu earnestly advised.

He had no great ambitions. His eldest son had returned safely, he had received a reward from the emperor, and his family could earn several hundred taels of silver every year. He was truly content. Even if he were to die now, he would have no regrets.

Shen Dagou wiped his face, his eyes resolute. "Father, Mother, I know what you're worried about. Don't worry, with the brothers here, it's just a business trip, nothing will happen. Besides, going out with everyone will broaden my horizons and I can make money. I can't miss such a good opportunity."

Wei Erya also supported him, smiled at him, and said, "Father and Mother, just let Da Gou go. He's a bird that has flown out of its cage and can't be kept in confinement anymore."

Shen Dagou looked at Wei Erya with affection, his gaze falling on her belly, and said gently, "Don't worry, this trip will probably only take three months. I will definitely come back safely and bring you some good things from the capital. What do you like?"

Wei Erya blushed and glared at him coquettishly, "I don't need anything, just come back soon."

Amidst the reluctance and worry of their families, the caravan set off.

Besides Su Sheng and Song Yongnian, they also found some brothers who were willing to take the plunge. More people meant more courage. Of course, those people were paid wages and didn't participate in the profit sharing.

The caravan took away 60% of the strawberry jam from Shenjiazhuang on this trip, and the remaining 40% was completely snatched up by small merchants who came into the village.

The strawberry jam business was booming for less than a month before it ended.

Next came a bumper watermelon harvest, and the watermelon trade was in full swing, just like in previous years.

After finishing their work, the villagers came over to help Shen Yi build the house.

Everyone worked as fast as they could and finally finished repairing Shen Yi's mansion before the autumn harvest.

The huge mansion is two zhang high, with two stone lions outside the gate. Pushing open the heavy gate, you will see a screen wall carved with green pines and cranes. Beyond the screen wall is a spacious and bright ancestral hall.

In the center of the ancestral hall hangs a plaque bestowed by the emperor. To the left is a row of offering tables displaying ancestral tablets, and in the center are two rows of imposing armchairs used for meetings. (End of Chapter)