"How can we possibly live like this, oh dear me, our family can't go on!"

You lose, you have to pay silver, or else I'll throw the child and myself into this courtyard!

Jian Yi'an was splitting with a headache, having just clawed her way out of the abyss of darkness. She heard a woman's cries, her voice strained and raw. Jian Yi'an frowned deeply, opened her eyes, and gasped in astonishment.

Where is this?

A dilapidated courtyard, a group of people dressed in coarse cloth and wearing leather jerkins...ancient people!

...and was being held in the arms of a man.

Hold you in my arms!

Jian Yi's heart felt like it was being squeezed by a hand, her vision blurred, and her mind felt flooded with water. Her headache intensified.

When I opened my eyes again, there was a new memory, the memory of a five-year-old girl...

The woman was still crying hysterically, as if the sky were falling.

In fact, the roof of the house has really caved in!

It seems like a group of villagers went out to sell fur and encountered bandits on their way back. The men from this family had one hand chopped off, so they could no longer hunt. Afterwards, they came crying and demanding more silver.

And the man she was embracing was the culprit behind all the trouble in the woman's household.

A scholar who recently arrived here, accompanied by his five-year-old son and a thin old woman, had only settled for less than half a month. He was still considered an outsider.

Thus, the main target of the woman's tantrum became the persimmon.

"Damn it! If you don't give us an explanation today, I'm going to die!"

Aren't you a scholar? Don't you read books? You dare insult me, a lowly woman! How dare you!

Doggy, Doggy!

Come and have a look at this man, his mother died, you go to him for revenge!

A young boy with a runny nose was pulled forward by his mother. The boy drooped and surprisingly said, "Mother, I have a name now! My name is Hu Yong!"

Hu Yong? Jian Da? Selling skin to bandits, cut off your hands!

Jian Yi'an shivered, instinctively hugging the man's neck and letting out a sharp cry, "Father!"

"Oh, father is here, father is here!"

Jian quickly hugged the girl in his arms, feeling very guilty. He was so busy dealing with this shrew that he forgot the girl was timid and must have been scared by this.

Don't be afraid, little one. Is that it?

"Dad will make some porridge for you in a while. Dad bought glutinous rice back!"

Jian Yi'an, however, clung to his neck and refused to let go, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh, daddy, Niuniu is scared!"

Dad said he would take the men to sell their skins, and when they sold them for silver, the whole village would have porridge to eat and new jackets to wear!

There haven't been any child deaths in the village!

But if everyone has silver, why is father still being scolded!

We're not going anymore, Dad! We're not going!

"Even if Niao Niao dies, she won't let Daddy buy rice!"

Jian Da listened with a pained heart, hugged the girl close, and softly comforted her.

OK, I'm not going. Dad isn't going either.

Whether you sell one ounce or ten ounces of leather, it has nothing to do with our family.

After the New Year, your father will take you into the city!”

The surrounding villagers also blushed with shame, and many men awkwardly began to work.

Although Jian led the team this time to sell pelts, encountering bandits was an unexpected event. No one could have predicted it.

Besides, if they didn't have Jian Da go into the city to find the stewards of wealthy households and buy pelts directly, how could they possibly get five or six times more silver than in previous years by bypassing the fur merchants' exploitation?

He divided the ten taels, and it's also due to his skills. It's hard-earned money indeed.

Hu Lao Er had his hand cut off by bandits, it's pitiful, but it wasn't Jian Da's fault either. Why should Jian Da have to pay compensation with silver!

"Second daughter-in-law, you'd better get up! Don't embarrass yourself here anymore!

"Mr. Jian did nothing wrong!"

"That's right, nobody expected the bandits to suddenly attack! The second brother, even though he was injured, it was for the sake of the whole village, for the wounds of your own families! It wasn't just for Mr. Jian!"

"Yes, that's not logical at all!"

The villagers chimed in one after another, but Hu Lao Er's daughter-in-law refused to back down.

The silver has already been divided, it would be impossible for each family to take out their share. Only the outsider from the Jian family has a chance.

"Oh no, I can't live anymore, I can't live anymore!"

It was all that bookworm's fault! He tricked my man into going out to sell his hide, and now they've run into bandits!

I don't care, pay the silver!

"If I don't get my silver, I'll die right here in this courtyard!"

Old Second's daughter-in-law started rolling around in the yard again, kicking over a long stool on purpose and almost hitting Old Simple Father.

Jian Da shielded his sweetheart, took two steps back, and opened his mouth angrily to offer silver for peace!

Unfortunately, Yian's small hand covered his.

"Daddy, Nini's head hurts so much, is Nini going to die!"

Jian hurriedly pressed her forehead against the back of her head. Sure enough, it was hot to the touch.

On one side, a woman also poked her head out and said, "Oh my, this little girl's face is flushed! Quickly throw a cloth over to cover her head!"

"That's way too hot! My neighbor's kid went crazy from being burned like that!"

Women are naturally nurturing, raising children is not easy, a minor illness could cost a child their life.

So, immediately someone rushed to fetch water, and others wanted to quickly bring the children inside.

Yet Yi An clung to her father and wouldn't let go, Li Hu shouted.

"Daddy, Niuniu doesn't want to see the doctor and won't take medicine."

"Daddy has no silver, and Niuniu won't drink porridge anymore!"

The women glared fiercely at Hu Lao'er's daughter-in-law, and someone deliberately kicked her aside, saying angrily.

"Look at the good deeds you've done! You scared the child half to death!"

Of course, Hu Lao'er's daughter-in-law wouldn't admit it and continued to wail on the ground.

"There's no justice! I don't even have any pictures of this girl, how can she say I was scared?!"

"That Mr. Jian isn't a bandit either! What right do you have to come here demanding compensation!"

An old man lay sprawled on the door panel, being carried over by two men.

He was dressed in half a robe, with strips of cloth wrapped around his waist, stained with traces.

"Village Chief, why are you here? You're still injured!"

The villagers immediately surrounded him, all worried that the old man was in trouble.

The old man braced himself and struggled to his feet, glaring fiercely at the crowd. He shouted angrily.

"Shouldn't I come? If I don't, you guys will lose your conscience!"

Mr. Jian is a kind man. He came to our village and wanted to help everyone. He put a lot of effort into finding a way to sell the hides for a good price.

The bandits are greedy, coming to rob the silver. It's not Mr. Jian's fault! What are you doing?! Why should Mr. Jian take out his hard-earned money?!

Ungrateful wretch!

Is silver blind?

After this, who else will dare to trust you with their back, who else will dare to go hunting together? Is it that if they get good fur, they'll kill their companions and take all the spoils for themselves?!

The old village head was furious, perhaps because the wound hurt too much, his face twitched uncontrollably.

But he insisted on going forward to pay his respects to Jian Daxing. Jian Yian quietly observed the guilt in the old village head's eyes and confirmed that this was an honest man.

The next moment, I finally feel safe and faint.

After an unknown amount of time, the coolness above her head and the warmth on her side stimulated her senses, causing Jian Yi'an to wake up again.