Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Giving Birth
"Fujin, Nanny Gui is there!" Xianrong pointed her sword towards the southwest.
"Fourth Lady! Please save my Eighth Lady!" Nanny Gui's shoulder blade was pierced by the pipa hook and she was bleeding all over.
"Madam Gui! Where is Wan Ning?" Chu Xian's eyes were bloodshot.
"Chunxiao is protecting Fu Jin and heading to... the martial monks' monastery at Tanzhe Temple to seek the protection of the martial monks." As Nanny Gui said this, her eyes went dark and she fainted on the ground.
"Oh no! Xianrong Suiqing, go find the Eighth Concubine quickly!" Chu Xian exclaimed.
The first way out that everyone can think of is to die.
Wan Ning went to the Martial Monks' Temple to ask for help, which was tantamount to walking into a trap.
"Fujin, be careful!"
Sui Qing's screams were heard behind him, and the sounds of weapons fighting were endless.
Chu Xian turned around and saw Sui Qing and Xian Rong fighting with several men in black.
"Xianrong, you come to the rear!" Sui Qing pulled back and stood in front of Fu Jin. "Fu Jin, I will escort you out of here."
"No, I have to go find the Eighth Lady." Chu Xian had just taken a few steps when several dark shadows emerged from the bamboo forest shrouded in morning mist.
"Suiqing, take Fu Jin and leave quickly!" Xianrong came to help.
"Fujin, something is wrong. Why are these assassins attacking you in a swarm? Could it be that you are their original target? The Eighth Fujin might just be the bait to lure you into a trap!" Sui Qing looked around with vigilance.
"In that case, let's go down the mountain!" Chu Xian gritted her teeth and ran towards the foot of the mountain.
As expected, assassins came at her from all directions.
"Fujin! Let's go!" Sui Qing shouted at the top of his lungs. It had been many years since she encountered such a powerful enemy.
Not to mention her today, even Xianrong, who is skilled in martial arts, cannot escape death.
At this time, Xianrong was dumbfounded. She even saw Nanny Chun take action today.
The last time Madam Huichun took action was on a snowy night at Hongluo Temple.
Nanny Chun will only take action when the situation is desperate. I'm afraid he won't be able to survive this critical moment today.
At this time, the three of them started fighting with the assassin and watched Fu Jin's figure disappear alone in the dense fog and forest.
Chu Xian was panting as she ran through the dense forest. The forest was shrouded in mist and she had to slow down and be careful with her steps from time to time to avoid tripping.
She was caught off guard and someone covered her mouth tightly.
Chu Xian was immediately horrified and was about to resist when she heard Wan Ning's weak voice: "Xian'er, it's me."
The pungent smell of blood filled Chu Xian's nostrils. She was horrified. Wan Ning was injured!
One of them crouched down and the other crawled into the dark crevice.
"Xian'er, my stomach hurts so much. I don't know if it's my period. The bleeding won't stop."
Wan Ning's hoarse and weak voice came from behind.
Chu Xian's whole body stiffened, realizing that Wan Ning's current condition might be even more despairing than Lai Guishui.
Wan Ning had a miscarriage.
"Wan Ning! I have a medicine here, take it quickly." Chu Xian hurriedly opened her purse, took out the hemostatic medicine and placed it on Wan Ning's blood-stained palm.
"Xian'er, my stomach hurts."
"Take the pill quickly and stop talking." Chu Xian turned around slowly, and through the sunlight that seeped in through the cracks in the rocks above her head, she finally saw Wan Ning's face clearly.
Her moon-white jacket was covered in bloodstains. Chu Xian's heart tightened and her eyes slowly moved downwards. When she saw the broken arrow in Wan Ning's abdomen, her face turned pale.
"Xian'er, the assassin is coming for me. I'm the one who implicated you today. I'll go out and lure the assassin away later. You hide here and don't go out." Wan Ning took out the blood-stained amulet from her arms with difficulty.
"We agreed to let me pray for you this year. I won't break my promise. This is yours. This... this is for Yinsi. Can you give it to him for me?"
