It was difficult, but she did her best, and in recent years, thanks to Tian's ability to bring back money regularly, Old Man Tian and Madame Tian temporarily let go of their daughter.

  However, she also knew that no matter how hard she tried, sooner or later there would come a day when her two daughters would be taken away in exchange for betrothal gifts. This was almost an inevitable fate for girls born into the Tian family. But being sold to what kind of family made a difference as vast as heaven and earth for her two daughters.

  She saw the hope of two young girls in the change of summer solstice.

  "Daughter," Jiang said, seeing that Tian Wang was getting more and more impatient and even starting to suspect her, so she hurriedly explained, "I'm also doing it for our family's good. I'm doing it for Da Bao. Like last time when Father found a matchmaker, they could only give us a few taels of silver, and after Da Ya married into their family, we would have to cut ties with them, and they definitely wouldn't be able to help our family again."

  At this point, Jiang paused intentionally and secretly observed Tian Wang's reaction. Tian Wang seemed to have taken her words to heart.

  Jiang thought to herself: "If Da Ya could marry someone as good as her aunt..."

  Tian Wang's brow furrowed again, and she cut off Jiang's words: "You think I don't want to, but Da Yu has that kind of ability. What does her aunt look like? What does Da Yu look like? If Da Yu looked like her aunt, I would worship her as a fairy. Now we still need to worry about the silver for Dabao's marriage!"

  "Mother, Dabao is not as good as her aunt, but she's not bad either. Dabao's eyebrows and eyes are actually quite similar to her aunt's. In two more years, when she's of age, Dabao will be lovely. Besides, our family's circumstances... Mother, look at Xia Zhi, what was she like before when she came to our house? Now isn't she living in the prefectural city after just a few days? Look at her now?"

  "If our family had that condition, it wouldn't be worse than hers, definitely not worse than Xia Zhi's!"

  The Tian King clan still looked at Jiang with a suspicious gaze, saying that Da Ya was more beautiful than Xia Zhi, even if she had a bias towards Da Ya in her heart, it's hard to believe. But when she thought about it carefully again, Da Ya indeed wasn't ugly. A young girl in her prime years, as long as she was lively and dressed up, could be considered a beauty. The saying "no ugly women at eighteen" passed down by our ancestors makes sense.

  "Don't even think about that high-class stuff. The people in Lao Xia's family are all cunning, one more than the other. Your sister-in-law has her eyes on Xia Zhi, how could she possibly look at our family's little servant girl? That family is full of selfish and snobbish people, they look down on others." As she spoke, it seemed like she remembered something unpleasant, and she spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the ground.

  "Mother, I didn't say let Da Yu hurry to be the daughter-in-law of Xia Zhi's eldest aunt. Mother, what I think is that Sister and Brother-in-law are both people with status, and they also come into contact with people who have status and money. If they're willing to put in some effort, find a good family for Da Yu..."

  "That betrothal gift must be more than just a few taels of silver. If Dajie's in-laws are wealthy, after she marries into their family, they can still help support our family and her brother."

  If she was given to an old bachelor living in the depths of the mountains, Daxia would suffer a lifetime of hardship and never be able to turn her life around. But if she could marry into a wealthy family in town, even if it wasn't one of the wealthiest families, like Xia Xiuren's family, that would be good too.

  In all these years, Old Tian and Madame Tian have not minced words when speaking ill of the Xia family. But Jiang had her own judgment. Perhaps the Xia family was not good enough to them, but Tian Shi, who married into the Xia family, was undoubtedly very happy.

  The Xia family lives a rich life, does not bully women, is not harsh on daughters-in-law, and will not use their daughter to exchange for betrothal gifts.

  If Dabao's wife could marry into a family like that, she would be able to live a good life from then on, regardless of whether or not she helped Dabao. She wouldn't have to suffer and her life would be considered escaped, living like a human being.

  Tian Wang was thoroughly moved by Jiang's words, but she didn't say so. "You think that's good, but can our family really get a good marriage?"

  "How can it not be!" Jiang said affirmatively, "If it were in our family, I'm afraid it would be quite difficult. But if Da Ya and Er Ya followed their aunt, then later on, others would have to look up to them. If they also turned out like Xia Zhi, what else would Dabao have to worry about?"

  Tian Wang's eyes lit up as he listened. "Right, from now on, let your sister and brother-in-law be the matchmakers for Da Ya and Er Ya!"

  When the time comes, the betrothal gifts will be theirs, and the dowry will be provided by the Tian family and Xia Xiuzai.

  Moreover, it's best if Dà Yā can find a husband's family as soon as possible, so the betrothal gifts received can be used to find a better wife for Dà Bǎo.

  Tian Wang made up his mind and didn't say a word to Jiang, hastily returning to the house. Jiang saw the look on her mother-in-law's face and knew she agreed with the idea, so she also followed enthusiastically into the house.

