Chapter 210 Chapter 210 Speculation

It was obvious that Qin Run liked this child very much. Xu Yunfan pursed his lips and said, "Xiaobao sounds nice, Run'er, do you like Xiaobao very much?"

"Yeah." Qin Run's eyes curved in a smile. "He looks so much like you. Looking at him, I feel like I'm seeing you as a child. I don't know what you were like as a child. I've never seen it, let alone been a part of your life. It's undeniable that Xiaobao's appearance seems to have made up for this regret in my heart, but I know he's not you, and he shouldn't be the carrier of my regret. I like him, not just because he looks like you, but because it comes from a genuine affection. Such a cute child, surely everyone would like him? I'm taking him out tonight, and you have no idea how many people will want to take him home."

This answer obviously made Xu Yunfan stunned.

So, is Qin Run loving the house and the whole thing about it?

He likes himself so much that even if a child who is not related to him by blood looks like him, he will love the child because of this.

If it were someone else, they would probably feel that such love is too heavy, a burden that would suffocate them. But Xu Yunfan would not feel that way. Qin Run's love and preference would only make him indulge in it and become extremely obsessed with it.

Xu Yunfan: "He really does look like me when I was a kid. Even the flesh on his body is similar to mine when I was a kid."

"Were you very fat when you were a child?" Qin Run was obviously particularly interested in Xu Yunfan's affairs.

Xu Yunfan thought for a moment, "Well, I'm the youngest child in the family. As you know, my family is well-off, and my grandparents treat me like their darling. When I was born, I wasn't very big, so they tried to make me stronger. Plus, I'm a big eater, so before I was four, I was a big man. My brothers laughed at me because my face was as big as a basin and my hands and legs were like lotus roots. They even lied to me and said they wanted to take me to hot pot."

"Haha..." Qin Run laughed. It was hard to imagine Xu Yunfan was so chubby before. He must have been so cute. He pinched Xiaobao's little hand and asked, "Is he fatter than Xiaobao?"

"Yeah, I'm a little fatter than him. Grandpa and grandma all say that I look a lot like my brother. I still can't figure out what it means. How are we the same as my brother?"

Xu Yunfan had seen photos of his elder brother before. On the surface, he looked successful, gentle, and well-spoken. In the eyes of others, his elder brother was a typical child from other people's families. But they didn't know how narcissistic this kind of person was in front of his younger brother. Wasn't he actually a naughty child when he was young?

The reason why I say that is because, firstly, Big Brother Xu is naughty, loves to tease people, and can't sit still; secondly, Big Brother Xu has a physique that can't gain weight since he was a child. He takes all kinds of nutritional supplements and eats a full bowl of rice every meal, but he is still so thin. Xu Yunfan once questioned it, saying that he is not like his big brother, but when he said this, the family members' faces changed obviously, and the smiles on their faces disappeared. Xu's father would laugh and say that Grandpa Xu and Grandma Xu remembered it wrong.

Xu Yunfan was still young at that time, but he was also a smart man who knew how to read people's expressions. He saw that the whole family seemed to be in a low mood because of his words, so he didn't mention it again. But just because he didn't mention it, it didn't mean he had forgotten it.

Looking back on this matter now, Xu Yunfan still couldn't figure out what was wrong. Qin Run said, "Is there a possibility?"

"What's possible?"

"I'm just guessing. Do you have another brother? Is he your eldest brother or your second brother? Or is he older than you and has a second brother who hasn't grown up yet?"

"impossible!"

As soon as Qin Run's hypothesis came out, Xu Yunfan immediately denied it. "Even if I have a brother, if he... my family can't not tell me. This is not something that cannot be said. Why would they hide it from me? It's completely unnecessary."

Xu Yunfan denied it so quickly, but he didn't know that sometimes the truth might just be a casual remark. Qin Run revealed the truth, but he denied it himself.

Qin Run couldn't help but continue to think about it. Xu Yunfan patted him and said, "Forget it, this is all in the past. Besides, now... the truth is no longer important to me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin An outside called out, "Brother, the water is boiling. You can take a bath now."