The amulet that fell into her palm burned her eyes and brought tears to her eyes. Chu Xian pushed back the amulet that Wan Ning had asked for from the Eighth Master and choked up, saying, "You asked for the amulet for the Eighth Master, so you should give it to him yourself. I don't care."
"Xian'er, I can feel my child slowly leaving me. I feel so sorry for him... and for Yinsi. I failed to protect our child, and I also broke my promise to grow old with him."
"I'm sorry, and you too, I can only accompany you here."
Wan Ning was frowning in pain when she suddenly met Xian'er's scarlet eyes and was immediately frightened into silence.
"Xian'er...don't, please, don't get sick at this time..."
"Xian'er..." Wan Ning's face showed sadness and she shed tears in despair.
It’s over. Are she and Xian’er really going to die together on Tanzhe Mountain today?
Just as she was feeling melancholy, she heard a sharp sneer in her ears. Wan Ning was frightened out of her wits and her hands were empty. The unconscious Xian'er actually snatched the bow from her hand.
Only three arrows whistled and two women's wailing sounds were heard.
"Wan'er, Xiaoxian!!" a mournful male voice came.
A cold light flashed before her eyes. Wan Ning endured the severe pain in her abdomen and held her sword in front of Xian'er.
"I'm sorry, my sister has gone crazy." Wan Ning's eyes were filled with shock as she looked at the corpse of the pregnant woman and the corpse of the girl in the goose yellow jacket lying on the ground, her eyes full of guilt.
"You deserve to die!" The bearded man who looked like a warrior roared and rushed over with a long sword in his hand.
"I'm sorry, brother. Every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt has its creditor. Remember to come and seek revenge from me." Wan Ning gritted her teeth and killed the man.
At this time, she was holding her stomach in pain, kneeling on the ground with her knees bent.
"Xian'er, please, change into her clothes quickly, they are coming after us."
Wan Ning's tone was filled with helpless tears.
After Xian'er came out of confinement, she took the last antidote and her madness was cured.
The Fourth Prince repeatedly warned Xian'er not to get sick again.
Otherwise, you will develop a disease that cannot be completely cured throughout your life.
At this moment, Xian'er was as quiet as a puppet that had lost its soul, and she obediently let her manipulate her.
Wan Ning half-knelt on the ground in so much pain, exchanged the woman's clothes with Xian'er's clothes, and then took off her own clothes and swapped them with the corpse in the goose yellow jacket.
It was not until she kicked the two female corpses down the steep and dangerous peak that Wan Ning's eyes went dark and she almost fainted.
She didn't dare lose consciousness, so she used her nails to poke bloody holes on the back of her hands, forcing herself to stay awake.
Not long after the two of them hid back in the crevice, Wan Ning tensed up.
The sound of footsteps gradually approached. Wan Ning covered Xian'er's mouth with fear in her eyes, for fear that Xian'er would scream.
When Wan Ning saw who was coming, her eyes were filled with joy. It turned out that it was the guards arranged by Yinsi who came to rescue her in advance.
She was about to scream, but Xian'er covered her mouth tightly.
Wan Ning's eyes were full of confusion, but she saw Xian'er staring at the black boots on the guard's feet.
Yellow sand!
Wan Ning was struck by lightning. If the guards had rushed over from the shortcut at the foot of the mountain, their feet would have been covered in black mud. How could it be yellow sand?
Even if he arrived at the Martial Monks' Temple first, his feet would be contaminated by the yellow sand from the monks practicing in front of the temple, and there should be black mud and yellow sand under his feet.
If there was only yellow sand, it meant that he did not come from the foot of the mountain, but was hiding in the Monk's Court.
Wan Ning was immediately horrified and couldn't tell whether the guards were coming to kill her or Xian'er.
Yinsi always acquiesced in Xian'er's murder, and maybe even hoped that Xian'er would have an accident, so as to force the Fourth Prince to commit suicide for Xian'er, and take the opportunity to eliminate his strongest rival for the throne.
