Era: Seven money-losing girls? They're trying to trick me into having a daughter again!

"..."

Fang Wei stared blankly at Fang Zhi, unable to recall how long it had been since he had received a cigarette from his older brothers.

"Tsk!"

Fang Zhi frowned impatiently and pushed the cigarette forward again: "I told you to hold it."

"...Thank you, brother."

Fang Wei whispered a thank you, took the cigarette, pulled out a box of matches from his pocket, and lit one with a "whoosh".

"Finally, he's starting to understand things."

Fang Zhi saw him hand over the matches first, muttered something, then held the cigarette butt to the flame and took a deep drag.

Smoke rose slowly between the two brothers, and the camphor tree leaves rustled in the wind.

Fang Zhi exhaled two puffs of grayish-white smoke from his nose and spoke first: "Where did you get those gastrodia elata?"

"It was dug up in the mountains near our village."

Fang Wei, of course, couldn't tell the truth. He hesitated for a moment, then changed the subject: "Second Brother, I've leased that old forest area in the village."

"The old forest farm?"

Fang Zhi frowned, forgetting to flick the ash from his cigarette between his fingers. "That old forest behind the village?"

"right."

"Hasn't that land been abandoned for many years? Why are you leasing it out?"

"Of course, it's for planting things."

Fang Wei flicked his cigarette ash and said in a calm tone, "I've already signed the contract, fifteen years, two hundred a year."

"I also borrowed 350 from the credit union in town, and I've already paid this year's contract fee in full."

Before Fang Zhi could even begin to curse, he continued speaking on his own.

"I hired an older brother to work with me. Every morning before dawn, he would leave home with a hoe to till the land."

"That old forest farm had been abandoned for so many years. The grass was taller than a person, and the soil was as hard as bricks. My older brother and I dug it down, one hoe at a time—"

Fang Wei looked at the calluses on his palms and the scabbed cuts on the web of his hand.

"My older brother works even harder than me. Sometimes I tell him to take a break, but he says he won't, saying he'll take advantage of the cool weather to turn the soil a few more times."

"..."

Fang Zhi's gaze fell on Fang Wei's hands, and he couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart.

"A couple of days ago, I and some brothers from the village caught several hundred kilograms of river shrimp in the river near Jiaoshan."

Fang Wei put a cigarette in his mouth, smiled, and said, "I transported it to town and sold it to Boss Wang of Yingbinlou Restaurant for 80 cents a pound. I made over 400 yuan."

Fang Zhi's Adam's apple bobbed, and he hesitated before saying, "You..."

"Besides visiting Uncle Gu, I have another more important matter to discuss with you in town today."

Fang Wei looked at Fang Zhi and told him about the happiest thing that happened to him today: "I went to the police station and changed the names of all seven of my daughters."

Fang Zhi's fingers, which were holding a cigarette, trembled suddenly. He asked in shock, "You...you changed the names of all my little nieces?!"

Of course he knew the names of his seven little nieces.

Fang Wei, their father, never gave them any names; he just called them whatever came to mind based on their birth order.

He also knew that Fang Wei was called a "childless head" by some people in the village because his family only had daughters, and they never liked his nieces.

But what did he hear now?

Fang Wei actually changed the names of his daughters?

"It's been changed."

Fang Wei had a smug look on his face. "The eldest brother's name is Fang Chunyang, Chun as in spring and Yang as in the sun. Da Ya came up with this name herself after thinking about it all night."

"The second sister's name is Fang Yunxue, Yun as in white clouds, Xue as in snow..."

He recited all seven names in one breath without uttering a single stumble.

"The police station's official seal is affixed, and it's written in black and white on the household registration book."

"From now on, when they go to school, work, and get married, they will fill in these names. They will no longer be called Daya or Erya."

Fang Zhi stared blankly at Fang Wei.

Going to school? His younger brother actually plans to send his little nieces to school?!

Fang Zhi only snapped back to reality when the cigarette in his hand burned to the very end, causing a sharp pain in his fingertip.

"Take it."

Fang Zhi suddenly took out his wallet, pulled out a wad of brightly colored bills, and stuffed them into Fang Wei's arms, saying in a rough, hoarse voice:

"As the second uncle, I've never given my seven nieces any red envelopes, so this money is my way of making up for it."

"That gastrodia elata is too valuable; I can't just take something this big from you for free."

"Take the money!"

"Second brother, I'm telling you this not because I want money from you!"

Fang Wei forcefully stuffed the money back into Fang Zhi's hand, saying each word clearly, "I've already said it, I dug that gastrodia elata myself in the wild forest, I didn't spend a single penny!"

Fang Zhi was about to speak when he was stopped by Fang Zhi raising his hand.

"I came here today simply to let you and my second sister-in-law know that I'm truly living a good life now!"

"That year I got drunk and... to my second sister-in-law..."

Fang Wei's throat tightened, and he swallowed hard before continuing, "You and my second sister-in-law were right to beat me back then! I really deserved it!"

"Second brother, do you remember when I was little, I stole eggs from home to trade for candy, and Dad chased me all over the village beating me..."

"You were the one who stood in my way."

Fang Zhi's breath caught in his throat for a moment; he hadn't expected Fang Wei to remember something from so long ago.

"And that time I fell into the river, you were the one who pulled me out."

Fang Wei twitched his lips, unable to understand how he had ended up in such a heartless state in his past life.

"You can't swim either, and you almost drowned after your feet got tangled in the weeds. When you got out, you didn't yell at me, you just told me to go home..."

Fang Zhi's face twitched twice, then he suddenly shouted, "Stop talking!"

"..."

Fang Wei looked at his second brother, a man in his thirties, over 1.7 meters tall, whose eyes were already red.

"Second Brother."

He took a half step back and said earnestly, "I remember all the kindness you've shown me."

It's just that I was foolish in the past, and my mind was clouded by the obsession with having a son to carry on the family line, so I don't recognize anything anymore.

"Just you wait and see, I'll definitely get things back on track!"

Fang Wei turned around, lifted his leg and straddled the old bicycle. Just as he was about to ride away, he was suddenly punched hard in the shoulder blade!

"You little brat!"

Fang Zhi withdrew his fist, looked at his younger brother who was wincing in pain from his punch, and threatened, "If I find out you're going to gamble again, I'll break your legs!"

Fang Wei felt like his shoulder was almost broken, and suspected that his second brother was taking the opportunity to retaliate, but upon hearing this, he could only grin and say, "I know."

After saying that, he stepped on the pedal and left along the way he came.

"...You brat."

Fang Zhi looked at the wad of money in his hand and chuckled, "You've really gotten a bit more capable, thinking you can act arrogantly in front of your older brother now."