Chapter 66
Ten carriages drove in one by one from the military settlement gate. After entering, the road became much easier to travel because the snow on the main roads along the way had been cleared.
After Grandfather Yao entered the military settlement, he lifted the curtain of the carriage. He wanted to see what the scene inside the military settlement was like.
Grandfather Yao saw someone clearing snow in the distance and asked, "Did your military settlement arrange for people to clear the snow?"
"Yes, we have arranged for people to clear the snow. These people are mainly prisoners from the southern part of the military settlement. They are responsible for clearing the main roads of the military settlement every day."
As the carriage passed one of them, Grandfather Yao accidentally caught a glimpse of that person's face. His eyes widened instantly. "That's my dear—" He wanted to call her sister-in-law, but after a pause, he changed his words and said, "Madam Wang?"
"Maybe." Yao Chunnuan said lightly. She didn't see the other person's face, but since her grandfather said so, he should be right.
Uncle Yao and the others looked at each other in surprise when they heard this, and then sighed. They thought about how reserved and dignified Madam Wang was when she came to propose marriage, but now she has fallen to the point of sweeping the streets.
Yao Chunnuan understood why they sighed, but the ups and downs of life and family were truly unpredictable. Building an empire wasn't easy, nor was maintaining it. A single misstep could send one from the top to the bottom of the earth. However, their family was currently striving for success; it was premature to think about how to maintain it.
"Don't embarrass them," Grandfather Yao specifically instructed. His granddaughter didn't have to get close to the Wang family, but it was best not to deliberately trample on them by taking advantage of their power. This family had a strong foundation, and if she accidentally drew their hatred towards herself, it would be disastrous if they chose to perish together.
"I didn't embarrass them." She simply ignored them. She wasn't afraid of the Wang family. As long as she climbed high enough, even if they were vindicated, she would at least be on equal footing. Yao Chunnuan had always understood that it was better to rely on her own efforts to intimidate others than to expect them to be kind enough to let her go.
Furthermore, Yao Chunnuan believed that while street sweeping might seem embarrassing to the Wang family and the others, it was actually easy work. It wasn't noticeable in winter yet, but they would know in summer. It was easy, and the work points earned per day were quite high.
Grandfather Yao nodded. He said this because he was afraid that she was young and impetuous and would create unnecessary enemies for him.
The carriage soon stopped in front of two large mansions. When Yao Chunnuan said they had arrived, they got off the carriage one after another.
These three houses, side by side, were purchased with her merit points. Ancient people respected the left, so she gave the house on the left to her uncle's family, the middle to her parents, and the one on the right to her. As for her grandparents, they could live in whichever house they chose. Yes, Yao Chunnuan had also moved to a new home. After all, as her direct descendants grew in number, the old house was clearly not spacious enough.
That's what she said, too. "Uncle, the house on the left is for your family. Dad and Mom, the one in the middle is for our family. The one on the far right is mine. Actually, the layout and size of these three houses are similar."
Grandfather Yao and Uncle Yao nodded repeatedly. It was a good thing for the two families to be connected. Previously, their family had worried that after arriving in Yichun, they would have to live with the second eldest brother's family. They were both used to being the head of the household, so living together for a short period of time was fine, but if they lived together for a long time, there would definitely be friction. The current situation was quite good: close but not intimate.
"As for grandparents, you two can live wherever you like. You can live with your uncle in the first ten days, my parents in the middle, and me in the last ten days."
Grandfather Yao and Grandmother Yao were amused by her words.
"Okay, let's try it tomorrow according to A Nuan's suggestion, and each family will stay for ten days." Grandma Yao smiled so hard that her gums were showing.
After confirming the house, they began to move things in.
Their carriage was parked outside. Those who settled in this area were all middle and high-ranking members of the military settlement. Many people passed by, and everyone greeted Yao Chunnuan when they saw her.
"Master Yao, is it your family that has arrived?"
"Yeah, just arrived."
From the moment they stopped, the Yao family saw people constantly greeting their daughter, Ah Nuan, which was quite unusual. This kind of scene only happened in Jinniu Village when Grandfather Yao and Uncle Yao went out for a walk.
This surprised the other women in the Yao family, and Yao's mother was extremely proud.
Aunt Yao whispered to Mother Yao, "It seems that An Nuan has really made it big."
After entering the gate, Yao Chunnuan's eldest cousin's eyes lit up. "Is this really our house?" The house was huge. She counted and found that in addition to the main house, there were two or three other small courtyards. They could easily have each brother live in one, with their wives and children, like a small family. Their cousin had done a great job.
The houses that Yao Chunnuan exchanged for them all had two entrances, surrounded by a wall, with a large courtyard inside a small courtyard, which took into account both liveliness and privacy.
"Auntie, it's so warm in this room." The children cheered.
Yao Chunnuan smiled and said, "There's a kang in the house. As long as the fire in the kitchen doesn't go out, the house will always be warm."
The Yao family was surprised to hear this.
All the children were driven onto the kang to warm themselves up. Although Kang Xiaodong had made all the necessary arrangements along the way, the flimsy carriage was no match for the cold, so in the latter half of the journey, they mostly stayed huddled in their blankets, refusing to get out.
Yao Chunnuan first went to have a private chat with her mother.
Yao's mother took her hand and sighed, "Nuan, this time it's really thanks to you, otherwise it would have been really dangerous."
"What's going on?"
Yao's mother told her that Yao Xing and her husband had borrowed high-interest loans, but when it was time to repay the debt, they led the person to her mother's home.
Yao's mother's words made Yao's wife, who was cleaning up on the side, look embarrassed, but there was nothing she could do. Her daughter's actions made her lose face. Compared with the mother-in-law who raised her younger sister-in-law, Yao Xing was really too bad.