Their brother-in-law is very particular. He takes a shower quickly, but every time he comes out of the shower, his body must smell good, even better than his elder brother's. If this isn't a good shower, then what is?

Xu Yunfan snorted, stood up, opened the cabinet out of habit, grabbed a pair of shorts, and went to the kitchen. "You kid, are you looking for trouble? Your brother-in-law is just taking a bath, and you have to wait until the water boils before you yell? It's not like he's slaughtering a pig and shaving it."

Qin An laughed and turned to run into the house: "It's almost done."

Does this guy think of himself as a pig to be slaughtered?

After Xu Yunfan hung the panties on the wall, he turned around and chased after her.

All of a sudden, the two guys started howling in excitement and fear, yelling at the ghost blocking the door and shouting, "Brother, help!"

Xu Yunfan was pretending to be a ghost again. Qin Run put the sleeping Xiaobao on the bed, then shook his head and took a bathrobe for Xu Yunfan with a smile, letting the three of them make a fuss.

After taking a nice hot bath, Xu Yunfan was in a very good mood. However, when he just entered the room and saw the small bulge on the bed, the corners of his mouth suddenly turned flat.

Qin Run, who was holding a candle behind him, asked: "Why don't you go in?"

Xu Yunfan turned sideways to let the people behind him see the person on the bed clearly. He pointed at the bed and said through his teeth, "Run'er, you're not planning to leave Xiaobao here to sleep with us tonight, are you?"

That won’t do!

Qin Run: "If he doesn't sleep with us, who will he sleep with? An Ge'er used to sleep with me." It's like this in the village. Children sleep with their parents. Qin An used to sleep with him until he was five years old.

"How can that be the same? An Ge'er is a boy, and he is a little man. Besides, he is already three years old. How can he still sleep with his little daddy when he is so old? It's outrageous."

It's really inappropriate. How can he cuddle and hug his husband when the child is around?

"But Xiaobao doesn't sleep here, so where will he sleep?" It's so late, I can't clean up the side room, and I don't know if Xiaobao can sleep alone. The weather is cold, what should I do if he kicks off the quilt in the middle of the night?

Qin Run was extremely worried about Xiaobao sleeping alone. "He's still young and won't sleep well. He'll kick off the quilt in the middle of the night. Let him sleep here, in the middle."

Xu Yunfan sat on the edge of the bed with his lips pouted and his arms folded across his chest, thinking with regret that it was a bad decision.

He had never thought about this problem when he left Xiaobao behind.

"He's sleeping in the middle, how can you hold me?"

Qin Run hesitated for a moment: "Then let him sleep inside?"

Xu Yunfan agreed reluctantly, "Okay then, let's clean up the side room tomorrow and let him sleep on his own. He's three years old now, and sleeping in a separate room from his parents can help him develop a sense of independence. It's good for him. When I was a kid, I slept in the baby room by myself after I was weaned."

Yes, he gained baby fat on his own after he was weaned, but why didn’t Xu Yunfan tell him that the family had hired several nannies to look after him and that they had to go check on him every once in a while?

But Xu Yunfan still had some conscience. "If you're worried that he'll kick the quilt, I can just get up in the middle of the night and check."

Qin Run: “…”

You'd be a fool if I didn't believe you. How could someone who normally can't be woken up even if you shout get up in the middle of the night to check on the child?

Qin Run didn't believe it, but ever since Xiaobao stopped sleeping with them, no matter how sleepy Xu Yunfan was in the middle of the night, he would struggle to get up with his eyes closed to check on him.

"Xiaobao? Xiaobao?" Xu Yunfan nagged Xiaobao a few times as he lay down, but Xiaobao didn't even wake up. He was unmovable. "He's really a piglet. He can eat and sleep all the time. It would be strange if he wasn't fat."

"That's better." Qin Run bent his arms to support his upper body and leaned over Xu Yunfan, his long hair falling on Xu Yunfan's neck. He grabbed Xu Yunfan's hand that was poking Xiaobao's face and causing trouble, "Children shouldn't say that."

