Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

Wang's cries continued, and she looked quite pitiful.

No one in the main room offered any advice or comfort; even her youngest daughter, Liu Jiaojiao, whom she doted on the most, remained silent.

Soon, Liu Laogen finished writing the letter of divorce. His sons and daughters-in-law all looked at the letter on the table, their faces showing a relaxed expression.

Father finally came to his senses and divorced their mother.

After Liu Laogen finished writing the letter of divorce, he handed it to his fourth brother and said, "Fourth brother, tomorrow you and the third brother should rent an oxcart and take your mother back."

Tell her to go back to her parents' house for a while, as there are some things to take care of there, and we'll pick her up later.

The rest is self-explanatory.

"Father, I understand!"

Liu Tianbao tucked the letter of divorce into his pocket and nodded.

After saying that, Liu Laogen sat on the threshold and started smoking, the embers in his pipe flickering.

When the crying finally subsided and turned into intermittent sobs, he raised his chin and said, "Second son's wife, third son's wife, help your mother inside and give her a good wash."

"Understood, Father."

The two women moved swiftly, grabbing Wang's arms from either side, roughly and expressionlessly dragging her into the house.

Wang's legs went weak, the silver hairpin in her hair tilted to one side, and strands of hair stuck to her swollen face. No one helped her smooth them down.

After an incense stick had burned a while, the two daughters-in-law came out of the house. Liu Laogen asked them to make dinner, while he went into the house with his hands behind his back and his head hanging low.

Zhao and Wei responded with an "Yes," and the barely suppressed smiles on their lips as they turned away were more piercing than any sarcastic remark.

The other sons also went back to their own rooms.

After all, they were the ones who indirectly forced their father to divorce their mother, so it's best not to provoke their father at this time.

Otherwise, he would have taken his anger out on them!

Back inside, Liu Laogen refilled his pipe.

The smoke rose, obscuring his face. He remembered when he married Wang Shi, she also had a head of jet-black hair, and it was in this very room that the moment her red veil was lifted, she smiled shyly and sweetly.

For over thirty years, Liu Laogen has hardly ever argued with her. She makes all the decisions, big and small, in the family, and she even took care of arranging the marriages of her three sons.

But today, as he wrote the letter of divorce himself, he still felt a little guilty.

After finishing his cigarette, Liu Laogen stood up, and his kneecap cracked.

He stood up and said in a low voice, "Mother of my child, for the sake of my fourth son's career, you, as his mother, should just bear with it."

I had no other choice!

Before he finished speaking, he stepped out of the house, and behind him came the muffled sobs of Wang Shi burying her face in the pillow.

She knew in her heart that her husband was also acting out of desperation.

Although he was used to being domineering, the old man always turned a blind eye.

Most of the time, I just go along with her.

Overall, he treated her quite well.

It was her children who, on the contrary, broke her heart.

However, the real culprit is still that wretched girl. If she hadn't come back, this family would still be the same as before.

Thinking of this, Wang's eyes were filled with hatred!

Meanwhile, the second son, Liu Erniu, and his wife secretly made their way to Liu Daniu's house in the dark.

Soon they arrived at the gate of the second brother's house.

I knocked on the door, and it was my sister-in-law who opened it.

Madam Xu greeted them directly, "Come in quickly, the dishes are freshly cooked and waiting for you."

There were four dishes on the table in the main room: a plate of salted green beans, a plate of green vegetables, a bowl of stewed eggs, a plate of stir-fried pork with chili peppers, a large bowl of pork hock, a serving of braised pork intestines, and a bowl of pork rib and radish soup.

This is considered a very lavish meal for a farming family.

Liu Daniu poured his younger brother a bowl of rice wine, took a sip himself to moisten his throat, and then said, "Second brother, the food is so plentiful today, let's have a couple of drinks!"

Liu Erniu nodded heartily, "Okay, we're happy today, let's drink more."

