Chen Mo took a deep breath, deciding not to dwell on the matter further. What had happened was unchangeable, so it was best to follow his heart. He crouched down, gently patting Song Min’s head, and smiled, saying, "Min’Er, how about staying with me from now on?" Song Min did not immediately agree. Instead, she glanced at Liu Shu and softly asked, "Brother Mo, will you also abandon me in the future?" "Min’Er is so obedient, how could Brother Mo abandon you? Besides, your Sister Han also likes you very much," Chen Mo replied kindly. "Hmm." Song Min nodded and then said, "I’ll be very obedient and take good care of Brother Mo and Sister Han." "Min’Er is really well-behaved." Chen Mo pinched Song Min’s cheek. Seeing this, Liu Shu, who was lying on the ground, moved his eyes and immediately got up, saying, "If Min’Er is not obedient, Brother Mo, feel free to discipline her. A few smacks will make her listen." Chen Mo shifted his gaze to Liu Shu, and the smile on his face vanished: "That’s not for you to say. Just take care of yourself." Liu Shu chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his hands, and said, "Since you want Min’Er to be your maid, that means you’ve bought her, so about this..." "How much do you want?" Chen Mo interrupted him directly. "Ten taels." Liu Shu demanded greedily, gritting his teeth. "No, five taels, five taels is enough." Liu Shu believed this price was affordable for Chen Mo, considering his family’s daily lavish meals. "Five taels? Liu Shu, have you lost your mind over money?" Zhang River couldn’t help but comment. "Half a String of Coins, come to my house to get it." Chen Mo made the decision. It’s not that he couldn’t afford five taels of silver, but giving such money to someone like Liu Shu would be a complete waste. Moreover, these days, just by providing food, he could find several maids better than Song Min. He had money, but he didn’t want to be a fool. And if it wasn’t for the guilt he felt towards the Song family, since Liu Shu was Song Min’s biological father, he wouldn’t even want to give the Half a String of Coins. Would Liu Shu refuse? Would he want to test whose fists were bigger? Liu Shu naturally felt indignant, although the price wasn’t much different from what Qiao Pizi said about brothel rates. But Chen Mo, you’re from the same village, is it decent to give only this much money? Aren’t you afraid of being criticized by the villagers? However, seeing Chen Mo’s knife, Liu Shu had to agree. Chen Mo let Liu Shu wait outside, then called Han Anniang from the cellar and briefly told her about Song Min’s situation, asking her to take Song Min for a bath. Han Anniang, being a kind-hearted person, felt immediate empathy for Song Min upon hearing this and welcomed Song Min into her heart. Chen Mo took the Half a String of Coins out from the house and gave it to Liu Shu. To extinguish any thoughts of Liu Shu using Song Min to gain benefits from him, he also brought out paper and pen to write a contract. After sealing it, he said, "Since you’ve sold Song Min to me, she is now my maid and has nothing more to do with you. I’ll allow you to see her, but don’t think you can gain anything from me through her. Do you understand what I’m saying?" "Brother Mo is talking to you, are your ears deaf or what." Seeing Liu Shu remain silent, Zhang River glared at him harshly. "Got it, got it." Liu Shu replied. "Then why are you still here, waiting for me to invite you for lunch?" Chen Mo’s gaze turned cold. Liu Shu took the money and hurriedly left. A week later, it was already late February. The weather was getting warmer. In the morning, as Chen Mo dug through the ground with a spade, the tunnel between the Chen Family and Zhang River’s homes was successfully connected. In fact, the tunnel could have been completed two days ago, but to ensure its structural integrity, Chen Mo had gone up the mountain to cut some wood for support. Thanks to Chen Mo’s intimidating reputation in the village, along with his occasional interactions that gave him the impression of being difficult to associate with, no one besides Han Anniang, Song Min, and the Zhang family knew about the tunnel. After concealing the entrance, he returned through the tunnel to the Chen Family cellar. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖•𝗇𝗲𝘁 Upon exiting the cellar, Han Anniang had already prepared lunch. Song Min assisted Han Anniang in serving the dishes, and after setting out the bowls and plates, she quickly fetched chopsticks and brought warm water to wash Chen Mo’s hands and face. Chen Mo stepped forward to help. Song Min was indeed very obedient. Since she arrived, she handled washing clothes, sweeping the floor, and even smaller tasks like gathering and folding clothes, unless Han Anniang, feeling empathetic due to her younger age, took pity on her like cooking, boiling water, and even warming the bed, she would take care of everything. In short, since Song Min arrived, she helped Han Anniang with much of the household chores, being so considerate that it was heart-wrenching. The only downside was that when Chen Mo and Han Anniang discussed life’s philosophies at night, Han Anniang became somewhat reserved, covering her mouth instead of singing, and her movements were less coordinated. After all, in a rustic house like the Chen Family’s, soundproofing was nonexistent. Song Min’s room, the former room of Han Anniang, was right next door, making it easy to hear. Han Anniang’s nature was still quite shy. "This is Brother Shui’s." Song Min served bowls of rice to the three. "Thank you, Min’Er." Han Anniang’s eyes narrowed into slits as she smiled and patted Song Min’s little head. "No need to be polite, let’s eat." Having worked on manual labor all afternoon, now Chen Mo only wanted to dig into the food heartily. Chen Mo grabbed a piece of smoked pork and began munching on it. [Supplemented meat intake +0.05, Blood Nourishing Technique experience +0.05.] The Blood Nourishing Technique experience started to increase rapidly. [Cultivation Technique: Blood Nourishing Technique (Great Success 895.3/1000).] [Realm: Bone Refining (Eighth Grade)] [Skills: Demon-breaking Saber Technique (Perfection 20932/1000000).] The Chen Family currently lacked no meat. With the silver obtained from the Qinghe Gang, besides essential staples, nearly all of it was spent buying meat, which was then preserved using pickling and smoking methods and stored in the cellar. Only twenty taels of silver were left as a reserve. The next day, just as Chen Mo was about to enter the city to gather information, Wu Mountain arrived, and he came alone. Wu Mountain was specially here to see Chen Mo. Upon entering the house, Wu Mountain immediately said, "Brother Chen, something bad has happened, something very bad." Chen Mo quickly invited Wu Mountain to sit down and asked Han Anniang to bring some tea. After pouring the tea, Wu Mountain took a sip but did not speak immediately, instead surveying the surroundings. Chen Mo had Han Anniang take Song Min inside since Zhang River was not at his house today due to the newly completed tunnel. Subsequently, Chen Mo closed the doors and windows securely, sat down opposite Wu Mountain, and asked, "Brother Wu, what happened?" Wu Mountain put down the teacup, straightened his posture, and whispered into Chen Mo’s ear, "Last night, a government office received an urgent dispatch from Nanyang; the Rebel Army has already conquered Fuyou City, the Qingzhou Army lost their first battle, and the Rebel Army from Jizhou and Gaozhou is closing in on Impatiens, while frontline forces are insufficient. Lord Prefect has ordered conscription, and Pingting County has been assigned five hundred quotas."