Yao Chunnuan said bluntly, "Just treat people like her as dead. If they dare to come to your house in the future, just beat them out. There's no need to get angry."
Yao's mother nodded. She also meant the same thing. "That's right. He's a child you can't tame. I'm just worried that your eldest brother will be soft-hearted in the future."
What's going on? Her mother is just trying to criticize her sister-in-law. Yao Chunnuan shook her head, "Don't worry. Beijing and Yichun are nearly 2,000 kilometers apart. Unless something unexpected happens, the possibility of them meeting is very low."
Yao's mother thought about it and agreed. If nothing unexpected happened, they would probably never see each other again in this life.
Yao Chunnuan had just talked to her mother for a while when her grandfather sent a child to ask her to leave.
It turned out that as soon as they settled in, people kept coming to their door with gifts.
First, General Wu arrived in person, bearing gifts. He explained that the general was not at the military settlement and that he was there to welcome them on his behalf. Then, while speaking to Yao's grandfather and father, he spoke of their middleman, Yao Chunnuan, with effusive praise. He was busy with his duties, so he stayed for about a quarter of an hour before taking his leave. Before leaving, he repeatedly urged them to feel at ease and to make the military settlement their home.
After that, some more people came, but they did not come in person. Instead, they asked their family members or housekeepers to deliver gifts.
Even the kitchen in the General's Mansion had its apprentice bring food. "Master Yao, I heard your family has arrived. I guess they're too busy to cook right now, so the steward specially sent me a bowl of noodles and a pair of pig's trotters to complement your meal."
This bowl of noodles is ready, and this pair of big pig's trotters are braised. I think each one weighs about seven or eight kilograms, which is enough for the whole family to eat.
"Mr. Mi is very thoughtful. I will thank him in person later."
They finally witnessed Yao Chunnuan's reputation in the Yichun military settlement.
Moving into a new house is always busy and tedious. It was only after the family had lunch that they finally had some free time.
Yao Chunnuan accompanied her grandfather, uncle, father and several brothers to drink tea in the hall.
"These two houses must have cost a lot of money." Grandfather Yao was the first to point this out.
Uncle Yao interrupted, "Yes, An Nuan, tell me how much money it cost to buy this house. I'll pay it back to you. You can't say no. Brothers should settle accounts clearly, otherwise it will be difficult for you brothers to lead them. And you don't have to worry about us. We came here this time and sold the land and house, so we still have enough money to buy a house."
Such a large house, the wood used was high-quality, the mud walls were solidly rammed, the tiles were well-laid, and the foundation was raised. He had also checked the surroundings and knew that even if the snow melted or it rained heavily, the house would not be flooded. The layout of the house was also very good, showing that every aspect had been considered.
This house is for their entire family to live in, so why would they ask their niece to pay for it? Ah Nuan is only his niece, not his daughter, and has no obligations or responsibilities to him or his cousins. Besides, after settling down, how will their family make a living and buy property? These things may require their niece to use her connections to arrange for them. In these aspects, since they are new here, unfamiliar with the place and have no connections, it is okay to ask her to help. If he still pretends to be stupid and refuses to pay for the house, then it means he is not taking advantage of the situation enough and has no sense of propriety!
Yao Chunnuan smiled. Although she didn't care about the cost of the house, her uncle's attitude made her very happy that her relatives didn't die by clinging to her and sucking her blood.
"I bought this with my merit points, so it didn't cost me much."
This word made the Yao family members present stunned, "What is the merit point? Is it easy to get it?"
Then, Yao Chunnuan explained to them the two common systems currently used in military settlements that are related to money and currency - centimeters and merit points.
The men in the Yao family were surprised to hear this. This military settlement was very different from the outside world.
"A Nuan, how are we going to pay for this house? We don't have any merit points or work points."
"Don't worry. Once you've worked and earned work points, and then you've divided up the food based on the work points, you can return me an equal amount of food."
Uncle Yao thought about it and agreed with her plan, "That's fine."
They chatted briefly, mainly Yao Chunnuan explaining the basic situation of the military settlement. Considering that the Yao family was exhausted from the journey and desperately needed a rest, and Yao Chunnuan was also very ill, they all went their separate ways.
After Yao Chunnuan left, Yao's eldest cousin sighed, "My cousin is quite capable. If she hadn't had that experience of marrying into the Wang family, or if she hadn't gotten pregnant and was about to give birth after the divorce, with her current reputation, she would definitely have been able to marry into a higher position if she remarried."
When saying this, cousin Yao felt a little regretful. His cousin was well-versed in human relations, had skills, and knew how to use people. Even if she married into a top valve family and became the wife of the clan and the mistress of the household, she would be more than qualified.
She just happened to catch on late. He didn't say this out of disdain, but rather because that was the way things were. His cousin had been able to build her own power here thanks to the unique characteristics of the border region, where talent was the sole criterion for promotion, with no overemphasis placed on gender. In the Central Plains, that wouldn't have been possible. A woman like her, no matter how talented, wouldn't have been able to rise to such a high position.
Cousin Yao found that no one echoed his words after he finished speaking, and he couldn't help but look at his father and grandfather. His father must have agreed with what he said, with a hint of regret in his eyes. But what about his grandfather? Hey, he only saw his grandfather smiling without saying a word.
It wasn't until much later, when his cousin had risen through the ranks, assisting Ming Tai and Zu in carrying on their legacy and establishing the empire, becoming the head of a family and one of the Four Great Ministers, that Yao Da Cousin inadvertently recalled his grandfather's meaningful smile. It turned out that at that time, his grandfather had already guessed that his cousin would follow a different path from others. And he still lamented that his cousin hadn't been able to marry into a wealthy family.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