Taking advantage of everyone's presence, Tao'er spoke up: "Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Xiuxiu, Shiliu, you're all here."

There's something I need to explain to you.

Xiuxiu and Shiliu, you don't need to be my maids.

I did this to prevent the people from the old family home from manipulating and exploiting their marriage; I had no other choice but to come up with this idea.

"What I really mean is that my two younger sisters will stay with me first and do embroidery for me."

Let's split it 40/60 as I said before, but since I'm responsible for all the food and lodging expenses, let's change it to 30/70, with you getting 30% and me getting 70%.

That way, you two sisters won't have to pay for living expenses, and it will save me the trouble.

If you agree, that's fine. If you don't, you can go to the county town or other towns to find other work.

Of course, you can stay and help my family with some chores, such as feeding the chickens and pigs, cooking, and doing laundry. I will pay you for it, at the highest wage in town.

Tao'er never liked to force others, but things had to be explained clearly, and even relatives couldn't break the rules.

Xu almost dropped her chopsticks; she was delighted.

She raised her hand to wipe her eyes, fighting back tears, and choked out, "Peach Girl, thank you so much!"

This is how I plan for my two daughters.

If it weren't for you, their marriage would probably be...

You did something that neither the two of us could do.

She turned to look at her husband, Liu Erniu, who was also stunned, his hand holding the wine bowl hanging in mid-air.

"Peach girl, dear niece, your second uncle... your second uncle is bad at speaking, so please accept this cup of wine as a token of my gratitude."

Liu Erniu picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

His honest and simple face was trembling with excitement.

Xiuxiu and Shiliu exchanged a glance, both understanding what the other meant.

"Sister Tao'er, let's toast you with tea instead of wine. We'll definitely work hard for you from now on."

We don't want to go out to find work, so we'll just follow you. We'll do whatever you tell us to do.

You can pay me whatever you want.

Sister Tao'er helped the two sisters change their fate. They no longer had to marry old men, widowers who couldn't find wives, or mentally challenged or disabled men.

"Sister Tao'er, Shiliu is yours from now on. I'll do whatever you ask me to do."

"You can pay me whatever you want, or you don't have to pay me at all, as long as I have meat to eat!"

She gets to eat meat every day at Sister Tao'er's place; it's worth it even without wages.

The two sisters had essentially given their opinions, and Tao'er was very satisfied. She nodded, "Okay, since you've both said so."

Let's arrange for you to do the embroidery first!

Embroidery pays well.

Second Uncle and Second Aunt, please feel free to tell me if you have any requests.

Tao'er then asked Liu Erniu and his wife.

The couple spoke at the same time, "Peach girl, we have no objections, we'll listen to you."

"Alright, Second Uncle and Second Aunt, don't worry, I will definitely make sure those two sisters live a good life from now on!"

Madam Xu sighed and said, "Tao'er, it's all thanks to you."

Your second aunt will be grateful to you for the rest of her life.

Otherwise, I really don't know what to do!

Wang and the old man wanted to marry Xiuxiu to the butcher in the east of town whose wife had died, and to propose Shiliu to Wang Baozhang's foolish son. Wasn't it all to curry favor with him and pave the way for Fourth Uncle to climb the social ladder?

"It's a good thing you took Xiuxiu and the others today, otherwise, otherwise..."

As Xu spoke, her eyes immediately reddened.

"Second Aunt, we're all family, you don't need to do this."

As for Xiuxiu and the others, they are actually not very old, so there is no rush for them to get married. They can take their time to choose.

In the future, they will have their own skills, be able to earn money, and stand tall with confidence.

Even if she gets married in the future, she will have confidence.

When a woman gains confidence, her in-laws will no longer dare to look down on her.

Xiuxiu and the others will definitely find good families in the future.

"Marrying into either the town or the county seat won't be a problem in the future."

Tao'er was telling her second aunt that there was no need to rush to arrange marriages for Xiuxiu and the others.