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

Chapter 385 The Children Have a Teacher

"Father is just biased towards the second son. They're all sons, but he just can't see our good points. He even deliberately gives the sixth son gifts to remind us to behave ourselves. Fourth son, do you think Father has already decided to give the throne to the second son?"

The more the Third Prince thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

The fourth prince frowned upon hearing this, "In that case, we need to think carefully about what to do next! Being as spineless as the sixth prince won't do."

The sixth prince, who was looked down upon as a coward by the two princes, was showing off a bunch of tonics in front of Shen Tian. "Look how good your grandmother, father, and mother are to you. They even sent so many bird's nests. Your sisters-in-law don't get this kind of treatment."

Shen Tian nodded enthusiastically, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

Seeing her happy, Murong Chen was also pleased. "Eat well, and I'll make you more when you're done."

Shen Tian smiled even more deeply at the simple-minded and guileless Murong Chen.

She sighed inwardly, thinking that it was actually quite good to be like the Sixth Prince. The royal family was full of people with hearts as cunning as a hornet's nest, and no matter how well they disguised themselves, someone could see through them. The Sixth Prince was so upright and honest that no one suspected his intentions. It was good to be a wealthy and leisurely person, and she would never have to get caught up in the vortex of power struggles in her life.

Having made up her mind, her mood brightened considerably, and she appeared more cheerful. "Lamei, stew a bowl of bird's nest porridge for me. I want to eat it."

Wax Plum was overjoyed. "If the concubine wants to eat it, this servant will go and order it right away!"

After traveling for four days, Su Chuan finally reunited with the caravan.

When Chu Heng and Xi Mu saw the caravan, they only asked a couple of questions casually, assuming that Su Chuan was seeking the caravan's protection, and did not think much of it.

It wasn't until they heard the镖局 (escort agency) members call out to Su Chuandong that they realized how terribly wrong they had been.

The caravan entered the territory of Lizhou, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The escort agency was located in the prefectural city, but the escorts also had to help deliver the goods to Shenjiazhuang in Moshi Town.

It was almost the end of the first month of the lunar calendar.

It was freezing cold, even colder than before the Lunar New Year.

The caravan stopped outside Shen Yi's house.

Su Tai came to open the door and quickly invited them inside.

The two gentlemen looked around the elegant yet rustic farmhouse without saying a word.

Su Chuan did not rush to divide the money. Instead, he first settled the accounts of the escort agency, saw off the people from the escort agency, and then introduced Chu Heng and Xi Mu to Su Tai.

After learning about their ordeal, Su Tai immediately went to the backyard and brought back two sets of clean, brand-new clothes. "Gentlemen, please go to the bathhouse to bathe and change first. I will prepare some hot food for you. We can talk after the meal."

Su Chuan asked Su Zhan to lead them to the bathhouse.

The two gentlemen were stunned when they saw the steaming hot bath.

Su Zhan pointed to the bottles and jars and taught them how to use them.

The two gentlemen thanked them and closed the door.

I felt my body warm up.

Xi Mu exclaimed, "I never expected that a farmhouse could be so wonderful! The owner is really ingenious. I wonder how he did it! This pool of water is enough for three or four people to bathe in."

"Absolutely! The dirty water can flow out on its own, without having to fetch water back and forth. I guess the homeowner is a very clean person."

The two of them took off their dirty clothes as they talked.

They hadn't changed their clothes since they started fleeing for their lives. The outer coat was originally new, but after a month it got dirty and old and was no longer presentable.

The two looked at the dirty overcoat with concern, then curiously examined the bath soap and shampoo. Chu Heng said, "Help me wash first, and see how it works."

Xi Mu did as instructed, and soon Chu Heng's filthy, clump-like hair was parted by the shampoo.

Xi Mu was overjoyed and exclaimed, "This shampoo is great, so great!"

"Quickly rinse it with water and see."

After finally washing their hair, the two of them took a bath and scrubbed their bodies. After that, they had to take care of their beards. It took them almost half an hour to finish.

After they put on their new wool sweaters and warm coats, they finally felt like they had been reborn.

All the fear and anxiety in my heart subsided into peace at this moment.

While they were bathing in the bathhouse, Su Chuan and the others talked to Su Tai about the situation in the capital and also discussed dividing the money.

With the ledgers laid out there and so many people working together, Su Tai wasn't worried at all. She simply flipped through the ledgers and started counting the money for everyone.

This trip, their family received nearly 100,000 taels, and the others received at least 20,000 to 30,000 taels, enough to stay home for a year without any problems.

Everyone, please keep your money safe.

Su Chuan casually mentioned Qiongzi, "I heard that the fishermen there don't have the right tools, so fishing is extremely risky. Every year, many people lose their lives at sea, so most people don't dare to risk going out to sea and only fish in the shallow waters near the coast, where it's very difficult to catch big fish."

Over the years, many have tried to take advantage of Qiongzi, but all have failed. This year we've made such a large sum of money; next year, I suspect someone will follow suit and take the risk.

Su Tai's heart tightened, but she nodded imperceptibly. "That's inevitable. No matter how capable they are, they can't surpass us. Just focus on our family business."

Everyone was relieved to hear this.

When Chu Heng and Xi Mu came out of the bathhouse, Su Tai brought the hot food to the table.

There was mutton, beef, chicken soup, and seafood—a whole table full of food. Even the two worldly-wise men were dumbfounded by the abundance; they didn't dare to pick up their chopsticks.

After indulging in a feast of meat, fish, and fine wine.

Chu Heng couldn't help but sigh, "We've been wandering for so many years, and I never imagined that we'd end up living a good life in Lizhou. What a twist of fate!"

"Indeed! I'd like to toast everyone." Xi Mu downed his drink in one gulp.

Su Chuan said, "Gentlemen, this is Shenjiazhuang, and our village is Dongmen Village. Have you ever thought about returning to your old ways?"

Chu Heng and Xi Mu immediately nodded.

They had thought a lot along the way. The only thing they had worth remembering was their talent, and they had guessed Su Chuan's intentions. Now that Su Chuan had taken the initiative to speak, they naturally agreed.

Su Chuan was overjoyed and quickly said, "It just so happens that both of our villages need a teacher. I wonder if you two gentlemen could each choose one village to stay in? Don't worry, both of our villages have good conditions, and the conditions we offer will definitely satisfy you two gentlemen."

Xi Mu laughed heartily, "You could have just said you wanted us to provide your child with early education. We're grateful for your life-saving grace, and we would have stayed even if you hadn't asked for a single penny."

“That won’t do! We’re just ordinary folks, we don’t do things like kicking someone when they’re down. Sir, do you think two taels of silver a year’s tuition is appropriate? We’ll provide food and lodging.” Su Zhan asked impatiently.

Chu Heng was somewhat surprised, "Two taels of silver is too much! It's not necessary."

In their view, not many people in the countryside could afford two taels of silver for tuition.

Su Zhan chuckled and said, "It's nothing, it's what we should do! We just hope our child can learn some skills; money is a small matter."

Su Zhan insisted, and Chu Xi and his companion no longer declined. They figured that it would be good to earn four or five taels of silver a year just to educate two or three children.