Chapter 420 Thoughts

Mr. Zheng watched Lin Changning and Li Xi talking and nodded slightly. Li Xi was indeed a talented child, but when it came to the imperial examinations, talent alone was not enough; one also needed to work hard from time to time.

When Li Xi heard Lin Changning praise him, his cheeks flushed slightly, and he nervously tugged at the hem of his clothes, unsure of what to do.

Mr. Zheng chuckled and said, "Xi'er has a good talent, but she should always be diligent in her studies."

Upon hearing this, Li Xi nodded to Mr. Zheng and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "This student understands."

Lin Changning looked at Li Xi, who was acting like a little adult, and rubbed the child's head: "Just do your best, there's no need to be too hard on yourself. Xi'er's task now is to get better first, and we can talk about the rest later."

As the three chatted and laughed, the two little girls also got dressed and came over. Lin Changning spent the whole afternoon playing with the children in the yard.

During dinner that evening, Lin Changning directly told everyone about Li Xi's talent. Lin's mother was overjoyed, while Lin's second brother was somewhat shocked, seemingly not expecting that this young child would be a natural talent for the imperial examinations.

Lin's mother put down her chopsticks and looked at Li Xi with eager eyes: "Oh my, let Grandma see, does Xi'er really have a photographic memory?"

The two sisters-in-law also stopped eating and looked at Li Xi with some surprise.

Li Xi felt extremely embarrassed being stared at by a group of people. She gently put down her chopsticks, her face flushed, and let everyone scrutinize her.

Lin's mother held Li Xi, who was sitting in her seat, in her arms as if she were her own flesh and blood. After a while, she looked at Lin Changning and said, "Should we hire another teacher for Xi'er? Can Mr. Zheng manage to take care of three naughty children?"

As she spoke, she looked at Mr. Zheng with some concern. Mr. Zheng, who was sitting upright, nodded to Lin's mother: "It's alright. The children are still young. It's the same whether you herd one sheep or two sheep. We'll find another female tutor for them when they're older. For now, it won't be a problem."

Lin's mother nodded, pinched Li Xi's little face in her arms, and felt even more that the child Changning brought back was a precious treasure.

Seeing the child's shyness, the group at the table couldn't help but start teasing him, making Li Xi so embarrassed that he hid in his mother's arms and refused to come out.

A strange light flashed in Sister-in-law Wang's eyes. She turned to look at her daughter, then at Li Xi in her mother-in-law's arms, and slowly suppressed her smile, as if she was thinking about something.

Er Ya looked up at her mother, then put a piece of fatty meat into her mother's bowl with her chopsticks: "Mom, eat some meat."

Sister-in-law Wang immediately smiled, picked up her chopsticks and stuffed the meat in her bowl into her mouth. After finishing, she looked at her daughter and smiled gently: "Okay, Er Ya, eat too. I've noticed you've lost some weight lately. Is your schoolwork too demanding?"

Er Ya gently shook her head, a bright light flashing in her eyes: "Mr. Zheng taught very well. Er Ya really enjoys class, and she has memorized all the texts. Today, the teacher dismissed us early. After finishing my chores at home these next few days, I still need to memorize the remaining texts."

Sister-in-law Wang looked at her daughter with affection. Her husband had been missing since last year and there had been no news of him since. Sometimes, when she looked at Erlang and his sister-in-law, she was really envious. The only person she could rely on in the family now was Liulang.

Seeing how young Er Ya was, having lost her father, and how sensible and obedient she was, Wang's sister-in-law always felt sorry for her. Nearly two years had passed, and her husband still hadn't returned. Although she didn't dare to think about it too much, there was always a voice in her heart telling her that her husband would never come back.

After letting out a soft sigh, Sister-in-law Wang touched her daughter's face, thinking to herself that she would go and find her mother-in-law after dinner.

Changning is now successful and will soon marry the princess. The two must be living a harmonious life. She knows that the princess was a well-known noble lady in Taiyuan before her marriage, both in terms of temperament and reputation. However, even the most docile daughter of an official is different from people like them who come from humble backgrounds.

With Changning as her support, and her brother-in-law and husband returning to run the business, only she remained. Her small shop had to be closed due to the family's busy embroidery workshop. However, it must be said that the family's embroidery workshop had indeed become a golden goose.

Her mother-in-law promised to give her and Er Ya two percent of the profits every year. It wasn't that she didn't trust her mother-in-law, but the embroidery workshop was entirely funded by Chang Ning, and the He family's business was also spearheaded by Chang Ning. There was no man in his family, and the princess was about to enter the household. What he could do, she assumed that the maids and servants around the princess could also do.

Therefore, there was a bit more anxiety. If the princess asked for the embroidery workshop in Changning's hands after entering the house, how could her mother-in-law refuse?

She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to agree to a small share of the profits. Although she knew that her family would certainly not mistreat her and Er Ya, as a mother, she always wanted to save more money for Er Ya so that her marriage would be smoother in the future.

Thinking about this inevitably made me anxious.

After finishing their meal, Lin's mother noticed her eldest daughter-in-law's absent-mindedness and reminded her, "Eldest daughter-in-law? Eldest daughter-in-law? What are you daydreaming about?"

Sister-in-law Wang poked at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks when she suddenly realized her mother-in-law was calling her. She quickly turned to her mother-in-law and asked, "Oh, what's wrong, Mother?"

Lin's mother nodded gently at Wang's sister-in-law: "It's still about the banquet tomorrow. Keep a close eye on the servants in the kitchen."

Sister-in-law Wang smiled and nodded: "I understand, Mother."

After saying that, he put down his chopsticks, glanced at Er Ya who had almost finished eating, and prepared to take his daughter home.

Lin's mother had noticed that Wang's sister-in-law was lost in thought tonight. Just as the two were about to get up and leave, she said, "Let Er Ya and the maids go back to the courtyard first. Eldest daughter-in-law, come find me later."

Sister-in-law Wang responded and, after Lin's mother had finished eating, she returned to the courtyard with her.

Once they were in the courtyard, Lin's mother suddenly asked, "Eldest daughter-in-law? What's wrong with you lately? You always seem distracted."

Sister-in-law Wang shook her head, not wanting to tell the truth. She sighed and shook her head again: "It's nothing, Mother. I'm just a little nervous because it's my first time hosting such a banquet."

Lin's mother gave her a suspicious look.

"really?"

Sister-in-law Wang nodded: "It's true."

After responding, Lin's mother pulled Wang's sister-in-law to sit on the edge of the bed: "You've had a hard time these past few days, taking care of the children and managing all sorts of things in the house."

Sister-in-law Wang smiled and shook her head: "It's only right, Mother. I am Changning's sister-in-law, so naturally I should take on more responsibility."

Lin's mother looked at her eldest daughter-in-law with satisfaction. Wang's sister-in-law hesitated for a moment before suddenly asking, "Mother? What do you think of Xi'er?"

Lin's mother raised an eyebrow as she looked at her eldest daughter-in-law: "Of course, she's good."

Sister-in-law Wang found it difficult to say the words, but fearing that it would be difficult to bring them up again after today, she gritted her teeth and said to Lin's mother, "I want to adopt Xi'er into my family, Mother, what do you think?"