By the time the Ruan family had washed up, eaten, and sat down to discuss future arrangements, it was already completely dark.
Qiao Ruichen came back quickly from outside.
I'm not some stupid person. I have a mouth under my nose.
Passing by the Xiyong County Post Station not far from Xining Town, he inquired and learned that a caravan had just passed by after noon, with many women and children. He guessed that the people should be arriving soon.
When he got home, the women of the Ruan family had just finished washing and were having dinner, and Qiao Ruichen happened to be having dinner with the men of the Ruan family.
It wasn't anything complicated, just some pork bone soup and some highland barley rolls made by Mrs. Zhang.
With so many people, there wasn't enough food at home, so Geng simply went to Zhang's house. The two kitchens started cooking together, using pork shank bones to make soup, and then adding braised meat to make it more salty and fragrant.
Not afraid of choking, a few pieces of tofu were thrown into the soup along with some dried vegetables, which made the Ruan family, who had been eating dry food all the way, so greedy that their eyes turned green. They gulped down the soup, which was warm and delicious, and moistened their lips with oil. They all couldn't help but grin.
There are no girls among the younger generations of the Ruan family. They are all boys. After eating, they wipe their mouths and go to Taotao.
The adults cherish Miao Wan as their mother, and the children cherish this sweet and soft little cousin.
Their journey to the northwest was much more comfortable than that of Ruan Jialin's family. At least they didn't have to walk by themselves.
The children were all covered in the car and not exposed to the sun. Their faces were rosy after taking a hot bath. They were huddled together in a circle, which was very cute to look at.
The women in the Ruan family also loved Taotao.
Although it is better to have a boy in this world, if the family is full of boys, only you know how much of a headache it is.
Unfortunately, the Ruan family probably has too much yang energy, so no one can give birth to a delicate and gentle daughter.
Taotao inherited Miao Wan's good looks and was taken care of by the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. He was fair and tender, with big eyes and long eyelashes, and small lips like red cherries. He was even more handsome than the golden boy in the painting.
When she gazed at people with her watery eyes, it made people's hearts melt. Several women, regardless of their fatigue from the journey, came over to play with Taotao.
Geng held Taotao in her arms and chatted with the ladies of the Ruan family with a smile. The Qiao family had few members, and they were quite happy to have so many children around them.
Although the weather was cold, Uncle Geng and Changshou, who had just returned from the private school, brought out many braziers that were burning warmly. Torches were also burning in the four corners of the patio, and the atmosphere was harmonious and lively.
Taotao had never seen so many children at once. He blinked his big eyes and looked at everyone, mumbling something that no one could understand. He jumped happily on Geng's knees.
But boys from their teens to boys of three or two years old could not stay quiet for long. After a while, they would stretch out their hands and fingers, secretly poking and pinching Taotao's body.
After a while, Taotao became impatient and let out a howl, interrupting the joy of the campfire dinner.
Okay, let’s do whatever we need to do next.
After traveling for such a long time, the Ruan family was tired and went back to their rooms to rest.
Even if you want to settle down in the Northwest, you won't be able to live anywhere when you first arrive, so you have to stay at the Qiao family for a few days to slowly settle in.
Geng and Taotao went to Miao Wan's house with Qiao Rui. Uncle Geng took Changshou and Qiao Ruichen to live in the main hall. The remaining five habitable rooms in the east and west row houses were divided into two groups of men and women, which were enough for the Ruan family to live in for a few days.
In the main hall, Miao Wan and Qiao Ruichen sat there, and together with their father-in-law, they greeted the Ruan Qi brothers and their eldest cousin.
Without saying anything else, Ruan Jiasheng knelt solemnly in front of the elders of the two families, greeted Qiao Shengwen, and addressed him as "sir".
While waiting to wash up in the afternoon, Qiao Shengwen simply tested Ruan Jiasheng's knowledge. Feeling that he could teach him, he gave the Ruan family his approval.
