Siheyuan: A master brewer starts with a jar of bone-strengthening wine!

……

Inside the Chen family's house.

After Liu Dong left, Chen Xueru sat down opposite her mother.

Chen Zhongze and Lü Fang also sat down.

Chen's mother sighed: "Xue Ru, if you still want to be the head of the household, you can find someone else who is willing to marry into the family."

Chen Xueru shook her head: "No need to say anything, Mom, brother—let's separate the family."

"Separate the family?"

Madam Lü sneered, "Chen Xueru, once you're married, you're an outsider. You want to separate from the family? Dream on!"

"Every brick and tile of the Chen family belongs to the Chen family; you won't be taking a single one!"

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

Upon hearing his wife's words, Chen Zhongze's face immediately darkened, and he roared, "We're all from the same vine! What kind of talk is this?! No matter what, Xue Ru is still family. We can't stop her from touching us, can we?"

Chen Xueru originally thought that her brother had some conscience.

Unexpectedly, Chen Zhongze changed the subject and sneered, "Take the dowry your father saved for you before he passed away. Anything else? Don't even dream about it... Ha."

He patted his clothes and said slowly, "Little sister, don't blame your brother for being heartless. The rules are what they are. I have to protect the Chen family's resources. I'm sorry."

Chen Xueru was so angry that her hands were shaking.

Her mother couldn't sit still any longer. She stood up, pointed at Chen Zhongze, and yelled, "Zhongze! How dare you say that? All these years, she's kept the shop going, braving wind and rain without a break. Don't you know how much she's earned for the family?"

"Others hire managers from outside, and they make at least a million a month! She's been doing this for years, and hasn't earned a single extra penny!"

"What's wrong with her taking a little? Have you no shame!"

Chen Zhongze scoffed, "But she eats the Chen family's food and lives in the Chen family's house, what more do you want?"

"Mother—" his tone turned serious, "It's an old family tradition that daughters don't inherit any family property. I've already shown her mercy by letting her take her dowry!"

"Snapped!"

Before she could finish speaking, the old lady suddenly stood up and slapped him across the face, cleanly and decisively.

"Mom! You hit me?" Chen Zhongze covered his face, his eyes wide open.

"That's exactly what I'm doing!" The old lady's chest heaved with anger. "That dowry was prepared by your father himself. What does it have to do with you? Who gives you the right to act so generous?"

"I'm still alive! You think you can cause trouble just because your father passed away?"

She slammed her hand on the table and roared, "I'm in charge of this today! Two options—either half of the cash in the house goes to Xue Ru, or the shop outside is transferred to her, and from now on it belongs to Old Liu's family!"

"You pick one!"

"Mom! Are you out of your mind?"

Chen Zhongze jumped up, "I won't choose! I'm going to find my uncles and elders, and let them be the judge!"

The Chen family was not a small or insignificant household; several branches of the family lived together, and there were many elders in the clan.

Before long, the uncles and elders arrived one after another.

After hearing the whole story, they started discussing it amongst themselves.

"We don't care who Xue Ru lives with, but not a single grain of Chen family property can be allowed to leave the family!"

"Yes! That's what the old man earned through his entire life's work!"

"Take the dowry with you, no problem!"

"But then again, this girl has done so much for the family, isn't it too meager to just give her a dowry? We should at least make up for it!"

After much arguing, the final decision was made: the dowry would be retained, plus a compensation of 30 million.

Chen Xueru stood in the crowd, looking at the familiar faces, her heart turning cold.

She suddenly raised her hand and waved it gently: "Uncles, stop arguing."

Everyone quieted down.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear: "I'll take my dowry, but I don't want the rest. I don't want people to say that the Chen family's daughter is stealing the family property, and that will give me something to gossip about."

"I don't want my man to be talked about behind his back in the future!"

She paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone: "But I have a request."

Chen Zhongze frowned: "You speak."

Chen Xueru said, "When my father was alive, he loved collecting calligraphy, paintings, antiques, and some old furniture. All these things together are actually not worth 30 million."

"I don't want the 30 million, but please give me these items. I'll keep them as a token of our old friendship."

"Whether it's the house or the shop, leave it all to my eldest brother."

"Sure!" Chen Zhongze beamed with joy. "You said it yourself! Write it down in black and white!"

Back then, although calligraphy, paintings, and furniture were considered antiques, their market value wasn't that high, far less than 30 million.

Chen Zhongze thought he had gotten a great deal and quickly nodded in agreement.

……

After signing the contract, Chen Xueru turned and ran straight to the small tavern on the street corner, threw herself into Liu Dong's arms, and burst into tears.

She wasn't crying about the money or the shop.

It's heartbreaking. It's seeing that the family you raised with all your heart and soul could abandon even your own relatives for a few coins.

Liu Dong gently put his arm around her and patted her back repeatedly: "Don't be afraid, I'm here. I'll protect you from now on, I'll provide for whatever you eat and wear."

Chen Xueru nodded, sobbing, "Mmm..."

After a while, she wiped her face and looked up: "But... I still want to open my own shop."

"What do you think of calling it 'Xue Ru Silk Shop'?"

Liu Dong was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "This can't be rushed. Come with me to the backyard, let's talk this out properly."

He took her hand and led her around to the back of the house.

It's quiet here, no one is eavesdropping, and we don't have to worry about being overheard.

The two sat down against the wall.

Liu Dong looked at her and asked, "Do you remember what conditions I set when we first started dating?"

"I remember." Chen Xueru nodded. "You said that you make the decisions on important family matters."

"Okay." He nodded. "So now—is opening a shop considered a big deal?"

"Yes!" she said eagerly, looking at him. "You'll support me, right?"

Liu Dong slowly shook his head: "Girl, in two months, the public-private partnership will be implemented. Do you know what that means?"

"It means that you just invested 100 million yuan to open a shop, and before you've even broken even in a month, the shop has been taken over by the state."

"The government said that for the next twenty years, it will pay you five million in interest every year. After twenty years, it will have accumulated one hundred million, and then it will pay you back in full. Do you understand?"

Chen Xueru's pupils dilated: "This...this is such a loss for us in business!"

Liu Dong smiled.

It's more than just a loss.

Let alone inflation and currency devaluation, there have been too many variables in the last twenty years alone.

That period of turmoil lasted for more than ten years!

You might be counting your money when someone gets dragged out and publicly criticized.

You still want interest?

It's not even certain whether he can save his life!

Why are they still throwing money into this?

His brain is fried.

It's better to exchange money for grain, hoard cloth, or hide gold bars.

In the future, I will be the hard currency. No matter how many houses you own or how expensive your calligraphy and paintings are, you will still have to kneel down and beg me when you are hungry!

Actually, he had been thinking about how to persuade Chen Xueru to leave the scene, but then her brother jumped in to seize the family fortune—

That was a divine assist!

This is a good opportunity to let her get away completely.

If the Chen family is investigated and punished in the future, it will be her brother who will be investigated and punished, and it will have nothing to do with Chen Xueru!

She was the "victim" who left with nothing, and ironically, she was safe.