Wan Ning shed tears of guilt. Xian'er came to Tanzhe Mountain because she trusted her. Xian'er was worried about her safety, so she came to rescue her despite being pregnant.
Unexpectedly, Yinsi used her again to harm Xian'er.
She held back her tears and protected Xian'er behind her. No matter what, even if she was not Yinsi's wife, she would never let anything happen to Xian'er and her son.
Wan Ning suffered from severe abdominal pain and was completely desperate. If it weren't for Yinsi's betrayal, the child in her womb would not have died tragically.
Her child has already died tragically. If she causes Xian'er to lose her child, she will never be able to redeem herself even if she dies.
After the guard was driven away, a while later, footsteps were heard again.
Wan Ning was alert and stopped talking. The person who came was actually the eunuch who served Xian'er.
Having learned from the previous experience, Wan Ning did not call for help immediately, but secretly observed the actions of the young eunuch.
When Wan Ning saw the yellow sand on the little eunuch's shoes, she burst into tears helplessly.
Suddenly, she felt a cold touch on her cheek. Wan Ning looked at Xian'er with tears in her eyes, and saw that Xian'er's eyes were full of guilt.
"Fourth Lady, something terrible has happened! Master Fei Yanggu has passed away! Please accept my condolences!"
Wan Ning's eyes were filled with fear, and it was too late for her to cover Xian'er's ears.
Chu Xian was struck by lightning. When she saw Wan Ning's panicked expression, she knew that the bad news the eunuch had told her was not false.
The two looked at each other and cried until dusk fell and there was no one else in the forest. Wan Ning choked up and spoke.
"Xian'er, Yinsi and the Fourth Prince are not in the capital. I'm afraid I can't protect you and your son."
"I don't trust anyone except you."
"Xian'er, how about we leave the capital? I won't be the Eighth Concubine, and you won't be the Fourth Concubine, okay?"
"Wan Ning, tell me, when did my father pass away?" Chu Xian burst into tears.
"On... on the second day after my wedding to Yinsi, your father passed away in the Tangquan Palace. Worried that you couldn't bear the shock, your brother and the Fourth Prince decided to keep the death a secret and secretly send your father back to the ancestral tomb in Shengjing to be buried with your mother."
Chu Xian shed tears secretly and tied a white handkerchief on her forehead to mourn for her father.
"Xian'er, please accept my condolences. Your father has passed away, and the little prince in your belly must not be in trouble, otherwise your father will not be able to rest in peace."
"The Fourth Prince...actually, I went to bear the coffin for your father as a half-son. I'm sorry. I was worried about your safety and lied to you again."
"Don't mention him anymore."
Chu Xian felt disheartened. Being with that man seemed like an endless cycle of deception and lies.
He never considered her thoughts and made decisions for her on his own, even causing her to miss the last chance to see Ama.
Chu Xian wiped away her tears. Rather than living in lies every day and having nothing in ten years, it would be better to leave early.
She had already lost her father, and she could not lose the child in her womb.
Chu Xian thought it over and decided that a short pain is worse than a long one.
"Wan Ning, I want to leave the capital. I want to take my child away from here."
"Let's go. I'll go with you. I hate Yinsi so much. He killed my child. Woo woo..."
"To be honest, I just threw those two corpses off the cliff to pretend they were you and me. I just don't know how long I can keep it a secret. We must leave here as soon as possible."
"Found it! Found the bodies of Fujin and Eighth Fujin...Wuuuuuu..." Sui Qing's crying voice came from the dense forest not far away.
"What!" Aunt Gui cried out in grief.
A group of people ran frantically down the mountain stream.
When everything was quiet, Chu Xian helped Wan Ning out of the crevice and found a simple ox cart at the edge of the woods.
Wan Ning put down a piece of gold beside the ox cart, and the two of them hid inside the carriage.
Two women's travel passes were found in a secret cabinet inside the ox cart.
"Xian'er, let's go. They won't come back." Wan Ning stared at the names of Lu Jingxian and Zheng Wanying on the sign with guilt.
