Zhao Qingyan smiled.

"Milk, even if you haven't drunk beer for a year, you can only have this small can tonight."

I want to drink more, I'll drink again tomorrow.

You and I are getting old. Moderate drinking is fine, but long-term or excessive drinking is not advisable.

Don't be fooled by its low alcohol content; it can be really unpleasant to get drunk on.

Huang pouted, "Fine, it's your stuff, you decide. You call the shots."

Anyway, I'm an unpopular old woman, humph. If this old woman wants meat, eat as much as you want, I won't leave any for you."

Zhao Qingyan was both amused and exasperated. "Fine, Grandma can eat as much as she wants. We'll make sure she has enough."

We ate our meal until the moon rose above the willow branches.

Fortunately, we planted a lot of mosquito-repelling plants in the yard and burned a lot of mugwort, otherwise the mosquitoes would have eaten us alive.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone went home.

While Zhao Qingyan was enjoying a warm and romantic night in the boudoir, Huang Shi was chatting with her husband about their youngest son.

"Sigh, looking at how slovenly the third son is living alone, I'm even thinking about whether I should get him a concubine."

Living alone is always a bit inconvenient.

Mrs. Huang sighed.

Zhao Qianci dried the moisture from his hair.

"If you ask me, the third son is just being pretentious. There are servants in the house, but he insists on doing everything himself. Doesn't he deserve it?"

That old woman was only for washing clothes. If he wouldn't let her wash them, what was the point of buying her?

Ignore him for now and let him be dramatic for a while. He'll be fine once he gets over it.

If he doesn't correct this bad habit, it will be a troublesome matter even if he gets married in the future.

Unless he marries a poor peasant girl, she might be willing to wash his clothes.

Any wife with even a little bit of family background wouldn't wash his clothes by hand.

Let alone those rich young ladies who don't wash their own clothes, even an old man like me is too lazy to do those chores now.

Everyone has their own destiny. Don't worry about it. Women are easy to find; you can find any type you want. It's just that finding someone suitable for our family is hard to find.

Huang thought about it and agreed, "Forget it, I'll just ignore him. Even if he's having a hard time now, it can't be as hard as it used to be."

In the past, after a day's work in the fields, I would still have to wash Ma's clothes when I got back.

He could manage back then, so what's the difference now? Even if he's tired now, it can't be as exhausting as working the land.

Zhao Qianci grunted in agreement, thinking to himself, "Mental exhaustion is much more tiring than physical labor. You old woman don't understand."

Huang: If I knew everything, I could have become the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Zhao Minggeng, who is cared for by his family, is now living a carefree life.

Finally, I don't have to shave every day anymore, and I don't have to do laundry every day. Anyway, I have plenty of clothes; I wash my own underwear, and my mother-in-law washes my outerwear.

Nobody cares where they're piled up, isn't that awesome?

It's the middle of the night, and we still need to have an extra meal.

I ate about 60% full for lunch. The kitchen brought me two braised pig's feet and a smoked chicken.

Add a few chili peppers and cucumbers, and it becomes more and more delicious with each bite.

After eating, take a few laps around the yard, then go back to your room and sleep if you can, or read a book if you can't.

This is probably the best state for being single.

Prince Rui, who was entrusted with high hopes, really took the matter of finding a wife for Zhao Minggeng seriously.

However, there are not many who can meet Zhao Minggeng's requirements.

If we're talking about finding young women, there are tons of them.

Whether you prefer a legitimate daughter or an illegitimate daughter, whether you want a pretty one or not, it doesn't matter.

But finding someone in their twenties isn't so easy.

These days, there aren't many people who truly have the courage to divorce, but there are quite a few widows.

The second daughter of the Vice Minister of Works, recently widowed, thirty-five years old, with four sons and two daughters, is already a mother-in-law. This won't do.

The granddaughter of Zhang, the Censor-in-Chief, is 24 years old, has been widowed for two years, and has three sons and one daughter. She has vowed never to marry, but that won't do either.

...

After reading all this information, Prince Rui was also filled with despair; Zhao Minggeng's marriage was truly a difficult matter to handle.

Putting aside whether they are a good match in terms of age and other aspects, the distance alone is a major problem.

If Zhao Minggeng were a government official in Beijing now, things would probably be a bit easier to handle.

Unfortunately, he was just a minor county magistrate in a remote area.

Although we family members know our own affairs and feel good about it, outsiders don't.

Prince Rui was sometimes quite envious of the Zhao family's lifestyle.

Whether it's food or daily necessities, sometimes they're even better than what he, a prince, has to offer. And that's not all; this family has many ingenious and whimsical ideas.

How does this brain work?

Prince Rui even wondered if he could have lived better than the Zhao family if he hadn't been born into an imperial family; the answer was uncertain.

After much thought, choosing this future aunt is really difficult.

While pondering the information about the single woman, Princess Yan Yue's face suddenly flashed through Prince Rui's mind.

Prince Rui began to ponder: his elder sister was about the same age as Zhao Minggeng, was a widow, and had no children.

Zhao Minggeng was tall and strong, skilled in both literature and martial arts. Apart from doting on his daughter, he really had no other flaws.

It's just a pity that the generational order is wrong.

"My elder sister is of noble status and is not worthy of a seventh-rank county magistrate like him."

If these two get together, wouldn't the generational order be messed up?

What should I call him? It's fine if he doesn't have kids, but if he does, should he call me uncle or brother-in-law?

"Don't think about it, don't think about it, Jian Rui, are you crazy?"

Prince Rui muttered to himself, trying to shake the water that had just gotten into his head.

Finally, Prince Rui decided to entrust the matter of arranging a marriage for Zhao Minggeng to his steward for consideration.

So this is how complicated matchmaking is; being a conscientious matchmaker is not easy.

Prince Rui secretly praised himself.

The butler, upon receiving the task, frowned so deeply he could have trapped a mosquito in his brow.

"If Your Highness can't find a suitable candidate, how can I find one? I'm still single."

Jian Rui ignored the housekeeper's complaints. He had to hurry and be with his wife.

Prince Rui's travel speed is now comparable to that of a snail.

People can walk 50 li a day, but these days, even with a horse-drawn carriage, they're lucky if they can manage 50 li a day.

At this rate, it'll take forever to get home.

The original plan was to return to Mocheng a month before Zhao Qinglin's due date, but at this pace it seems a bit risky.

Zhao Qinglin's wish is to be able to return to her mother's side when she gives birth.

With her mother around, she felt at ease.

At this rate, things are unlikely to go well.

"My lord, our carriage is too slow. Let's speed up."

I'm fine. If you're worried about me getting jostled around, just put a few more blankets in the carriage. I'll be fine lying down.

Anyway, I'm always sleepy these days, and lying down means I can fall asleep whenever I want.

Zhao Qinglin offered suggestions.

Prince Rui's eyes widened.

"Wife, I don't object to adding more quilts to the carriage, but are you sure you can lie in the carriage every day?"

That would be very harmful to your health. Pregnant women also need to engage in appropriate physical activity, otherwise childbirth will be very difficult.