In Yu Hang's opinion, most of the family businesses were his younger sister's credit. He never thought about taking the properties in Tanggu Town for himself. He wanted to help his younger sister as much as he could so she wouldn't have to worry about everything.
However, he didn't know that Xiaocao regarded the money made from the greenhouse vegetables in Tanggu Town and thirty percent of the profits from the seed breeding farms as income for the family. In addition, all of this would be inherited by him, the eldest son of the family, in the future.
Xiaocao naturally wouldn't treat her other siblings badly. The pharmaceutical workshop in Dongshan Village had expanded to three times the original size and was used to just supply the Tongren Medicine Halls in the region south of the Yangtze River. Ever since Yingtao transferred to the capital to develop a new pharmaceutical workshop, Xiaolian had been in charge of the workshop in Dongshan Village.
Every year, forty percent of the annual profit of the Dongshan Village Pharmaceutical Workshop was taken out by Xiaocao and deposited in the bank account Xiaolian had opened. When she saw a good shop, she didn't just buy it for herself but also bought several for Xiaolian. Every year, there were several thousand taels of income just by collecting rent.
Xiaolian was kept in the dark about all of this. That is to say, Xiaolian unknowingly had an annual income of more than ten thousand taels and was now a rich woman!
As for Little Shitou, who had the best relationship with Xiaocao, she naturally wouldn't be stingy towards him. The fruit and medicinal wine business in her hands had thirty percent taken out for her little brother. In the future, her younger brother would take the path of an official. With his teacher Headmaster Yuan, there definitely wouldn’t be a shortage of connections. However, in the official's circles, without the backing of money, it was difficult to do anything.
With the large share of annual income every year, her little brother would be able to become an upright official without any worries. Xiaocao helped him plan this in secret!
In the middle of the twelfth month, the family gathered in the capital and surrounded Yu Hai and Madam Liu, gossiping about their daily lives. Xiaocao took out a few papers from her room and gave them one by one to her parents and siblings.
Yu Hai looked at the title deed with his name on it. He frowned slightly and looked at his daughter with disapproval, "The property in Tanggu Town is the business that Cao'er bought with money you saved up cent by cent. I'm just managing it for you. In the future, it will be for your dowry. You…How could you secretly change the name on the title deed to mine?"
"Father, I don't agree with you if you say it like that! Our family's property was clearly bought by the little bit of money we accumulated from the watermelons and vegetables we worked hard to grow. It should be counted as shared. You put all the credit on me, but be careful as Older Brother and Older Sister may say that you are biased!" Yu Xiaocao quickly gave a sweet smile when she saw that her dad was upset with the decision she made on her own. Yu Hai, the perfect example of a good father from the Twenty-four Filial Exemplars, couldn't stay upset faced with the cute smile of his youngest daughter.
Madam Liu laughingly looked at her man, who was coaxed by their little daughter, and hurriedly said, "Cao'er, the methods of planting the early maturing vegetables and fruits were thought of by you. We can't take that credit. Also, when you bought the land for the property, the money you obtained from your recipes, and your share of the Zhenxiu Restaurant went into it."
"Mother! I'm your daughter. It's my duty to contribute to the family. We're family, so why do we have to be so clear on this? Father, Mother, I've seen a lot in the capital these past few years and naturally thought further in the future about things. Many of the officials in the capital go home to worship their ancestors every year as they all have ancestral homes."
After a pause, Xiaocao looked at her younger brother who was holding the piece of paper with a look of opposition and continued, "In the future, Younger Brother's prospects will certainly be not bad! To be an official is to be in the slaughtering house. Tanggu and Dongshan Village are his roots, so there must be an ancestral home and property right? The house in Dongshan Village can be the ancestral home of the Yu Family. The properties between Tanggu and Dongshan Village can be our ancestral property! Not only that, but all the money we earn in the future and the property we invest in will also be in our Yu Family!"
Then she looked at Xiaolian, who looked similar to her, and smiled, "Xiaolian and I will have to marry in the future. No matter who we marry and where we go, Tanggu and Dongshan Village is our maternal home. As long as our maternal home is strong, then you can support us as married daughters! In the future, our family will certainly become one of the richest families in Tanggu Town and then we will be able to stand upright in our husband's home! Don't you think this is reasonable?"
Madam Liu listened to this and had nothing to say. She looked at her husband. Yu Hai’s frown loosened and he sighed, "Alright! I'll take the title deed for the time being. In the future, the production of the properties will be divided into five parts, one for each of you four siblings and one for your mother and me. I'm gonna say this first, Cao'er, when you get married, your mother, and I will definitely give you more help financially to make up for it. The rest of you can't have any complaints then!"