The warrior was calling out Xiaoxian and Wan'er just now.
"Okay, take this pill first." Chu Xian took out a pill for warming the body and handed it to Wan Ning's lips.
Wan Ning took the pill, raised her head and swallowed it, then looked blankly at the road ahead: "Xian'er, where are we going?"
Chu Xian stared at the pass in silence for a long time. "Let's go buy a maid first, then go to Suzhou, to Xiaoxian and Wanying's hometown. We owe them an apology."
"What are you apologizing for? Didn't the travel permit say that their ancestral home is in Haining County, Hangzhou Prefecture, and they moved to Suzhou with their parents when they were young?"
"Then let's go to Haining County. From now on, you will be Wanying and I will be Xiaoxian."
"Okay, you and I are sisters, that's perfect."
"We will go to the canal ferry immediately and buy a maid."
"All up to you." Wan Ning covered her aching stomach and shed tears secretly.
The two men went to a pawnbroker's shop to buy two honest and loyal midwives, and also hired three midwives at a large sum of money.
After preparing everything, Chu Xian and Wan Ning boarded the ship heading south.
On the morning of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Wan Ning stood in the room of the ship filled with the smell of blood, shaking like a sieve.
"Midwife, what's going on? Why can't I give birth after two days of pain?"
"You guys should think of a solution! She can't hold on any longer!"
"Miss, please be patient. This is how it was with my first child. The baby's head has just come down quite a bit. I estimate that the baby will be born safely before dinner."
The midwife's hands were covered in blood, and Wan Ning was frightened and her calves were shaking.
"What! We have to wait until dinner! Hey, hey, hey, you guys should think of more ways!" Wan Ning took the ginseng soup handed by the old woman and handed it to the weak Xian'er.
"Wan Ning, if anything happens to me, can you...can you help me take care of the little prince until he turns ten, and then..."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Drink more ginseng soup and stop talking. Save your energy for giving birth."
Wan Ning choked and poured the ginseng soup into Xian'er's mouth.
As Xian'er's intermittent cries of pain were heard, Wan Ning was so frightened that she dared not leave.
As the hour of You approached, three midwives gathered around the bed.
"It is out, madam; if you press harder, I can already see the child's head."
Chu Xian held Wan Ning's wrist tightly and adjusted her breathing as the contractions pained.
"Xian'er, hurry up. The little prince has been in your belly for too long, and his skin has turned purple." Wan Ning reminded anxiously.
Before he could finish his words, he heard Xian'er screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Wow wow wow wow wow…”
When the loud cry of a baby was heard, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Congratulations, ma'am. Look carefully, it's a handsome little boy." The midwife brought the little guy, whose umbilical cord was still intact and whose body was covered with blood and vernix caseosa, to Chu Xian.
Chu Xian smiled weakly.
"Xian'er, this little guy looks just like you." Wan Ning held the swaddled little guy in Chu Xian's arms.
"The child is so soft that I don't dare to hold him. Why does he keep crying? Will he be hurt if I hold him? Wuuuu..." Wan Ning withdrew her hand in fear.
At this time, a midwife began to pull off Chu Xian's pajamas.
"What are you doing?" Wan Ning stared at the midwife warily.
"The little boy is crying so hard, he must be hungry," the midwife reminded.
"Oh no! I told you I forgot something!" Wan Ning slapped her forehead in frustration, "I forgot to hire two wet nurses."
Xian'er gave birth more than half a month early, catching her off guard. She had originally planned to wait until she reached Jining Prefecture on the ship to prepare a wet nurse.
"I can breastfeed myself." Chu Xian took the initiative to unbutton her clothes and breastfed the little prince with the help of the midwife.
The little guy was very hungry and ate the rations fiercely.
“Hiss…it hurts…”
Chu Xian had never expected that the soft little guy was so surprisingly strong. He was sucked so hard that it hurt and he cried out in pain.
The smacking sound echoed in the room. Wan Ning's eyes widened: "Why is the little guy still smacking his lips?"
