The more she understood, the colder Xu Minruo felt to her very bones. Xu Er Ya was too terrifying, truly too terrifying. Whenever Xu Minruo thought about how she and this viper-like person were sisters and had spent many years together, she couldn’t help but shiver. Xu Er Ya even broke their own father’s leg simply to divide the family assets, without telling the home about her own finances, all to tarnish the reputation of the eldest branch, as well as Father and Grandma with cruelty. Xu Minruo thought to herself, fortunately, the eldest aunt and grandparents were not as selfish as Xu Er Ya. Not only did they not divide the family assets, but they also contributed money and effort to help Xu Zhiyong with his medical treatment, until they finally understood Xu Er Ya’s true nature and painfully decided to split the family. Even after the separation, Anning continued to buy medicine for Xu Zhiyong without ever cutting off his supply. Xu Er Ya’s scheme to steal a chicken only to lose her rice, she must be extremely resentful, and knowing that the eldest branch was doing well, out of jealousy, she wants to endanger the lives of everyone in the eldest branch. What chilled Xu Minruo’s heart was that it was not only Father and Grandma who lived in the eldest branch, but also herself. She was Xu Er Ya’s own elder sister. When Xu Er Ya couldn’t get out of bed due to being beaten, it was always her who took care of her; when Xu Er Ya was starving, it was her who gave up her own food to prevent Xu Er Ya from dying of hunger. But now Xu Er Ya doesn’t cherish their sisterly affection at all and wants to put her to death. First, their own father, and now her own elder sister, Xu Er Ya harmed one family member after another, such heartless and ungrateful behavior, really makes it frightening to be around her. Xu Minruo thought of Xu Er Ya being expelled from the family and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. It’s better this way, being expelled is better to avoid future troubles for the entire family. She sorted out all these matters and looked up at Old Madam: "Grandma, Eldest Aunt, I’m okay now, I’ve accepted it." "Then you should go back and rest now." Anning tenderly arranged Xu Minruo’s hair: "Go back soon." After Xu Minruo left, Anning then said to Old Madam: "Mother, we must quickly erase any trace of Erya’s existence in our daily life, even remove her from our household registration; after all, let’s pretend we, the Xu Family, never had such a person and no one is allowed to mention her ever again." Old Madam was very confused. Anning continued: "Erya is reckless and extreme, capable of anything because she has no moral bottom line. Who knows how many troubles she could bring to our entire family in the future? If she really causes some great disaster, merely expelling her from the family won’t be enough, we might end up in prison or executed because of her." Old Madam was terrified: "No, surely not, just a little girl." Anning sneered: "Just a little girl? Which child could break her own father’s leg and endanger her grandparents’ lives?" Old Madam suddenly fell silent. "Mother, we must be cautious about this. Please discuss it with Father later. I always feel uneasy, fearing that Erya might cause greater trouble." Anning spoke gently and slowly to Old Madam, who gradually took her words to heart. After Old Madam returned to her room, Anning lay in bed, starting to ponder about Xu Er Ya. If it were just an ordinary village girl, Anning would not worry at all. "Precisely because this Xu Erya is a transmigration girl, one ruthless and unaware of the ancient customs, who knows how many troubles she will cause in the future. In her previous life, Xu Erya had harmed her own family, but eventually gained an understanding of the ancient laws of survival and reined in her temper. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novèlfire.net Had she been leading a good life back then, she would not have thought of stirring up trouble. But now, things are different. Now, Xu Erya’s life is not going well at all. Not only has her reputation been tarnished, but she has been driven out of her home and cannot even return to her village. In this state, she is bound to stir up trouble. Anning is afraid that Xu Erya might save someone she shouldn’t save, or say something she shouldn’t have said; in this society where Imperial Power reigns supreme, that could lead to the extermination of the entire family. The Old Madam also thought of Anning’s concerns after returning to her room. She discussed these concerns with the Old Master. The Old Master pondered for a long time and said: "It is said, ’With a virtuous wife, the husband will encounter fewer disasters, a good wife brings prosperity to three generations,’ and this saying is not false at all. The Eldest Son’s Wife has a good character, intelligence, and foresightedness. The Old Master was admitting that Anning was right. The next morning after getting up, the Old Master took some silver and went to find Zhou Xun. Zhou Xun is currently a scholar and has a prestigious title, which gives him clout in the government office. The Old Master asked Zhou Xun for help to erase Xu Erya’s household registration. Zhou Xun, aware of yesterday’s incident at the Xu Family, strongly agreed with the Old Master’s decision — not only did he help erase Xu Erya’s records, but he also employed a clerk to alter all records concerning Xiao Guan Village from past years, including the population number of the Xu Family. After handling those matters at the government office, the Old Master then invited Zhou Xun for drinks. Zhou Xun declined repeatedly but eventually went out for a meal with the Old Master, and courteously settled the bill early. The Old Master did not dispute this with Zhou Xun and, before leaving, said to Zhou Xun: "I know you have great aspirations and are surely planning to attend next year’s Imperial Examination. The journey to the Capital is long, and the expense is considerable. Do you have enough silver on you? Is everything at home well arranged? If there’s anything, remember to inform us. My eldest son has passed away, and from now on... I will treat you as if you were my own kin. Don’t keep anything from us." The Old Master’s words were heartwarming, and Zhou Xun was deeply moved. "Uncle, I do have some money on hand which is enough for my journey to take the exams in the Capital City, but there is my younger sister at home. Since I will be away for quite a long time, I worry it might be hard to tend to her care. If uncle and aunt have time, please do look after her a bit." "That’s easy to arrange, just go ahead. If your sister wishes, she can stay with us, we will surely take good care of her." Zhou Xun was immensely grateful. Actually, he had planned to bring his sister along to the Capital City, but she had fallen ill recently and her body was still weak, hardly fit for the long and arduous journey. The Zhou Family didn’t have any particularly close relatives, so Zhou Xun dared not bring his sister along to the Capital City; with no trusted person to leave her with, he worried greatly. Coincidentally, the Old Master had just given that reassuring speech, so, for his sister’s sake, he could only swallow his pride and ask. After parting with Zhou Xun, the Old Master returned home. He recounted what had happened at the government office to Anning, as well as Zhou Xun’s sister’s situation. Anning smiled and nodded, agreeing to take good care of the young girl, then thought that in her original life, she had never heard of Zhou Xun having a sister. Upon reflecting, she realized that in her original life, she never encountered Zhou Xun, and it was only later that Xu Erya met Zhou Xun and managed to secure his support. By then, Zhou Xun had already become an Advanced Scholar, and perhaps that was when Zhou Xun’s sister had passed away. Zhou Xun’s sister likely passed away around that time. She thought about it: Zhou Xun had no one to entrust with his sister, thus he had to bring her to the Capital. The young girl was not in good health, and suffering the hardships of the journey, sometimes without access to a doctor, her condition worsened over time — a simple cold could have been fatal. As Anning pondered these matters, she instructed Liu Bao’s family to prepare a room, waiting for Zhou Yu’er to arrive and settle in."