Xu Yunfan turned over, smiled and rolled up the long hair on the side of his face to play with it, raised his eyes to look at the person on him, "Run brother, you look like... a ghost!"

Qin Run half-closed his narrow black eyes, and after a long while he finally uttered: "...Ghost?? You said before that you liked me like this the most. You also said that I was very seductive like this. What's wrong? I'm not seductive tonight, but I actually look like a ghost? Don't you like me anymore?"

Considering that there was a little fat boy next to him, Xu Yunfan deliberately lowered his voice, "Did I say that? Why don't I remember it?"

Qin Run: "As expected, a man's mouth is a lie."

Xu Yunfan agreed with this statement, "You're right, men are all pigs and cannot be trusted."

"Pfft~" Qin Run covered his mouth and laughed, his shoulders shrugging. "How can you be so cruel? You even scold yourself. All men are pigs. Then what are you?"

"Didn't you say I was a fairy boy, a banished immortal from heaven who didn't care about worldly things? I'm already a fairy, how can I be compared with you mortals? What, have you forgotten everything you said?"

Qin Run lowered his head and kissed Xu Yunfan: "...Okay, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said that you don't like me. Don't be angry, okay?"

Although he was clearly enjoying it, Xu Yunfan's expression seemed reluctant. "If you tell me not to be angry, will I not be angry?"

This man is always pushing things further. Qin Run kissed Xu Yunfan a few more times and asked, "Are you satisfied?"

Xu Yunfan looked at the person above him, propped up his elbow, and kissed the seductive lips accurately and silently. After finishing, he said, "That's better. I'm such a generous person, how could I get angry over a single sentence? You really think I'm too stingy."

This person is a typical example of someone who takes advantage of others and still acts ungratefully.

Qin Run panted heavily and patted Xu Yunfan's chest lightly, as if flirting with him. "The child is still here, don't make a fuss."

If he continues to make trouble, he will be out of control.

Xu Yunfan sighed and thought to himself, that's why he wanted to let Dabao sleep in a separate room. He is only seventeen and hasn't even eaten meat yet, but he has to live a life with a wife and children. Although he has reached the peak of his life earlier than others, he can only look at the meat in front of him but cannot touch it with a child. It's too torturous.

He changed the subject and told me what he had heard at the town clinic today. "The village chief said that the deep mountains in our area have become one, and the wolves might come to our area. I told Dayou and the others not to go up the mountain for the time being. They can earn less money, and safety is the most important thing."

Qin Run: "Well, your decision is great. By the way, the meat you bought today has been marinated and will be ready for sausage in two days. Can the bacon and sausage you mentioned really be stored for that long?"

A lot of salt is needed to make bacon or sausage. In the Dayan Dynasty, salt is as precious as sugar. Villagers can only eat meat and drink wine during festivals. Occasionally, they will buy one or two pounds of meat and share it among more than ten people. Not to mention making bacon.

Those who raise pigs at home will slaughter the New Year pig during the Spring Festival. They will keep half and sell the other half. If they are well-off, they will keep all the pigs and eat them. They will make jars of meat for later consumption.

To make tantan meat, you only need to use salt when marinating, and the fat will produce oil when frying the meat. In this way, you have both oil and meat. Isn’t it more convenient than making bacon?

It’s not that no one has thought about making bacon before, but they were reluctant to add salt, and the bacon they made couldn’t be kept for long. After all, when making bacon, it’s better to put too much salt than too little.

Xu Yunfan: "If it's stored properly, it can be kept for a year without any problem. I asked at the grocery store and also asked Xiu Ze and the others. They rarely sell bacon here because it doesn't keep for very long. I ate a cured duck at Uncle Fang's house before. When she was washing the duck, Grandma Fang was really upset. She said that they put salt in the duck when it was made, and now that it's washed away, it's like pouring out money. Salt is expensive, and I'm sure no one here would be willing to put enough, so the bacon will go bad quickly."

"Ah, the cost is too high!" Qin Run is a businessman, and he immediately thought about the cost.