Just for this, Ruan Qi felt that it was worth it for his family to work hard to come to the northwest.
This was the top scholar in the previous emperor's time, and he had served as a third-rank minister. If it weren't for this marriage relationship, the Ruan family would never have been able to find such a teacher.
When it comes to teaching children enlightenment, Qiao Shengwen may not be as good as the teachers in private schools.
But Qiao Shengwen can still teach this kind of young people who are preparing to take the imperial examination in the advanced class.
After the examination, he quickly discovered Ruan Jiasheng's problem. His knowledge was solid, but his foundation was insufficient. In other words, he had not read enough books, and his policy essays and classics were somewhat lacking.
This is a common problem for many students from poor families. It is not that they do not want to study, but that some books are only available to wealthy families or reclusive scholars, and they cannot read them even if they want to.
Therefore, throughout history, many students have embarked on the path of imperial examinations. In addition to constantly running on the way to the examination hall, they also had to travel across mountains and rivers to study, all in order to seek admission to great scholars or prestigious families and read more books.
You have to have some achievements to be able to knock on the door. If you don't have enough achievements, you will have to endure the rejection many times.
The imperial examination is like this, each step is like climbing a ladder to heaven, with mountains and rivers rising up on each step.
Qiao Shengwen also suffered such a loss when he was studying.
If he had not passed the examination to become a scholar, because of his young age and the chance of getting the top three, he would have been accepted as a disciple by a great scholar who was living in seclusion in his hometown at that time. Compared with those students from big families who came out to take the examination, he would have been inferior in foundation.
Qiao Shengwen smiled as he drank his tea and helped Ruan Jiasheng up. "The Qiao family is fortunate to have a wonderful wife like Awan. This is why we, the old couple, can still live a leisurely life despite being imprisoned. So I've memorized some books and annotated some of them. You can take them and read them first."
Ruan Jiasheng was extremely excited. The book was precious, and the annotations were even more precious. He wished he could read it by candlelight at night.
But Jiafu Wan didn't intend to let her cousin get excited for too long. "It's not too late for you to start studying in a few days. We have to let the elders settle down in the northwest first."
She raised her little hand and wagged it as attentively as a dog's tail. "Knowing that the uncles were coming, I bought a house for you a long time ago. I didn't know what they would like, so I haven't renovated it yet. But my godmother's family can fix it up, and soon my eldest uncle and his family will be able to move in."
Ruan Jialin secretly curled his lips. It was obvious that his cousin felt that the house at home was a bit small and wanted to expand it, so she bought the house next door.
The Northwest is vast and sparsely populated, and Xining Town is no exception.
The houses of the Zhang and Qiao families are relatively close to the Weiming Lake where the Gubei Army is stationed, and are a bit far away from other neighbors.
The Zhang family built their house here to be close to the water source so that it would be convenient for slaughtering pigs.
The Qiao family's house was bought from a military household. The military household's family built a house here so that it would be convenient for the military household to visit when they came out to buy pork, and also so that the butcher's family could take care of the pork.
Later, the military household Gaosheng was promoted to Xiping County, and his family was taken with him. The house was then sold to the Qiao family through a brokerage firm.
But the Qiao family's house was originally small, but later it was expanded several meters to the right, making it closer to the neighborhood.
Miao Wan originally wanted to buy the residential land next door, use the current house as the base, expand to the right, and change the layout to have two small entrances in the front and back, forming a "品" shape.
The front of the new house is used to accommodate the newly purchased employees and for cooking, and the back is used as a warehouse for testing various new products.
But after the house was bought, Qiao Ruichen brought back the news that Jin Daozun's gift was not given away in vain. Chen Sixu hinted to him that his military rank would be raised in a while so that he could settle his family.
This means that if you can get a house, there is no need to build a new one.
Ruan Jialin originally wanted to find a larger house for the Ruan family in Xining Town, but he had never found a suitable one. Miao Wan simply gave him the house she had bought.
After the Qiao family moves out, the two families can still live next to each other.
