After the wheat harvest was finished, Xu Di explained to everyone how to grow and raise corn that had grown to more than a hand's breadth tall. Once everything was settled, he took his family back to their home in the city.

During this wheat harvest, Zhang Zhaoci, who spent his days either lying down, sitting, or strolling in the shade of the yard, didn't get tanned. Everyone in his family got much darker, especially Xu Rao. When Zhang Zhaoci returned home, he exclaimed that Xu Rao looked like he had been brought back from Asia and Africa.

After Zhang Zhaoci shared his ideas with Xu Rao and Xu Di, he received their strong support.

Xu Rao said, "We don't pay much attention to these things here in Hexi. It wouldn't look good if we brought the youngest daughter of the Li family over alone. I think we should bring both the eldest and youngest daughters over. Thank you for your trouble, Granny."

Upon hearing this, Granny Lu said, "Just like Third Madam said, if we give them, we'll raise them; if we give them three, we'll just chase them away. It's not a big deal. I just don't know what kind of family the eldest daughter of the Li family will marry into in the future. I need to teach the housekeepers to be more targeted in their teaching."

Xu Rao said, "It seems to be a family in Ganzhou. The two families are just interested, but nothing has been decided yet."

Granny Lu nodded and said, "The eldest daughter of the Li family must be fourteen years old by now."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "I remember that I was born in the same year as our Di Ge'er, but my birthday is a little younger."

Granny Lu said, "Once you've come to our Di-ge'er, don't always come to the backyard, lest people gossip and say something unpleasant."

Zhang Zhaoci kept saying, "That's natural, that's natural. Just let Di Ge'er stay in the front yard. Anyway, there's not much in the greenhouse right now. You can take the three girls to the back yard."

After Zhang Zhaoci told Madam Li his thoughts, Madam Li was naturally overjoyed and immediately agreed. Madam Li knew that Granny Lu had served the late Empress Dowager, and not only did she have experience, but more importantly, she knew about the intricate relationships between the noble families in the capital. Putting aside her eldest daughter, her younger daughter would eventually marry into a marquis's family, so it would be a very good thing for her to understand the rules in advance.

In Hexi, the strict separation of men and women is not taken too seriously. Madam Li did not think about it in any other way, and neither did Lord Li. As long as it is good for the child, why think about those complicated things?

The two sisters, Li Yuelin and Li Yuexi, were sent to the Xu family by their family. Zhang Zhaoci specially vacated Xu Di's room for the two girls to stay in. Xu Di was arranged to stay in the third courtyard. Although Xu Di had converted the main house into a greenhouse, there were still east and west wing rooms. The west wing room was used as a storeroom, and the east wing room had a kang (heated brick bed) and furniture, which was perfect for Xu Di to live in.

By the time everything was arranged, it was already June. Even though Hexi is located in the Northwest, it was still quite hot and dry.

Zhang Zhaoci's belly was already quite large, and she would sweat profusely if she walked around in the hot weather. Zhang Zhaoci really didn't want to move around, but not moving around was not good for herself or the baby in her belly. So Zhang Zhaoci would take a stroll in the yard every morning and evening.

The Xu family's courtyard was peaceful and quiet. If it weren't for its proximity to Yanmen Pass, where they had to be on guard against invasions from the Northern Di, Zhang Zhaoci would think that it would be a good place to retire. Although the border region was harsh and cold, the local people were simple and honest. Although the winters were very cold, the summers weren't too hot. The four seasons were distinct, and the sky was high and the clouds were light, which made people feel cheerful.

Xu Di has now delegated all his tasks to his subordinates and spends his days studying diligently at home. He is already engaged, and he feels that without official rank, his marriage would not be respectable. At the latest, the year after next, when Xu Di will be sixteen, he will return to the capital to take the imperial examinations, pass the county-level examination to become a scholar, and then take the provincial-level examination to become a licentiate. Every year, tens of thousands of people take the imperial examinations, but only a small number pass, making the competition extremely fierce. Xu Di does not feel that he has any advantage at all, so he just studies hard and keeps studying diligently.

Xu Rao hadn't been home for several days. News came from the spies in the Northern Di that the situation there hadn't been good recently. Wei Lang was now not only responsible for guarding Yanmen Pass, but also for the two passes next to it. This was all because of the sneak attack last winter, in which the riverside garrison was massacred by the Northern Di under cover of darkness. The Ganzhou general simply handed over the border defense to Wei Lang.

In the past six months, the county government's revenue in Hexi County has doubled compared to last year. With money in hand, they became bolder. Xu Rao kept a small portion of the money for himself and used the rest to reinforce the city walls and stockpile strategic materials. The underground granary in the Li family's backyard was already full. Several houses under the four city gates were requisitioned and filled with supplies for defending the city, such as arrows, rolling logs, and even some kerosene, which was actually petroleum. Xu Rao had brought it back from a very far place, a neighboring area. He had heard from the elders of Hexi that some places there could see black things flowing out. Xu Rao took Xu Di to see it, and it turned out to be crude oil. He didn't know why it had just appeared on its own. This was a valuable resource. Xu Rao managed to bring a lot back and stored it in the largest water tank in the house at the city gate, repeatedly emphasizing that absolute safety must be ensured.

After hearing Xu Rao's account of the situation with the Northern Di, Xu Di quietly began to create his own secret weapon: wrapping lime and finely ground chili powder in oiled paper. In case someone came to attack the city, throwing a few of these down should be enough to hold them off for a while.

Xu Rao considered whether to send Zhang Zhaoci and the family's children away. Zhang Zhaoci was currently pregnant, and if the Northern Di people really attacked, the Xu family would face many more risks.

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