Unmarried Men and Women: Daily Life of Raising Children in Ancient Times

Mu Yi'an, a teacher at an agricultural school, in her thirties, unmarried, nearly expelled from her family by her biological mother.

Jiang Shuyun, a high school political teacher, in her ...

Chapter 271 Leaving the Manor and Returning to the Prefecture City

The next day, Jiang Shuyun went to the academy.

He has an exam at the academy today, so he can't be absent. He can take a few days off tomorrow and stay home with Yi'an to entertain guests.

Shao Ming and Shao Yun took a carriage to the school early in the morning.

Mu Yi'an and the others are also going back to the city today. They will take everyone to visit their home and see the prosperity of the prefectural city.

After breakfast, the carriage was ready.

Mu Yi'an and the others boarded separate carriages, preparing to return to the city.

Because the Jiang residence was in the west of the city, it didn't take long to walk home after entering the city gate.

Third Grandfather and the others wanted to visit Uncle Jiang Mian, so Mu Yi'an arranged for someone to escort them there.

The rest of the people went to their homes to familiarize themselves with the place.

When Old Man Wei heard the sound of horses' hooves, he knew that someone from his family had returned, so he quickly came out to see what was happening.

Seeing Wei San driving the carriage, he knew that his wife and the others had returned.

"Old Man Wei, open the gate."

"Understood, madam."

Mu Yi'an led the female guests to the inner courtyard, leaving Brother Jiang and Shuwen to entertain the male guests in the outer courtyard.

Although in the village, every family lives together as a large family, without any distinction between inner and outer courtyards.

However, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

With Butler Li in charge of the outer courtyard, Mu Yi'an wasn't worried about not being taken care of properly.

After passing through the hanging flower gate, you enter the inner courtyard.

"Second sister-in-law, are all the houses in the prefectural city like this, divided into several courtyards?"

"No, most families have two or three rooms, with at most a side room."

Whether in the prefectural city or the capital, most people lived pretty much the same lives.

Mu Yi'an believes that there is no such thing as absolute fairness, whether in ancient or modern times, and resources have never been distributed equally.

Wherever there are people, there is a social hierarchy; everyone has selfish motives, so how can one be completely selfless?

When selfishness and desires arise, injustices will occur.

Once you've come to terms with it, you'll be happier if you stop comparing yourself to people you can never compare to in your entire life.

"That's good. I thought people in the prefectural city all lived in houses like this."

Li Qiuniang knew that Shuwen wanted to come to the prefectural city. Although they had saved some money, they couldn't afford a house like this.

Mu Yi'an didn't think too much about the meaning behind Qiu Niang's words; she had already done what she could to help.

In the future, whatever she wants to do, she can help within her capabilities. But there's too much she can't do; they have five children to raise right now.

In my past life, if a family had five children, it would have made headlines; everyone would have thought it was amazing!

Seeing that everyone was gathered inside with nothing to do, Jiang's mother thought she would take them out for a walk.

“Yi’an, I’ll take your aunt and sister-in-law for a stroll in the street, and your father can also take your uncle and the others for a walk.”

You've been incredibly busy these past few days, you really need to rest. Don't forget, you haven't fully recovered yet.

Jiang's mother had heard from her eldest son-in-law that having twins takes a heavy toll on a mother's body and requires careful care; it would take at least a year for her to fully recover.

For her child's 100-day celebration, Yi'an not only had to entertain their own guests but also take care of people from her hometown, which was quite tiring.

Mu Yi'an didn't refuse her mother-in-law's kindness. She had been busy these past few days and her body was a bit exhausted. Her back ached terribly last night, and she felt very uncomfortable.

"Second sister-in-law, you rest. I'll take Mother and my eldest sister-in-law out for a stroll."

Second brother can rest tomorrow, and he can take eldest uncle and the others out for a walk. You should just relax.

Jiang Qi herself has given birth and deeply understands that feeling of exhaustion.

"Alright, Jiang Qi, I'll leave everything to you. Let Sister Wei go with you; she knows the city very well. She can show you where you want to go."

Mu Yi'an didn't let Sister Fang come along; she was exhausted these past few days.

Moreover, since Sister Wei was originally from the prefectural city, she was familiar with many places and knew exactly where to find affordable goods.

"That would be perfect, I'm actually not very familiar with the city."

Jiang Qi has been living here for a while, but hasn't really explored the city properly.

My second sister-in-law asked her before, "Do you still practice medicine and make medicinal cuisine?"

She suddenly realized that she had been so busy that she had forgotten her original idea. She then began to read medical books and study medicinal cuisine.

With Dr. Chu from her family providing guidance, she learned very quickly.

Mu Yi'an asked Sister Fang to give Sister Wei two hundred taels of silver. No matter what the reason was for Third Grandmother and the others coming here, he couldn't let them come for nothing.

"Madam, what are your requests?"

"Go to the jewelry store and buy some jewelry suitable for women of different ages, such as hairpins and earrings. When guests come to visit, we need to give them some return gifts."

"Madam, I understand. I will definitely handle things well."

Sister-in-law Wei knew what to do. As the former head of the household, she often bought beautiful and exquisite jewelry to give as gifts, sometimes to relatives and friends, and sometimes to maids and servants. The jewelry she chose varied depending on the recipient's status.

Mu Yi'an handed over the instructions; she couldn't worry about anything else, as her own health was more important.

Butler Li relayed Mu Yi'an's words to Jiang's father: wherever to go, it depends on the old master's opinion.

"Butler Li, we won't go out today. Shuyun will be back tomorrow, then we can go shopping then."

"Let your wife rest assured and don't worry about things here at the outer courtyard. I'll take care of everything."

Third Grandfather and the others went to see Jiang Mian. There aren't many people left, so everything is fine.

"Understood, sir."

Butler Li went to the inner courtyard to report back, and Mu Yi'an decided to listen to Jiang's father.

"Steward Li, since the old master is looking after the outer courtyard, why don't you go to the brokerage?"

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