The midwife suppressed a laugh: "A newborn baby hasn't grown any teeth yet, so it's natural for him to smack his lips. As the saying goes, suck as hard as you can. It's really hard for a baby to suck. Look, the little one is sweating while eating. He needs to be wiped frequently to prevent him from catching a cold."
Upon hearing this, Chu Xian carefully wiped the little guy's sweaty head with a soft handkerchief.
After Xian'er and her son fell asleep, Wan Ning lowered the curtains and sat alone at the table.
In their haste to escape from Tanzhe Mountain, neither she nor Xian'er took much money with them.
The jewelry she and Xian'er used were all official-style jewelry, and could not be sold at will. They could only be disassembled and melted before being sold, and were worth very little.
Although the two men's private property was spread all over the world, they did not take the seal with them when they left Beijing. Even if there were countless gold and silver in the bank, they could not withdraw them.
She looked tiredly in the mirror with her pretty face, feeling extremely worried.
These days, she was in charge of the purse, and only had 452 taels of silver left, and she still had to pay the midwife monthly allowance.
The rent for the building ship must also be settled within the next two days.
When we arrive in Jining Prefecture tomorrow, we will have to invite two decent wet nurses.
Xian'er must be prepared with the best food and clothing during her confinement period, and nothing can be sloppy.
Wan Ning smiled bitterly. This was the first time in her life that she was worried about money.
"Wan Ning, are you out of money?" Chu Xian lifted the curtain and looked at Wan Ning, who had a sad face.
"Don't worry about the money, I'll find a way."
Chu Xian took off the last gold ring on her finger and handed it to Wan Ning. "Send the midwife away tomorrow and return the rented boat. You don't need to hire a wet nurse. I can breastfeed myself."
Wan Ning stood up suddenly and said, "No, the midwife still needs to take care of you until you are out of confinement. The cost of the boat is not much, I can still afford it."
"Then send away the two midwives, keep Aunt Zhao, the most experienced one, and sell one of the midwives."
Wan Ning nodded: "I'll do as you say."
"Wan Ning, why don't you go back to Beijing? You and the Eighth Master are still young and can have children." Chu Xian hugged the little prince tightly.
She couldn't let Wan Ning be separated from the Eighth Master and his wife. These days, Wan Ning even called the Eighth Master's name in her dreams. When she woke up in the middle of the night, she often hid on the deck and sobbed softly.
"Why go back? In his eyes, the country is more important than me, more important than my children. If he can use me for the country once, he will do it again. It's better to break up with him."
Wan Ning sighed in despair, "Give me time to let go and let go. I promise I'll never remember who Yinsi is in my life!"
"What about you? Do you still miss the Fourth Prince? I heard that His Majesty has promoted him to a prince. If you don't leave, you will be the legitimate wife of Prince Heshuo Yong, and little Honghui will be the crown prince. Are you really not going back?"
Chu Xian's eyes were filled with shock. It was only the spring of the 37th year of Kangxi's reign, but in history, that person was not named a prince until the 48th year of Kangxi's reign, which was eleven years earlier.
She didn't know what other changes would happen. If there were any, she hoped most that the little prince Honghui could survive the misfortune of dying at the age of eight and survive.
"Why go back? To see him with all his wives, concubines, and children? I'm not that magnanimous."
"If I have to share a husband with someone else, I would rather leave."
"You're right. Yinsi also has his own hidden agenda. Don't think I don't know. His mother, Concubine Liang, has been urging him to take concubines. Concubine Liang has given him numerous concubines and ladies, but he's hiding them all in the Western Garden, treating me like a fool."
Wan Ning sobbed bitterly, "It was only after I married him that I found out Xiyuan was hiding a woman, and he wanted to keep it a secret from me forever."
"If I had known I had to leave, I would have poisoned all those women to death, chopped them into minced meat and sent them to him." Wan Ning gritted her teeth.
Chu Xian's scalp tingled when she heard this, and she quickly changed the subject: "If the old doesn't go, the new won't come. The next one might be better."
