Fallen Petals

"Miss, uncle."

Xiaozhu calculated the time accurately, knocked on the door of the bridal chamber, lowered her head, and walked in carefully holding the basin of water.

Ayun stood outside the door with his hands folded, waiting for Tan Linshuang's orders at any time.

After paying her respects to the two of them, Xiaozhu put down the basin, walked calmly to the bed, and tidied the mattress.

At this time, Zhao Mingyan and Tan Linshuang were changing clothes. Xiaozhu glanced at them quietly, but did not see any strange emotions on their faces, nor did they have the sweetness of newlyweds. It was as if... they were two people who were not familiar with each other.

Xiaozhu frowned and shifted his gaze to the bottom of Zhao Mingyan's eyes, where there was a dark circle.

Then, she shifted her gaze to look at Tan Linshuang's eyes, which were darker than Zhao Mingyan's.

Hee! It seems the young lady and her husband must have been making love all night long.

She broke into a smile, lifted the mandarin duck quilt, and the expression on her face immediately turned from sunny to cloudy.

White silk...Why is white silk so white?

She stared in astonishment, staring at the wrinkled white silk lying on the bed, her heart suddenly sinking.

Is it that the young lady doesn't like her son-in-law, or is it that... her son-in-law is not good enough?

Her pupils trembled slightly.

It must be my son-in-law’s fault!

In just a moment, her doubtful look turned into certainty.

My young lady has breasts as big as beans and buttocks as plump as peaches. If I were a man, how could I remain calm? If I remain calm, then I am probably impotent!

Xiaozhu's eyes flashed, and Tan Linshuang, who was straightening her clothes and putting on a composed expression, suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck.

My poor lady!

Immediately afterwards, Xiaozhu's lips pursed, his brows furrowed, and he looked worried.

If she had chosen a son-in-law, why would she marry a useless and sickly man?

It’s all Madam’s fault for only caring about matching the two families and not considering the young lady’s future at all!

It would be fine if that sickly son-in-law passed away early, but if he is neither dead nor impotent, it will delay the young lady's life and make the Zhao family's incense shaky!

"Why are you crying? I'm not a widow yet."

Just as she was secretly wiping away her tears, Zhao Mingyan, who was already dressed neatly, suddenly came closer.

"I……"

Xiaozhu choked with sobs and then pointed at the white silk, her expression becoming more solemn.

Zhao Mingyan understood and waved her hand calmly, "It's okay."

After saying that, she took out a miniature dagger from her sleeve, slashed it across her palm, and a trace of blood suddenly flowed out, leaving the other two stunned.

Zhao Mingyan glanced at Tan Linshuang calmly, and said calmly, "Behind closed doors, it's our own business, but when we open the door, we still have to explain to our elders."

"Miss……"

Watching the blood from her palm dripping onto the white silk, staining it into blood flowers, Xiaozhu choked up even more.

"cough!"

Tan Linshuang clenched her right fist, brought it to her lips, and coughed lightly, "Madam, we have chickens in our yard."

"Um?"

Zhao Mingyan, whose palm was being bandaged by Xiaozhu, didn't understand.

Tan Linshuang coughed again, "Actually, you can use chicken blood."

Zhao Mingyan's face twitched, and he cursed silently in his heart: Why didn't you say it earlier? It's like being wise after the event!

Hiss… It hurts! Tan Linshuang, you are here to defeat me!

Tan Linshuang scratched her cheek, walked to the bedside, carefully picked up the blood-stained silk handkerchief, and blew on it gently, "Thank you for your hard work, my lady."

Zhao Mingyan's desire to remain a widow resurfaced...

"Grandma! Uncle!"

After finishing dressing, Tan Linshuang brought his new bride Zhao Mingyan to the hall to pay respects to the elders.

The Tan family also has a small population, with only grandmother Fan Wenlan and uncle Tan Mozhu left as elders.

After checking the red, the two elders looked at each other and smiled, extremely satisfied.

Especially after seeing the bruises under the eyes of the newlyweds, Fan Wenlan's joy was even greater.

"It seems like you two spent a lot of time together last night."

"Hahaha……"

Hearing this, Tan Mozhu smiled and said, "My dear nephew, thank you for your hard work."

