The nourishing life in the Zhang family made her glow with a healthy radiance, and she looked fair, plump and full of energy.

On her round and cute little face, she tried to look solemn, with her big eyes trying to open wide and her small mouth pursed into a straight line. Such an expression not only did not make people feel awe, but instead made people who saw it couldn't help laughing, and they felt an urge to gently pinch her plump apple-like cheeks.

Every member of the Zhang family adjusted their sitting posture tacitly, with their backs straight, their eyes full of expectation and respect, ready to listen to the teachings of this little teacher.

Little Youniang imitated Mr. Zhou, walking slowly with her hands behind her back, and her childish voice was full of seriousness: "Uncle Zhou Xiucai said that Youniang will be responsible for teaching everyone to recognize words and read. Read the word 'zhi', read the word 'li'..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Siwa was confused, frowned, scratched his head, and asked in confusion: "Read the word 'zhi', read the word 'li', what does this mean?"

Zhang Sanwa, who was standing by, saw this and quickly covered his mouth with his hands and chuckled, explaining for his sister and defusing the embarrassment cleverly: "I think Youniang may mean that you can understand your aspirations through reading and understand the truth through learning characters."

This explanation made the whole family laugh and the atmosphere became more relaxed and pleasant.

Only Xiao Youniang still maintained the serious expression of a teacher. She raised her chin slightly, gave her elder brother a satisfied and encouraging look, and nodded gently: "That's right, just as elder brother said, Uncle Zhou Xiucai taught us that each of us should learn to read and write. From today on, study with Youniang every day!"

Xu Liyun smiled bitterly and asked, "Do parents have to learn too?"

Xiao Youniang nodded without hesitation: "Uncle Xiucai said that no matter how old you are, everyone needs to learn so that they can be wise and sensible."

These words made Zhang Laoer, who was looking for an excuse to refuse, speechless and unable to find any reason to refute.

The family members exchanged glances with each other, and in the end no one raised any objections. They were all moved by Xiao Youniang's persistence and determination.

So, Zhang Sanwa was responsible for arranging the time and decided to set aside an hour after lunch every day for Xiao Youniang to lead everyone in learning to read. This arrangement was unanimously agreed by everyone.

The good news is that Xiao You Niang’s teaching is gentle and not harsh. She only teaches ten new characters every day, which not only ensures the efficiency of learning, but also makes these beginners feel relaxed and happy, and easy to remember.

At the same time, the arrangements for literacy learning were settled, and Zhang Laoer, as usual, gathered the men from several other families and went to the mountains to collect medicinal herbs in case of emergency.

This time, Xu Liyun did not accompany them because she was waiting for the goods ordered from the county town to be delivered.

She waited for a whole morning and finally saw the donkey cart loaded with daily necessities.

The person who delivered the package was a young worker from a grocery store, and the Hu family had assigned him three tasks.

First, return all the money Xu Liyun paid last time;

The second was to tell them that since the young master of the Hu family had some urgent matters to attend to, he would have to postpone his visit to Zhangjia Village for a few days.

The third is to help unload and assist in putting things in order.

The owner of the grocery store promised that as long as he could complete these tasks successfully, he would give him an extra salary when he returned.

However, when faced with the money returned by the Hu family, Xu Liyun showed a firm attitude. She insisted on not accepting it, believing that when doing business, public and private matters should be clearly distinguished, and that she should not continue to accept rewards from Zhang Laoer just because he had helped Mr. Hu.

No matter how the worker tried to persuade her, Xu Liyun refused to accept the refund. She silently carried the heavy goods and moved into the yard step by step. After closing the door, she ignored the worker's repeated dissuasion and insisted that he go back early. She told Hu Bin that if he had any problems, he could just come over and discuss it face to face.

Faced with such a determined Xu Liyun, the worker could only shake his head helplessly, sighed, and returned to the grocery store with a hint of frustration.

Fortunately, the Hu family was understanding and did not express any dissatisfaction with the failure of the refund. Instead, they recognized the work attitude of the worker and increased his wages as originally planned.

The stone in the worker's heart finally fell to the ground. He felt relaxed again and turned around to continue to be busy in the store, serving every customer who came to the store warmly and attentively. The store returned to its former bustle and harmony.

The day Xu Liyun stepped into the bustling street, all members of the Hu family went to the ancient and solemn Hongfu Temple on the outskirts of the city to devoutly light a bunch of incense for Hu Bin, the pillar of the family, and pray for his health.

The store seemed particularly empty because of the sudden quietness.

A slightly immature young man seemed a little absent-minded during this rare leisurely moment in an ordinary day.

When the Zhang family's servant showed up with Xu Liyun's shopping list, he completed the transaction without giving it much thought, completely unaware of what an important guest he was receiving.

Time flies. When Hu Bin finished his prayer journey and stood in front of the familiar counter again, carefully examining the delivery record, he couldn't help but feel surprised.

Xu Liyun's name was prominently listed, and the length of the shopping list showed how generous she was.

The Hu family had been looking forward to taking practical actions to repay the benefactor who had once lent a helping hand. Hu Bin even secretly vowed to personally deliver the goods to Zhangjia Village, and at the same time take the opportunity to explore the true meaning of "cooperation" mentioned by their benefactor Zhang Laoer.

However, things are unpredictable. Before Hu Bin even stepped out of the house, a shadow had already quietly loomed over him.

Another business that used to have close cooperation with the Hu family announced that it would terminate its business dealings with the Hu family.

Faced with this sudden change, Hu Bin frowned. Helplessly, he had to walk side by side with his elderly father and knock on the door of the business, seeking a reasonable explanation.

Fortunately, this merchant had a good relationship with the Hu family and revealed the truth in private.

Behind everything is the invisible hand of the Cheng family. They seem determined to make life uneasy for the Hu family.

In just a few days, three stable partners defected one after another, and the established orders withered like autumn leaves. The economic losses of the Hu family were incalculable.

After learning the truth, Hu Bin and his son were filled with anger.

The tiger skin incident clearly originated from the Cheng family's own negligence, but it eventually caused the innocent Hu Bin and Xu Liyun to suffer imprisonment. After many twists and turns, they were released by the old lady of the Cheng family out of consideration for doing good deeds. The Hu family even took the initiative to return all the money obtained from the sale of the tiger skins. Why is the Cheng family still not giving up?

This series of blows made the Hu father and son feel as if a rock was pressing down on their hearts, even though anger and unwillingness were boiling in their chests.

However, considering that the second master of the Cheng family holds real power in the capital, they can only endure it silently and dare not confront head-on. There is only a glimmer of hope in their hearts, hoping that the resentment of the Cheng family will one day dissipate and give them a way out.

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