It took Clara a full hour to clean up the four dust-covered, dirt-smeared children.
With the fight behind them, the kids were back to their giggling selves, spinning circles in the main hall. Clara felt her poor ears ringing from the noise.
In the courtyard, Lester Liew had finished washing up and was just about to head back to his room when Clara's voice rang out.
"Hand it over."
"What?" Lester put on a blank face.
"The money," Clara said flatly.
Lester blinked innocently. "What money? Sweetheart, I don't have any money. Don't you keep the purse strings anyway?"
Clara raised three fingers. "I'll count to three. One, two—"
"Ah! I almost forgot!"
With a slap to his forehead and a sheepish grin, Lester walked back inside and fished a small pile of copper coins from his chest pocket, placing them on the table.
"This is the compensation Kenny gave us for the kids' ointment. I was gonna hand it to you right away, but I got so busy when we got home that it slipped my mind. If you hadn't reminded me, I'd have completely forgotten!"
Clara counted them. Eighteen coins.
She sneered, tapping her fingers twice on the tabletop.
Lester scratched his chest again and exclaimed, "Oh? Two more! Must've slipped down."
Now there were twenty copper coins lined up neatly.
Lester spread his hands. "That's all! Six coins for the ball, fourteen for ointment. That's what he gave me."
Clara tilted her head, lips curling into a faint, knowing smile. "And the ten coins for emotional damages?"
She'd heard every word at the ancestral hall gates. And he thought he could pull a fast one on her? Tired of living?
Lester's eyes bulged. He'd whispered that bit! How the hell did she hear it from outside?
"Darling… do you have magic ears?"
He flashed a greasy smile, both hands protectively clutched to his chest like he could ward her off.
Clara stood up without a word.
Lester instantly raised his arms to shield his face—but in protecting his head, he left his chest wide open. Clara reached right in and scooped out the hidden stash.
As he lowered his arms to grab it back, Clara delivered a sharp slap to the back of his head—smack!
Stars burst before his eyes. He stumbled back a few steps, clutching his head, and slumped to the floor.
So. Much. Pain.
Clara strung all thirty coins together and slipped them into her pocket. With a nod at the kids, they immediately lined up and filed off to bed, not daring to glance at their father.
"Adam, Ben, Chad, Deb—wait!" Lester called weakly, still dazed. "Don't go!"
Nothing but the sound of their footsteps retreating.
Clara gave him a sidelong look. "If you hadn't behaved halfway decently today, I'd have thrown you in the river for fish bait. Now get up, snuff the lights, and if you make another peep, I'll cut out your tongue!"
Lester bit his lip, tears of grievance welling up.
As Clara entered the room, he mustered up some courage and muttered under his breath, "Clara… you used violence to solve your problems… that's a moral failing!"
The lights inside flicked off instantly. No reply.
Lester punched the air in frustration, grumbling as he dusted himself off and stomped into bed.
That night, the thought of those thirty lost coins haunted him. He tossed and turned till dawn, then dragged himself up to make breakfast.
"Meat, meat, always asking for meat. Why doesn't anyone die from eating too much meat…" he muttered while mincing pork.
As he worked, he heard movement from the main room. He instantly fell silent, leaving only the crackling of flames in the stove.
Clara stepped out of the room, tying her short hair into a high ponytail with a cloth strip as she walked toward the kitchen.
She washed her face and noticed the water vat was nearly empty. "Top it off later," she instructed casually.
Afterward, she swept the courtyard, fed the chickens, and inhaled deeply as the smell of meat pies drifted from the kitchen.
"Mmm… smells amazing."
Lester brought out two meat pies and a packed lunch tin. Clara scarfed down her breakfast, grabbed her tools and lunch, and set off for the day.
It had taken seven and a half days to quarry and grind the stones. Now the millstones were ready. Clara and the three Liew brothers—Brandon, Caleb, and Logan—were heading to Riverbend Village to deliver them.
The millstones were heavy. Each of the four took one slab, just enough to transport two full mills in one trip.
Afterward, they returned and rolled the cylindrical grindstones—wrapped in hemp rope—to the village. The whole task took a morning, but they completed it perfectly.
The millhouse in Riverbend was nearly done. The raised floor, the most critical part, had been built over the pond using four one-meter-high stone pillars. Several wooden stakes reinforced the center. It was structurally sound.
Clara coordinated with York Wang and his team to schedule the waterwheel delivery and installation, then returned to Liew Clan Village with the brothers.
She paid them on the spot. Eight days of work, thirty-five copper coins per day. Each man got 280 coins—totaling 840 in expenses.
The three brothers were slightly embarrassed. They hadn't expected that much.
If not for Clara taking them along, they'd be lucky to earn even half this much from random day labor.
Brandon invited Clara to stay for lunch, but she waved him off. "Gotta find Carpenter Liew." And off she went.
As she walked away, the brothers stared at the two silver coins and eighty copper coins in their hands—and couldn't stop smiling.
Back home, their parents had always let them keep their earnings—except Logan, who still had to hand his over since he wasn't married.
Doreen beamed when she saw the silver coins.
Kate, who was pregnant and always strapped for cash, felt a new sense of security clutching those two silver coins.
Martha Liew accepted Logan's contribution with a smile, counting out eighty coins for him to keep—"Buy yourself a treat now and then."
Logan grinned and dragged Ryder and Rosie off to buy snacks from Peddler Liew.
That evening, Martha bought five chicks from Granny Wang. Even though it wasn't a festival, she butchered an old hen that no longer laid eggs and made a big dinner for the family.
She even reserved a bowl of thick chicken soup for Kate. "Drink more—it's good for your body."
Doreen, though slightly envious, still smiled. Back when she was pregnant, her mother-in-law had done the same for her. She didn't mind as long as things were fair.
Kate asked Caleb to fetch two small bowls. She split the soup between them for the two children.
Ryder was thrilled. He slurped a big mouthful and beamed at his mom. "Mom! I wish we could drink chicken soup every day!"
Doreen knocked him lightly on the head. "Dream on. Be glad you're getting it today."
Ryder nodded, then carefully sipped the rest, savoring every drop.
(End of chapter)
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