He then gave Tan Linshuang a mischievous look.

Tan Linshuang smiled and shook her head, "Mingyan has had it harder."

Oh!

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mingyan almost sneered out loud.

Fan Wenlan and Tan Mozhu smiled at each other again, and the servants around them also covered their mouths.

Only Xiaozhu lowered her head and rolled her eyes.

Tan Linshuang rubbed her nose in a shy manner and glanced at Zhao Mingyan secretly. She was immediately glared at by the other party and quickly turned her face away.

As soon as he turned his eyes away, Zhao Mingyan immediately put on a timid look, twisted the handkerchief in her hand, and looked around embarrassedly.

Although her eyes were timid, they were sharp.

Her father died early, and although it seemed that her mother took over Mingyue Zhai, she was actually the one who was in charge in secret. This made her learn to read people's expressions early on and developed a pair of sharp eyes.

That's why she was sensitive to Tan Mozhu's micro-expressions that were different from those of others.

The other person seemed to be laughing the most, but the smile did not reach his eyes, and his gaze was filled with coldness.

His nephew is very happy, so why is he unhappy?

Zhao Mingyan was puzzled.

It is said that he has divorced his first wife, has not taken a concubine, and has no children. Tan Linshuang's parents died early. The current relationship between this uncle and nephew, even if not as deep as that between father and son, is still very close. Tan Linshuang's marriage means that the Tan family's incense can continue, and the mistake of "having no descendants is the greatest misfortune" will not fall on him.

Otherwise, people would dig up his past record of ruining his health by indulging in debauchery and drinking and women, and talk about him.

From a moral and logical perspective, it would be beneficial for him to have his nephew get married.

Could it be that he has other plans?

Zhao Mingyan frowned slightly.

When she agreed to this marriage, not only did the other party agree to adopt the first son after marriage into the Zhao family and give her an acre of land to plant bamboo, but the situation of the other party's family members also made her see the opportunity to wipe out the family.

Above is my grandmother who is already in her seventies.

In the middle, there is the uncle who is idle and unable to have children.

Next is the only child who is rumored to not survive beyond the age of twenty.

As for her, Zhao Mingyan, she was young and in good health, and was also good at business. Even if Tan Linshuang died early and they had no children, she could still take over the affairs of the business as the young lady. When the old lady followed her grandson to death, she would be the real person in charge of the business. By then, she would win over Tan Mozhu, find a husband to marry into the family, and have more children, half of whom would have the surname Zhao and half would have the surname Tan, thus having the best of both worlds.

Having seen many orphans and widows being devoured, she, who was also an orphan and a widow, vowed to do the opposite.

But if Tan Mozhu, who is in the middle, is not a true playboy, but is secretly building a plank road, then her plan will not go smoothly...

But the most urgent thing is to get pregnant first.

Immediately, she calmed herself down and looked at Tan Linshuang with burning eyes, and the latter happened to turn his head.

The two looked at each other.

Zhao Mingyan raised her head and lips.

If I don’t believe it, I can’t take you down!

Facing her determined gaze, Tan Linshuang shuddered and clamped her legs together...

After breakfast, Zhao Mingyan smiled sweetly at Fan Wenlan, who was sitting in the main seat. "Grandma, my granddaughter-in-law wants to go see that piece of land."

Fan Wenlan said with a smile, "Let Lin'er go with you. I personally selected that piece of land for you. It's located on a gentle slope on the mountainside. It's fertile and loose, and the sun shines brightly. It's especially suitable for growing bamboo."

"And..."

She suddenly changed the subject, her expression becoming ambiguous. "That place is far away from other bamboo forests, the environment is quiet, and the grass is soft. If we go there, not only Confucius, but also Mencius and Xunzi could be born."

"Oh my... Mom, you are so shameless." Tan Mozhu laughed and joked.

Fan Wenlan glared at him and said logically, "It's written in the book, 'He and a woman from the Yan family had sex out of wedlock and gave birth to Confucius.' If even saints could have children out of wedlock, why can't my precious great-grandson?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Mother is right."

Tan Mozhu smiled and nodded vigorously, then winked at Tan Linshuang, "My dear nephew, your grandmother asked you to use the sky as your blanket and the ground as your bed, and give birth to a saint in our family."