Chu Xian had no intention of remarrying. Who knows what kind of monster the next man will be.
She was exhausted and no longer had any thoughts about love, but at least she could still place her hopes on her children.
But Wan Ning is different. She can't let Wan Ning be alone and live out her life in solitude.
"Why would I want another one? I'll find a handsome young man to live happily with. I'll enjoy every day of my life, and then I'll never marry again! At worst, I can kill the father and keep the son." Wan Ning waved her hand casually: "Men in this world are all unfaithful, and men are unreliable."
"Unless you meet a good one and find a son-in-law, let me make it clear that if you don't marry again, I will stay with you." Wan Ning didn't want to drag Xian'er down, so she finally gave in.
"Marry me, I will!" Chu Xian agreed hurriedly, fearing that she would implicate Wan Ning.
"That's right. Why should we hang ourselves on a crooked tree? Men can seek pleasure, and so can we women." Wan Ning put her hands on her hips.
Chu Xian was so overwhelmed by Wan Ning's bold words that she was speechless. She nodded heavily in agreement, "I'll accompany you."
.....
On the second day, the ship docked at Jining Prefecture. Wan Ning sent away the two midwives and asked a boy to take the last midwife away.
"Wait." Behind the curtain, Chu Xian hugged the little prince who was full and sleeping soundly.
"Remember to replace the boatman."
Whenever they passed through counties and prefectures along the way, they would dock to change a group of female boatmen, and would not tell the boatmen their destination to prevent being pursued.
"I see. I have already replaced the female boatman."
Wan Ning's eyes were always on the wheelbarrow carrying supplies, and she carefully counted each item.
On February 16th, the ship docked in Hangzhou Prefecture. Chu Xian was discharged from confinement today, and the last midwife was sent away today.
Chu Xian specially paid some money and asked the broker in Hangzhou to introduce the old woman to a job far away in Quanzhou Prefecture.
The old woman received ten times the silver and immediately boarded the passenger ship to Quanzhou Prefecture with great joy.
After sending the midwife away, Chu Xian held the little prince in her arms and stood at the ferry with Wan Ning, feeling mixed emotions.
"Xian'er, are we going to settle down in Haining County? Are we going back to Beijing?" Wan Ning was uneasy.
"We'll live in Haining County for a few years. If you're used to it, we'll stay here."
In ancient times, traveling far away required a pass from the local government. Chu Xian was worried that her and Wan Ning's fake identities would be exposed, so she decided to stay in her hometown permanently.
"I'm used to it. Jiangnan is rich, with outstanding people and beautiful scenery. I've been looking forward to coming here for a long time. I used to go there with the emperor, and I've also been to Jiangning Prefecture, Suzhou and Hangzhou."
"Xian'er, let's buy a small courtyard with blue bricks and gray tiles by the river. I'm a great fisherman, so I'll pay for all the fish soup you drink from now on."
"Okay, then I'll take care of your three meals a day from now on." Chu Xian smiled.
"Hehe, then I got a great deal. The food you cook is better than the royal chef's."
"You can be a cook, I'm good at accounting, so I'd be happy to find a job as a bookkeeper."
The two chatted and laughed about the future as they boarded the passenger ship to Haining County.
In the month of fireworks in March, Chu Xian sat in front of the door holding the little prince, watching Wan Ning fishing by the river.
"Xian'er, the master praised me for my good accounting yesterday. Starting next month, he will assign me the accounts of a few more shops."
"That's great news! Today is a double blessing! Uncle Chen has introduced me to a great job. I'll be making cakes for a wealthy family every morning."
"Who is this family? Where is it? What's their name?" Wan Ning stood up with a serious expression.
"Old Chen is unreliable. You should be careful. The monthly salary I earn is enough to support you and Hui'er. Don't work yourself to death."
Wan Ning was still frightened. She remembered that Old Chen had introduced Xian'er to a job as a servant last month. But when she got there, she found out that she was serving tea and water to the prostitutes in Yihonglou.
Those disgusting clients' eyes were all glued to Xian'er. She was so angry that she quit that crappy job for Xian'er overnight.