Ruan Jialin grumbled inwardly: He still took the money! He spent sixty taels to buy the house, but the promised bonus was only forty taels and a land deed!
Miao Wan was now the good person. She didn't mention the Qiao family's move yet, but enthusiastically offered her advice to her uncle, Ruan Qi, "Don't be fooled by the shabby house next door. We have quite a few rooms at home. It's a rectangular shape, and if we build a door in the middle, we can use it as a small courtyard."
Ruan Qi looked at his brother hesitantly, "What about your second uncle?"
In fact, the Ruan family's property has been almost dealt with. He has some money in his hands. They have lived together for so many years, and now he can't ignore his younger brother.
Miao Wan smiled, "There aren't many mansions for sale in Xining Town right now, so everything has to focus on my uncle and his family."
Ruan Qin also agreed, "That's right, brother, settle down first so that Sheng Ge'er can study."
When it comes to his eldest son, Ruan Qi has nothing to say.
Miao Wan winked at her second uncle. "It just so happens that I need your help with something here. Why don't you just move into Qianjinlou? The main hall in the backyard there is still empty. My third cousin and his family can stay at my house first, and move out when a suitable house is found."
Ruan Qi frowned deeply. It was too unfair to his second brother that his family had to make do with such a makeshift life.
But now the soil in the northwest is about to freeze again. There is no suitable house, so it is too late to build a house now. We have to wait until spring.
He sighed inwardly and looked at his brother with guilt, "Big brother will pay for the construction or purchase of a new house later."
Ruan Qin: “…”
Looking at Miao Wan, who was as expected, his cheeks felt a little hot. It was impossible for him to be moved, but he also felt that his elder brother was too easy to fool.
He couldn't help but recall what Miao Wan said to him from the heart after he was called out by his son at the kitchen door.
"Don't blame me for being too honest and not considering the Ruan family as my only relatives. I can't make such clear arrangements for my second uncle. There's no need for family to be polite, right?" Miao Wan pointed at Ruan Jialin.
"My second cousin told me about the Ruan family's situation. The second branch has a small population, and my third cousin and his wife are also living peacefully, so it's okay for them to live in the Qiao family. But the first branch is different, so it's better for them to live separately."
Ruan Qin couldn't help but look at her son, "What did you say to Awan?"
Ruan Jialin glared at Miao Wan, who quickly explained, "Second cousin only praised the good things about my uncle's family, but so many things have happened to the Ruan family, probably because the eldest wife is soft-hearted and easy to fool, right? What if, like in Jiangnan, someone wants to use my uncle to deal with the Qiao family? Living together would be like handing someone a knife."
So when the Qiao family moves out, this house will be given to the eldest wife. When the time comes, the house next door will be rebuilt and given to the second wife. You can live side by side, and in the future, the second wife will be the outsider and the eldest wife will be the insider. This will be more suitable for the development of the Ruan family."
Ruan Qin: "...You guys want to move out?"
Miao Wan told the father and son that Qiao Ruichen's position in the military camp might change, but she asked them not to spread the news first.
Ruan Qin nodded. In fact, he also knew that people in the eldest wife's family were either good at reading and painting, or good at cooking. Maybe he focused on one of them, or maybe he inherited his rather naive grandfather, which is why he fell into the trap repeatedly.
But his elder brother is like a father, and there are many things he can't say.
He asked, "So what do you want your uncle to do?"
Miao Wan smiled and said, "I asked my two uncles to come to the northwest, firstly so that my eldest cousin can achieve fame and fortune, and so that the Ruan family can have a new way out. In the future, you and my second aunt can continue to run the clothing store, and my second cousin can start a rouge and powder business. Whether we go to Beijing or return to Jiangnan, we can both have a stable foothold."
Ruan Qin understood, "You don't plan to arrange work for your uncle?"
He heard that his niece opened a restaurant and a rouge shop, and thought that the two brothers could help if they came.