  In the room, Tian Dabao was still kneeling on the ground, and Tian Shi didn't dare to sit down either, but knelt on the kang, crying in front of Old Man Tian. Old Man Tian's face was as black as a pot bottom, his hands holding a tobacco pouch, seemingly suppressing himself from hitting Tian Shi.

  "Hurry up and get Dabao up, he's been kneeling for half the day, who knows what illness he'll kneel into." Tian Wangshi entered the house and quickly rushed to her grandson's side, then helped him up.

  Tian Dabao hesitated and looked straight at Old Tian. His knees were also a bit tired, but Old Tian didn't say anything, so he didn't dare get up.

  The old man in the field narrowed his eyes and looked at Tian Wangshi, wondering what she was singing about.

  Tian Wang thought she had come up with the most brilliant idea and suddenly became bolder. Without consulting Old Tian, she took matters into her own hands. She sat down sideways on the kang and expressed Jiang's intention.

  Certainly, Tian Wang didn't say it was Jiang's idea, just that it was her intention. "...you find a good family for Da Ya and Er Ya, later on Da Bao will also have someone to help him."

  Tian Lao Tou turned his head and glanced at Jiang Shi. Jiang Shi hastily lowered her head, not daring to make eye contact with Tian Lao Tou. Tian Lao Tou knew that what Tian Wang Shi said must have been Jiang Shi's idea.

  His daughter-in-law is a person who has her own ideas in mind.

  However, thinking carefully about this idea isn't bad either. It's clear that it's difficult to squeeze more money out of Lao Xia's family; it's also time for them to open up new sources of wealth.

  The Xia family's daughter is valuable, but after all, it belongs to the Xia family and is still separated from them by a layer, so they can't directly help their family. But if it were Da Ya and Er Ya, it would be different.

  Da Ya and Er Ya grew up, two good-for-nothings who only knew how to eat and couldn't do anything else. They were always thinking of using them as a trade for betrothal gifts. In fact, if they couldn't find a good girl to exchange with, he would have thought of giving Da Ya to Da Bao as a wife.

  Now, if it really works out as Jiang's idea, Tian and Xia Xiuzai will find wealthy families for Da Ya and Er Ya. Without mentioning the more dowry, in the future these two girls can be like their aunts, then the days of Lao Tian's family and the future of Dabao are truly guaranteed.

  As he thought so, the expression on Lao Tian's face improved somewhat. He spoke warmly to Tian Shi: "Sit properly, you are a Xiucai's wife, that is a person of status, kneeling like this doesn't look good."

  Tian's family at this time had already heard Tian Wang's words and stopped crying, and after hearing what Old Man Tian said, she dared to wipe away her tears and sat back down on the kang.

  "My elder female cousin..."

  "Sister, it's not that we want you to marry off Da Yu to her aunt. The one they have their eyes on is Xia Zhi, we can't do such a thing." Jiang Shi hastily said with a smile.

  Even if they wanted to, they couldn't do it anyway. Everyone in the Tian family knows that the Tians don't get along well with the older siblings of the Xia family. The others are always on guard against them because of their surname Tian.

  At this time, Lao Tien's mind had turned several times and he had already thought through the pros and cons of this matter very clearly. Compared to Tian Wangshi and Jiangshi, his thoughts were even more long-term and meticulous.

  "Dabao, this matter, I think you can only help to this extent. You are my dear daughter, and it's really hard for you, I shouldn't make things harder for you." Old Tian said slowly.

  Tian's family was immediately moved and choked with emotion, she said to Old Tian: "Dad, let me go back and think of a way, I'll definitely come up with something..."

  Tian Lao Tou looked at her coldly, not believing her words at all. Today, Xia Xiu Cai, Xia Qiao, Xia Zhi and Xiao Shu Er's words and actions were all seen by him. Tian Shi's status in that family was already much lower than before.

  In the past, as long as Mr. Tian spoke up, no one in that family dared to utter a word of disagreement.

  "Niezhen, don't be too hard on yourself. Your mother and I are also worried. As your mother said, if you can't take care of your nephew, then in the future, both of your nieces will have to rely on you."

  Old Tian said one sentence and pushed all the things that happened to Da Ya and Er Ya onto the head of the Tian family.

  "Dad..." Tian Shi sat up straight and listened as Old Man Tian continued to instruct.

  "Both girls are not bad, and they were very similar to you when you were young. It's just that in this remote and out-of-the-way place, they can't find a decent husband's family. You take them over, and from then on, they'll follow you, and you treat them like your own daughters. If you teach them well, they will respect you in the future."

  In other words, both Da Ya and Er Ya will have to rely on Tian Shi to make a living from now on.

  However, raising Da Ya and Er Ya is secondary.