Xu Yunfan couldn't let go of Qin Run's long hair, twisting it around his fingers and then untying it, repeating the cycle without getting bored. "It costs a little now, but once our bacon becomes famous, later on, if you want to buy such expensive salt without spending a penny, I can help you do it when I enter the officialdom. As long as you want, I can work hard to get it. It depends on whether you have this idea."

They now raise their own pigs. Qin Run even specially asked someone to look after more than a dozen sows the day before yesterday, so there will be no problem with the supply of pork in the future.

Right now, salt is the biggest problem.

Salt is an irreplaceable necessity in life. In addition, people in ancient times did a lot of physical labor, so they had a great demand for salt.

If the body does not take in enough salt, you will feel weak all over. In this case, how can you even think about marching and fighting?

Therefore, the salt produced by the Dayan Dynasty would first be supplied to the army to ensure the physical fitness of the soldiers.

The source of salt for the Dayan Dynasty came from sea salt and some was imported.

Whether boiling the sea to make salt or transporting salt from coastal areas to all parts of the country, the transportation costs and the complicated process of making and extracting salt determine that the price of salt will not be too low.

The production and sale of salt were controlled by the royal family and royal merchants. Otherwise, more people would not only not be able to afford sugar, but even salt.

Qin Run's breathing became heavy.

He knew that Xu Yunfan was not a person who would speak without purpose. The fact that he dared to say so was enough to prove that he could definitely do it.

"Do you have a solution? Yunfan, that's salt, it belongs to the royal family and is under the control of the royal family."

Anyone who says such things is simply dreaming.

Xu Yunfan is so bold as to covet the royal family's things. He really dares to think so.

"I know that if I give the Emperor more choices and greater incentives, and I ask for nothing else but the development and management rights of a salt land, as long as it doesn't harm his interests, do you think he would refuse to give it to me?"

Xu Yunfan thought, no, Fu Qingyu would definitely be happy to hand him what he wanted personally, and would not feel unhappy about it, thinking that his authority was being challenged, or foolishly doing something to kill the chicken to get the eggs.

Fu Qingyu is not that stupid.

Another thing is that Xu Yunfan would not have made such a boast if he did not understand Fu Qingyu, or if the current emperor was a suspicious, stubborn, and tyrannical ruler who believed in slander.

"Yunfan, what on earth do you have in mind?" Qin Run suddenly lost all sleepiness and wanted to know right now.

Xu Yunfan pushed the man off of him and lay on his side. With one hand, he suppressed Qin Run who was trying to turn over. "Go to sleep. I won't tell you about this. Anyway, I will fulfill my promise to you today in the future. Just believe me."

Qin Run was intrigued. How could he possibly sleep? "But I'm curious."

"What are you curious about? You should get some rest. I want you to go to Dashan Village with me tomorrow."

"Going to Dashan Village? What are you going there for?"

"Of course I'm going to do good things. Go to sleep quickly. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Qin Run knew that if he continued to ask, he would not be able to sleep later. "Okay, come here, I will hold you to sleep, put your hands on my side, don't press Xiaobao."

Xu Yunfan pulled the quilt and was comfortably held in Qin Run's arms. The warm, familiar temperature and familiar breath surrounded him. After a while, before Qin Run fell asleep, the person in his arms began to breathe softly.

Early the next morning, when Xu Yunfan got up, he was the only one left in the bed. As soon as Xiaobao woke up, Qin Run carried him to the bed, dressed him, and took him out to wash up. He didn't give the child a chance to bother Xu Yunfan. Qin An and Qin Mu were no longer at home. He had no classes, but that didn't mean the two little guys didn't have classes either.

If you weren't from a wealthy or powerful family, how many of you would have the chance to enter a college? Even getting into a school was a long shot.

Aunt Qin and the others envied the two children so much that they even specifically told them not to give up halfway.

Qin An and Qin Mu had been in the village for a long time, so they naturally knew how rare it was to be able to study at Qingfeng Academy. This opportunity was obtained for them by their brother-in-law, and the two cherished it very much. Even though they had to get up before dawn every day, had a heavy workload, and sometimes even didn't get enough sleep, they never complained, let alone said anything like they didn't want to continue studying.

But Xu Yunfan had an objection.