“Cough cough cough…”

Tan Linshuang suddenly started coughing and waved his hands, "Uncle, please forgive me. The red candles were burning all night last night. I am really too tired and need to rest for a few days."

Hearing this, Zhao Mingyan on the side curled the corners of his mouth.

I'll continue ordering them all night tonight and order a few more!

Half an hour later, Tan Linshuang took Zhao Mingyan to the bamboo forest.

Xiaozhu and Ayun followed behind.

Yongnian Town is rich in hard-headed yellow bamboo. Once you arrive in the suburbs, you can see the hillsides and riverbanks full of green.

"Hard-headed yellow bamboo is indeed very different from bamboo." Zhao Mingyan said with emotion.

"What's the difference?" Tan Linshuang asked casually.

Zhao Mingyan walked over to a row of bamboos, gently stroked one of them, and slowly explained, "The tip of the bamboo is slender and curved, curving down like a fishing line. It's less than two inches thick and about three feet tall. The surface of the bamboo is covered with small grayish-white or brown prickles, and it's not as smooth as it looks from a distance."

"And what about the hard-headed yellow bamboo..."

She tapped the bamboo pole in front of her with her fingers. "To say it's thick and tall is an understatement. The internodes are hairless, and when young it's thinly coated with white wax. The pole has thick walls and is hard. It can be used as handles for farming tools, poles, and so on, but it can't be used to make lanterns."

“It’s hard enough, but not tough enough.”

"Making lanterns requires high toughness and strength to withstand the stretching during the weaving process."

Tan Linshuang nodded, "It seems you know a lot about bamboo."

Zhao Mingyan put her hands behind her back and walked deeper into the bamboo forest. "Bamboo is the backbone of the lantern. We need to understand bamboo first in order to make lanterns."

"Yongnian Town is actually quite suitable for growing nanmu bamboo and citron bamboo. Why do you only grow hard-headed yellow bamboo?" She couldn't help but wonder.

As she spoke, she turned her head.

Tan Linshuang followed her slowly, explaining, "Firstly, ever since our Tan family settled here, there have been many hard-headed yellow bamboos growing around us. We don't need to plant them ourselves, we just need to take good care of them. Secondly, once we discover the uses of hard-headed yellow bamboo, we will naturally find suitable buyers based on those uses."

"After a while, we formed a fixed planting and trading method. Over time, the business expanded and we established the present-day Bamboo Forest Trading Company."

"This is different from your family's lantern business. We first had bamboo and then thought of growing and selling it for a living. But your family discovered the business of making and selling lanterns and then thought of making a fortune from it."

Zhao Mingyan nodded and continued, "Why don't you follow our business and find buyers for bamboo shoots first, then plant them? You can grow bamboo on your land anyway."

“Hmm…”

Tan Linshuang pursed his lips, as if thinking.

Seeing this, Zhao Mingyan took advantage of the situation and said, "Almost every household in our Zhao family makes lanterns, so we don't have to worry about not being able to sell the bamboo we grow."

"In addition to lanterns, bamboo can also be used to make the frames of utensils such as bowls, cups, plates, and bottles, and its thin strips can be woven into patterns."

"Bamboo can be used for boxes, bookcases, gift trays, fruit boxes, baskets..."

"Although your family already has a large number of regular buyers, there is no shortage of sales. More buyers of other types will only make the business bigger and bigger."

"hehe."

After listening to her talk, Tan Linshuang smiled.

"What did I say wrong, husband?" Zhao Mingyan stopped and looked at him in confusion.

"My wife..."

Tan Linshuang smiled slightly. "My grandmother is still in good health, so there's no rush to hand over the business. I hope you won't be impatient, because you won't get what you want if you're impatient!"

Zhao Mingyan was stunned and suddenly felt that his eyes became sharper.

At this moment, Tan Linshuang was surrounded by lush green bamboo. The paleness on his face was given a touch of light green, making his smooth face look like jade.

Jade is rare and precious, not only because it is rare but also because it is mysterious.

That’s why there is a saying that gold has a price but jade is priceless.

The Tan Linshuang in front of him was like a piece of jade whose price was inestimable, which made Zhao Mingyan feel unsure.