Min Nan's face turned even redder. After a few moments of shyness, she finally whispered, "To be honest with you, Sister Xu, I'm engaged."

Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "Congratulations, congratulations. Which young man is so blessed?"

Min Nan smiled and said, "Is it Master Wu's eldest son Wu Chuanfang, or is it Princess Ping who is pulling the strings?"

Xu Lanyin knew that Lord Wu had been transferred from the capital not long ago to serve as the fourth-rank left councilor of the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office, and was also a relative of the old Princess Ping's mother's family.

Judging from the family background, Min Nan was marrying up, which was exactly what Min Can and his wife had always hoped and planned for.

As he was speaking, Qin Hongyu came again.

The little girl became even more beautiful, with skin as delicate as fat and a small oval face, which was extremely pretty and charming.

Qin Hongyu stamped her feet twice, her lips curled up, and she said, "You've all grown taller. Sister Xu is almost half a head taller than me, and Sister Min is also a little taller than me. What should I do? I haven't grown at all in the past six months, and I won't grow any taller in the future."

Min Nan smiled and said, "Southern women are often petite and pretty. Why don't you say you're prettier than us?"

In terms of appearance, Qin Hongyu is indeed more beautiful than Min Nan and Hu Yi, and is comparable to Xu Lanyin.

Hu Yi said innocently, "Miss Qin is prettier than Miss Min and me, and as pretty as Sister Xu. Oh, Sister Xu's mother is from the south, so she looks more like her mother. Her mother is not tall either, about the same height as Miss Qin."

Xu Lanyin was speechless. This kid was too honest. He admitted that he wasn't as handsome as others and even dragged Min Nan into it.

Min Nan blushed a little, but at least she didn't show any anger. She smiled and said, "So, northerners and southerners each have their own merits. It's even better now that Sister Xu is here."

After a few girls chatted for a while, they started playing checkers. They ate lunch here and played until the sun was setting before leaving. They agreed to meet here every ten days.

When I got home, I saw Qin making jasmine balm.

The children have grown up, and Qin is lonely staying at home alone. She really should find something to do to stop herself from having too many wild thoughts.

Xu Lanyin walked over and said with a smile, "Mom, you have so much money, have you ever thought about buying some property? You could even open a cosmetics shop."

Qin smiled and said, "I was just thinking of discussing this with you. I want to open a cosmetics workshop and shop. If there's any good farmland nearby, I'd buy some."

Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "Okay, let Uncle Ding go out and look for some land, and then find a yard and a few craftsmen who can make ointments..."

In the afternoon of June 23rd, Qingfeng suddenly brought Xu Lanyue and Min Jia, and also sent a cart of gifts. Half of them were from the Chai family to Xu Lanyin and Zhao Wu, including brocade satin, ornaments, and food, and there were also things from Xu Qingyan and Min Hu.

In addition, Qingfeng also gave Xu Lanyin one hundred taels of silver, saying that it was half a year's salary and bonus from Lord Min. Seeing this money, Xu Lanyin remembered that she was still Min Hu's personal doctor and legal advisor. Without working in the office, she almost forgot that she was still an office worker.

The two children told Chai Zixiao about his situation. He was very close to his mother and had grown accustomed to his home. Although he was reluctant to leave them and cried when they left, he didn't insist on going with them. He just asked Aunt Yin to remember to visit him.

Min Jia also said, "Aunt Xu, my father has cleared my mother's name. Everyone knows that my mother is a good woman. However, my father's insomnia has come back, his eyes are dark circles, and he has lost weight. He asked me to stay at Aunt Xu's house for a while, saying that I will return to the big house in the capital next year and will not be as happy with Aunt Xu."

Her eyes were filled with tears. She felt sorry for her father, but was also unwilling to leave him and Aunt Xu and return to Beijing.

Xu Lanyin asked Ding Gu to take Qingfeng to the front yard for tea, spent some time with the two girls, and then asked the maid to take them to wash up. She sat by the window and sorted out her thoughts.

Minhu's insomnia has recurred, and he didn't let me hypnotize him. He also wanted Minjia to return to Beijing to live next year. He must have encountered something and didn't want to see me.

Zhao Wu said that Min Hu would discuss marriage with his elders when he returned to Beijing, and it was likely that they would not approve of her becoming a wife of the Min family. However, Min Hu gave in and would marry a new wife next year. Since he had a wife and she didn't stay with him in office, Min Jia would return to be taught by her stepmother.

Apart from feeling a little reluctant to leave Min Jia, Xu Lanyin felt that this was fine and there was no need for her to refuse, so as to avoid embarrassment for both parties.

Zhao Wu was right. Min Hu was a good man with many advantages, but he was not suitable for her.

Their worldviews are so different.

First, let's talk about marriage. She knew him and was very familiar with him, but he didn't tell her first and went straight to the family. As long as the Min family agreed, he would directly ask Xu Qingyan for marriage. Not only did he have serious feudal ideas, adhering to his parents' orders and the matchmaker's words, but it also reflected his male chauvinism.

She knew that Minhu must be genuinely attracted to her and truly seeking her hand in marriage. But if they truly became husband and wife, if she didn't constantly accommodate him, they would surely become resentful over time. Add to that his complicated family background, and the resentment would only deepen.

It was the same logic. She wanted to live freely, so she didn't want to find shackles to tie herself down. Even if she took a step back and wanted to marry Zhao Wu, Zhao Wu would definitely give her full freedom and space...

As for Min Hu, a gentle local woman would be more suitable for him as a wife. If they couldn't be husband and wife, it would be better for both of them; they could just remain friends. He asked Min Jia to live with him and had Qing Feng give her her "wages," surely hoping to maintain their previous relationship.

She was thinking about something when she heard the excited voices of several children talking in the yard. Xu Lanting had returned from school.

Min Jia will be living here for a long time, so it is not good to let her squeeze with Xu Lanyue all the time. Xu Lanyin also doesn't want to sleep with a child every day, so she temporarily lets the girl live in the west room of the upper house.

With two more children, the house became lively again.

Xu Lanyin would spend an hour every day teaching them how to read and write, though she was too embarrassed to teach them how to write, as her handwriting was ugly. The skillful Mama Liu would also teach them how to knit, and they would watch Qin make ointments and occasionally play with the little girls from the neighborhood. Their time was filled with joy and contentment.

That day, Ding Gu took a fancy to the 800 mu of fertile farmland in Feng County, which also included a farm. It was relatively close to Ningzhou Prefecture and could be reached in less than two hours by mule cart.

Xu Lanyin went to look around and was quite satisfied, so Qin bought it and registered it in her name. She also hired a family of servants to manage the farm and the 800 acres of land.

That one item cost six thousand taels of silver, which still made Qin feel a little painful.

Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "Mom, you are a big landlord now. We all depend on you for our livelihood."

Qin smiled and said, "Even if you're a big landlord, it was my daughter who paid for it. You've spent so much money at once, so the cosmetics shop shouldn't be too expensive. Besides, I'm just trying it out, and I may not be able to do it well. Don't let that money go to waste."

Ding Gu had previously taken a fancy to a shop, a two-story building with a yard, in a good location, not far from Hongqu Street, and wanted 1,200 taels of silver.