Chapter 617 Wu Huiniang Gives Birth to Another Daughter

The three members of the Shen family left just like that.

Cheng Wanwan felt a slight sense of loss. It was hard to see familiar people anymore; perhaps this was one of the downsides of getting older.

She turned around and saw a young man in his early twenties standing beside her, bowing to her and saying, "I am Wei, the newly appointed magistrate of Ping'an County. I hope you will be kind enough to give me your guidance in managing the affairs of Ping'an County."

Cheng Wanwan looked at him and smiled: "I've seen you at Zhao'er's wedding. Are you Wei Ke?"

Wei Ke lowered his head even further: "It is indeed me. I did not expect that Lady Sui would still remember my name. It is truly an honor for me."

“Since we’re acquaintances, there’s no need for such formalities,” Cheng Wanwan said. “Ping’an County isn’t that big, but it’s not that small either. If Lord Wei encounters any trouble, you can come to me.”

Wei Ke was overjoyed: "Thank you, Lady Sui."

As an outsider who had just arrived, he didn't know anyone except for the people who served him closely. He was afraid that the clerks and officials here would deliberately try to intimidate him. He was too young and had never been in officialdom before, so he didn't know how to deal with it. With Sui Gongren's words, he finally found a little bit of security.

He continued, "When Lord Shen left, he instructed me to focus on advancing the construction of the irrigation canal and canal. Lady Sui, rest assured, I will implement this matter as soon as possible."

Cheng Wanwan nodded, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then left to go home.

I had just arrived home when I received a letter from the capital; it was from Cheng Zhao.

Knowing that Cheng Wanwan cared about the He family, Cheng Zhao recounted in detail what had happened to the He family during this period in his letter. It was obvious that Cheng Zhao had a long talk with He Xiao to know all the details so clearly.

After Cheng Wanwan left Beijing in early August, He Xiao secretly returned to the He family and asked the family head, He Hanhai, to help investigate the injustice.

He Hanhai refused sternly, but He Xiao threatened that if He Hanhai did not agree, he would go to the palace to surrender and tell the emperor that he had been hidden by the He family for the past two years. If the He family's crime of harboring a fugitive was confirmed, their century-old foundation would be destroyed. Therefore, He Hanhai had no choice but to cooperate in investigating the events of two years ago.

Before the matter could be investigated, He Ling returned to Beijing in a sorry state.

Someone spread a rumor that He Ling's trip south this time was not to seek medical treatment for his mother, but to cause trouble for Sui Gongren in Huzhou. The incident in Dahe Village was described vividly by someone with ulterior motives, and with the corroboration of some merchants from Huzhou, it was further confirmed that He Ling was a hypocrite.

While her mother lay in bed, her fate unknown, he led fifty or sixty assassins to Huzhou to take the life of Sui Gongren.

Fortunately, the imperial edict arrived at Dahe Village in time; otherwise, Sui Gongren would likely have died at the hands of these assassins...

In addition, some people have questioned why the He family, being civil officials, could keep assassins...

In short, He Ling's humble and polite image as the eldest young master is gone, and the He family has been the subject of much discussion and controversy.

Just then, He Xiao's existence slowly came to light. When the imperial court learned that he was still alive, they immediately arrested him and threw him into the dungeon.

Fearing being framed by his own son, He Hanhai painstakingly investigated the evidence, only to discover that it pointed directly to his eldest son, whom he had always been proud of.

It turns out that the letter accusing the son of treason was forged by the eldest son and framed by the second son. The eldest son also bribed the second son's close attendant to act as a witness, which led to the second son being accused of treason.

He Hanhai only had two sons, and he was unwilling to hand over He Ling. So, in the end, he made a distant illegitimate son from a distant branch of the He family take the blame.

Although He Ling did not receive the punishment he deserved, He Xiao's reputation was cleared, and he was reinstated to his original position, continuing to serve in the military camp in the suburbs of Beijing, holding the rank of third grade.

While Cheng Wanwan was happy for He Xiao, she was also slightly worried, because the feud between the two brothers was now out in the open, and there would inevitably be deceit and intrigue in the future, which would probably be very difficult for He Xiao.

However, this is something he, as the second young master of the He family, must go through; people always have to go through things to grow.

Cheng Wanwan didn't think much more about the He family's affairs, because she had too many things to do.

In the past, Zhao Dashan would take care of things at home. Now, Zhao Dashan has become a seventh-rank official in charge of cotton. After the cotton harvest, he received an order from the prefect of Huzhou to teach the villagers how to make cotton quilts. He took the three most skilled cotton carders from Dahe Village and began to demonstrate cotton carding in each village.

I've been busy for a month now, and it's still not over.

Cheng Wanwan took over some household chores, including the maintenance of the fields in autumn and winter, the storage of harvested rice, the production of dried chili peppers, and the drying of dried goods...

The new workshop is gradually being completed. The workers recruited this time are all from other villages. Old Mrs. Zhao personally oversees the process. A total of 160 people have been recruited: 40 for the soap workshop, 100 for the glycerin workshop, and 20 for the alcohol fermentation plant. Cheng Wanwan needs to figure out and arrange the specific procedures...

As the workshop expanded, Daheyan also continued to expand, with six branches in Huzhou. Zhao Ergou and Zhao Dawang made a special trip to Yunnan Province, where they found a partner and opened the first Daheyan in the provincial capital. Business was booming. The profits from so many branches were considerable. The main store's revenue, franchise fees, and the commissions from each store could reach seven or eight thousand taels of silver a month.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Wu Huiniang had an attack.

Fortunately, the midwife arrived in advance and went in to help with the delivery as soon as labor started, so everything went smoothly.

Cheng Wanwan told someone to quickly call Zhao Dashan back. When a wife gives birth, the husband must be by her side to understand the difficulties of motherhood and to be more considerate of his wife.

However, before Zhao Dashan returned, Granny Yang came out of the delivery room with a beaming smile: "Gongren, you've given birth! It's a girl, our second young lady!"

Cheng Wanwan walked into the house with a smile on her face.

Seeing the midwife wiping the baby girl's body, wrapping her in soft clothes, and making her look clean, she handed the baby to Cheng Wanwan.

"This girl has a really loud voice." Cheng Wanwan laughed heartily. "Hui Niang, you have no idea how much I love this little girl. She's so soft and sweet, much better than any boy. You've given birth to two daughters; you're a great contributor to our family. I don't have anything nice to give you, so how about this: I'll have Dashan buy two shops in the city, one for each of the girls. You, as their mother, can help them manage them. They'll be kept as dowry later. Of course, it won't be just this little bit; we'll save a little each year, and it'll gradually grow."

Wu Huiniang's eyes welled up with tears, which streamed down her face uncontrollably.

The moment the midwife announced that she had given birth to a girl, her heart sank. She didn't actually care whether it was a boy or a girl, but her mother had told her so much that she felt having a son was the most important thing right now. She couldn't understand why her mother-in-law could have four sons, and why Er Gou and Ying Ying both had sons, while she had two daughters in a row...

She was annoyed, frustrated, and self-blaming; she felt unworthy of being the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhao family.

Her mother-in-law's words dispelled all her fear and anxiety.

“Let’s name our second daughter Zhao Yuezhen. Firstly, it means precious, and secondly, we hope her arrival will bring our family even greater prosperity.” Cheng Wanwan teased her granddaughter. “Her nickname is Xiao Zhenzhen, and your older sister is called Xiao Zhuzhu. You are both Grandma’s precious little darlings…”

This name brought even more tears to Wu Huiniang's eyes.

She choked back tears as she said, "Thank you, Mother..."