  "The daughter of a scholar and the niece of a scholar's wife, that's a different identity. The people you've come into contact with are all wealthy and have social status, just pick two families at random and they'll hire your two nieces. As their aunt, everyone will say you're kind and generous."

  "Second Aunt is twelve, and then there's the second one. Big Aunt will be fifteen next year, you go back and hurry up with the arrangements, take advantage of this year's end to find her a good husband. You only brought back thirty taels out of the two hundred taels we agreed on, I won't mention anything else. The betrothal gifts for Big Aunt can just make up for what's needed for Big Treasure's wife."

  Old Master Tian made a few brief remarks and arranged for the task to be handed down to the Tian family.

  Tian's family, although completely unprepared mentally, thought that she couldn't get a large sum of silver anyway, so she readily agreed.

  "This matter is a big deal for our Lao Tian family, it affects the future of our Lao Tian family. Nizi, you must handle this properly. Otherwise, I and your mother will not be able to rest even in death. Nizi, with your conscience, you must handle this matter well, forgive my sin."

  What a crime! It's the crime of not giving enough silver money to his nephew as promised.

  When Xia Zhi and Xiao Shu'er found their way back to the mountain and returned to the Tian family with Xia Xiuren, Xia Qiao, and Tian Dagu, Xia Zhi discovered that the atmosphere in the Tian household had undergone a strange change.

  The Tian family was no longer in a state of anxiety, and the faces of Jiang, Da Ya, and Er Ya even had an uncontrollable smile. Even the atmosphere around Old Man Tian and Madame Tian was not as tense as before.

  Of course, there is also Tian Dabao. Tian Dabao didn't change at all because he knew nothing and understood nothing. This is the advantage of being stupid.

  Xia Zhi had doubts in her heart, but she didn't ask around and already knew what was going on.

  Tian said to Xia Xiuzai, "This time when we go back, I want to bring Da Ya and Er Ya back with us. 'Xia Zhi has lived in her eldest aunt's house before, but my two nieces have never lived in our house. I want to take them back and let them stay for a few more days.'"

  She didn't mention the money again, and Xia Xiuzai felt a bit relieved. Moreover, seeing her complexion and spirit were not bad, Xia Xiuzai's heart became even more at ease.

  Xia Xiuzai was not a petty person to begin with, and he did not object at all to letting Da Ya and Er Ya go live in his house. Even if they were to raise two more maids, it wouldn't be a big deal. In any case, the food at home would always be enough to eat.

  Xia Xiuzai smiled and told Tian Shi to take charge, whatever she wanted was fine.

  Tian nodded in satisfaction, and this matter was settled.

  Xia Zhi didn't think that Da Ya and Er Ya were just going to her house to live. She thought for a moment, then took advantage of Tian Shi's trip to the courtyard to cool off and walked over to Tian Shi's side.

  "Sister, how long are Big Sister and Second Sister planning to stay at our place?"

  "What's wrong, he hasn't even left yet and you can't stand it?" Tian raised an eyebrow and glared at Xia Zhi, her tone somewhat unpleasant.

  "Come on, I'm just asking. If mom doesn't want to say, then she won't say it."

  It's okay either way. You can say it's fine, but also can be a bit hesitant. Tian Shi looked at her and his attitude became more relaxed. She thought of the task that Old Man Tian had entrusted to her.

  It's better to marry Da Ya and Er Ya into good families in the prefecture, but she hasn't figured out a way to do this yet, and later on will probably have to rely heavily on Xia Zhi.

  Even if Xia Zhi didn't listen to her, she became more and more close to the people in the backyard, but this did not prevent Tian Shi from recognizing a fact: Xia Zhi was intelligent and capable.

  Tian thought for a moment and then told Xia Zhi: "Your grandma and grandpa want us to find a husband for your cousin."

  "Oh." This answer didn't surprise Xia Zhi at all, otherwise why would Jiang ask her so many things? "Mother, then the two of them will have to stay in our house until they find a husband?"

  Tian didn't say anything, which was tantamount to acquiescence.

  The Tian family also gave up on Xia Zhi. They felt that they couldn't squeeze any more benefits out of Xia Xiuzai's affairs, so they dumped the two girls on Xia Xiuzai as a burden.

  Dà yā and èr yā are not only two burdens, but also the intention of the Tian family is to let Tian Shi and Xia Xiū Cái take responsibility for the appreciation of these two girls.

  Xia Zhi didn't say a word, but the Tian family told Xia Zhi the most important thing. "Your grandma and grandpa asked me to get Da Ni engaged before the end of the year. They want betrothal gifts to add money for your older brother's marriage."

  "Oh..." Xia Zhi dragged out the sound. It seems that the Tian family finally realized that Xia Xiuzai couldn't take out any more money, and they finally turned their abacus to the two maids in their own home.

  It's just a matter of time.

  Her crisis was finally completely resolved.