"How can you support the family? Old Chen said it was the business of the Yuyuan Chen family. The third son of the Chen family's eldest son fell ill when he was about to take the imperial examination, so the lady specially hired a good cook to take care of him."
"I'll go to the master's house at 11:00 AM to make cakes, and come back at 7:00 PM. The master will give me breakfast."
Chu Xian was very satisfied with this job. She could leave as long as she prepared the white pastries needed by the master from six to ten in the morning.
The monthly allowance is three taels of silver.
Half of the monthly salary for the first two months had to be given to Lao Chen as an introduction fee. Starting from the third month, she could actually earn three or two taels of money.
She and Wan Ning used their last savings to buy this small courtyard and nothing else.
It is really inconvenient to bring a child with you, and no one is willing to hire a woman with a child to work as a clerk.
Wan Ning has been supporting the family for the past two months. Every time Chu Xian sees her increasingly haggard and thin face, she becomes more and more restless.
"This job sounds good. I can take care of Hui'er when you're out, and I can take over when you come back. But I don't feel comfortable with the job Old Chen introduced me to."
Wan Ning rubbed her chin and said, "Xian'er, why don't you just not go? I'll ask Carpenter Chen to make a small cart for you to make cakes and sell them at the market."
"You don't have to go yourself. I made some cakes for Aunt Zhang to sell. She goes to the market every day to sell fried noodles. Yesterday, she asked me to sell her some cakes at a low price, and I agreed."
"Auntie Zhang also called her good friend Auntie Chen who works at the night market to buy cakes together. I gave them a discount of two cents per pound."
"When we save enough money, we can buy a shop and sell cakes ourselves."
"Ouch! A fish has arrived!" Wan Ning reeled in her line with a delighted look in her eyes. "It's a mandarin fish! Mandarin fish thrive in peach blossom-flowing waters. Look how plump this mandarin fish is."
"It seems that we made the right decision to buy this house next to the academy. Look, you can even recite poems by heart just by being influenced by it." Chu Xian joked.
"Don't even mention it. Those sour students get up earlier than the roosters and go to bed later than me. Not only can I recite poems, I can even recite the Analects of Confucius."
"In ancient times, there was an old story about Meng's mother moving three times. As the saying goes, a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor. Scholars are sensible. Choosing a scholar as a neighbor is not a mistake. In the future, Hui'er can even go to a private school to learn."
"By the way, I've also taken over the order for pastries for the academy on the first day of every month." Chu Xian's eyes were full of smiles. "And the lunch and dinner for the two teachers, I'll be in charge starting tomorrow."
"Didn't those two teachers eat at the restaurant at the end of the alley? They were paid once a month."
"The restaurant is closed. The two teachers only need to prepare two meals a day. They don't need to prepare for festivals. They only need to prepare three dishes and one soup for each meal, two vegetarian dishes and one meat dish. They pay 120 grams of silver per month. If I don't take it, I will wake up in my dreams."
"This is a good deal. From now on, I'll go fishing more often and trade my catch for meat with Zhou the butcher at the entrance of the alley. This way, I can save money on meat."
"Let's catch two chickens tomorrow and raise them to lay eggs. Eggs can also be considered a vegetable, hehe."
"If you add some more vegetables, Hui'er will go to the academy to study in the future, and the teachers will be able to take better care of Hui'er."
"Gifts are often given without complaint; gifts are often accepted; and it is impolite not to reciprocate."
"Tsk tsk, Master Wan Ning, you're becoming even more eloquent the moment you open your mouth."
"Hey, Xian'er, I have something serious to tell you. Mr. Chen from the academy is handsome, only 23 years old, and hasn't got married yet. He speaks to you more gently than to others."
Wan Ning smiled and winked at Xian'er.
Before Wan Ning finished speaking, the sound of Lang Lang reading from the academy next door came again.
"Oh my god! There are so many mandarin fish today. Look at this one, it's fatter and weighs at least two kilograms." Wan Ning's eyes were full of smiles.
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