Yu Hang opened his mouth first and said, "How can we have any opinions? We are already taking advantage of our sister! Little Sister, Tanggu Town's other businesses are part of the ancestral property so we are getting the advantage. However, the seed breeding farm is the investment that you and Royal Prince Yang made. Currently, it's mostly managed by Head Steward Ding. Why are you giving me thirty percent of the share? As an older brother, how can I take advantage of my sister so clearly? Do you still want me to have respect as a man when I go out?"
"Older Brother! What are you saying? Zhu Junyang has other plans for Head Steward Ding. He is only staying in Tanggu Town temporarily. You should learn as much from him as possible while he's here. As you know, I have my own assignment. There are a lot of trivial matters in the capital, so I don't get to come back to Tanggu Town often every year. Father is getting older. In the future, I will have to rely on you to manage and operate the farm! Financial matters should be settled clearly even between biological brothers. If you help me manage the farm, then you're basically half owner. Thirty percent of the share is considered too little!” Yu Xiaocao had a good point.
Yu Hang didn't think so. Each of the managers, regardless of their level, of the farm had their own duties. He only went over when it got busy to take a look. He couldn't even help much. Besides, siblings helping each other shouldn't have benefits being linked in. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be too impersonal?
He was about to continue refusing but Xiaocao stopped him, "Older Brother, do you think that we have a good relationship as siblings? Wouldn't you do your best to help even without a share? But, you haven't thought about it clearly. In the future, you will have to take a wife and have your own children. Over time, would they become dissatisfied because you are busy with other people's businesses all day? When that time comes, how do you want me, this married younger sister, to face my sister-in-law and nephews?"
Yu Hang was turning nineteen after the New Year. He and Liu Huifang’s love for each other was something the family elders noticed. The Yu and Liu Families already had a private discussion and agreed to have the marriage of the two occur after the New Year.
Although Liu Huifang had a good relationship with Xiaocao, they would all have their own families and would think of their own family first. No matter who, seeing their husband being busy for someone else's business, and leaving their own business behind, it would be ok for one or two days but after a while, they would definitely be in a bad mood. Yu Hang knew about the matters of the world. Xiaocao's pointers made him unable to speak.
Yu Xiaolian, who was in charge of the pharmaceutical workshop in Dongshan Village, also listened to her younger sister’s words at this time. She knew that, in addition to the shares that she deserved, her younger sister also wanted to supplement her.
When she was a child, looking at her weak little sister, Xiaolian's young heart made a wish to take good care of her and protect her from being wronged. However, as her little sister got better and better every day, she became more and more like an older sister and ended up taking care of her instead.
Not only her, but the whole Yu Family, unknowingly had thought of the young and small Yu Xiaocao as the backbone of their family. Her younger sister used her weak body to pick up the burden of their family. She brought the Yu Family from a small farming family to a nouveau riche of Tanggu Town in one leap. Even in the capital, they could have a foothold.
Xiaolian knew that, even if she refused, her little sister would have a lot of reasons to persuade her. So she solemnly put away the deed paper, looked at her younger sister, and said, "I, this elder sister, will have to shamelessly accept this important gift."
With a smile, Xiaocao put her arms around her neck and said, "We've been together since we were born. You took care of me when we were children, and now you have helped me so much. This is what you should get. Xiaolian, if you treat me like an outsider, see if I acknowledge you as my sister!"
"Second Sister! Elder Brother and Elder Sister can help you, so you can give them a share. I didn’t help with anything, so why did you give me shares of the winery? " Little Shitou couldn't help but put his head between his two sisters to ask in doubt.
Xiaocao hadn’t pinched the boy’s face in a long time and her hands itched to do it. She reached out her hands, held the face of the little bun-shaped face of the scholar who passed the county level exams, and pulled it to both sides before laughing, "Does an older sister need a reason to give a younger brother gifts? What do you say?”
"Well, whatever you say. I’ll take the contract, so are you satisfied? Second Older Sister, be merciful!” Although Little Shitou wasn’t at home all year-round, he still adored and stuck to his second sister. He listened to what she said and had no intention of refuting it.
When he was little, his second older sister liked to pinch his cheek. He was almost fourteen years old now. Next year, he was going to take part in the prefectural examination, yet he was still being pinched by his second sister. If his classmates knew about it, wouldn't they laugh at him? However, only his second sister could wreak havoc on his face. If it was anyone else trying, he or she would be killed by sharp words!
“Shitou, you've lost weight. The flesh on your face doesn't feel as good. Studying abroad must be hard right? Elder Sister will fill you up at New Years. That way, you’ll have the spirits to deal with the autumn exam. How about it?" Yu Xiaocao had learned about her younger brother's situation from her friend, Yuan Xueyan. She knew that Great Scholar Yuan thought highly of him and there would be no problem for him to pass the small provincial exam.
When Little Shitou heard that his sister would cook delicious food for him, he showed an expression of salivation, "Second Sister is the best. When I go out, the most painful thing is that I can't eat the food made by you. It's all I can think about! Second Sister, don't worry! At this time next year, you will be the elder sister of a provincial official!"