Miao Wan will definitely not let her uncle go, because her eldest uncle and second uncle are both her uncles.
"Let's wait until my uncle and his family settle down and see what happens. Jufu Restaurant now has a chef. Let my uncle take a break for a while. I have better business to offer him."
Ruan Qin couldn't help but feel curious. There were some questions that his elder brother couldn't think of, and he had been suppressing his doubts in his heart for a long time.
"That's right... you learned it from your mother when you were a child?" He lowered his voice. "Since it's a recipe left by the Ruan family, is the original recipe still available?"
Miao Wan was stunned for a moment, then pondered for a moment, her voice even quieter than Ruan Qin's, "I'm not sure either. I haven't dared to tell anyone about this..."
Seeing her niece in trouble, Ruan Qin immediately pushed Ruan Jialin out, leaving herself alone. "Don't worry, Wan, I promise not to let anyone else know."
Seeing that her second uncle was so sensible, Miao Wan used the prepared lines, which had not been asked by her parents-in-law and husband for a long time, to fool him.
"Actually, I was feeling groggy and not quite awake on the way to the northwest because I was having a dream," she explained seriously.
Neither the uncle nor the nephew was on guard. Qiao Ruichen tied up his horse and stood in the shadow not far away.
"There was a woman in my dream who kept teaching me something. I felt like she was my mother, but... I was too young when my mother passed away, so I couldn't confirm it." Miao Wan lowered her head and looked sad, mainly because her original body couldn't remember clearly.
But Ruan Qin had no doubts at all. He was just a little excited. "Do you still remember what that woman looked like?"
"Well, she looks a lot like me, otherwise I wouldn't think she is my mother. She treats me very kindly and often pats me on the head in my dreams." Miao Wan didn't find many memories from her original body, so she brought her sister Chenxi into the mix and made up some details.
She was really always patted on the head by Lu Chenxi, and she suspected that her IQ was greatly reduced by Sister Chenxi. At this moment, she puffed out her cheeks, and her resentment was so sincere that it was hard to tell whether it was true or false.
Ruan Qin was so excited that tears fell. "That's not your mother! That's your great-grandmother! This is truly a blessing from our ancestors. Our Ruan family has done good deeds and accumulated virtue, so we shouldn't die!"
If Ruan Qin's mother had not discovered that her niece looked like Ruan and the old ancestor Dian Yi when she took her niece back, the Ruan family would not have been able to protect "Miao Wan" so wholeheartedly.
Now we know that the old ancestor was really protecting the Ruan family's bloodline in secret, and it was because of the niece that the Ruan family avoided repeated fatal disasters. This must be the cause and effect in the dark.
Miao Wan was completely confused: "Really?" Oh my god, did she hit the mark by accident?
Ruan Qin nodded vigorously. "Your mother has a gentle personality, but your great-grandmother, when she was young, I heard that she could kick your great-grandfather off the bed when she got angry."
Miao Wan: “…”
She just wanted a reasonable explanation for all the troubles she had gone through, and her mother's dream was obviously the most reasonable explanation that could be accepted by people of this era.
Her second uncle simply pretended that it was her great-grandfather who appeared in her dream. It turned out that the old ones are still the most boastful.
Ruan Qin excitedly wanted to tell his elder brother, but Miao Wan quickly held him back.
"Mother just told me that there are a few servants with strange eyes. You'd better not tell anyone now. What if word gets out and people think I'm a monster and want to burn me? I'm scared!"
Ruan Qin's expression changed. "Is there something wrong with the servants? Impossible! Those who left their hometown with us are all elderly people who have served the Qiao family for decades."
Miao Wan muttered softly, "But why did I hear from my second cousin that it was the old man who caused my uncle to go to jail?"
Ruan Qin: “…” You little brat, why do you say anything? Don’t you know how to save some face for the Ruan family?
When Ruan Qin agreed to put the matter aside and go to the main hall with his elder brother and nephew to discuss how to settle down, Qiao Ruichen came out from the shadows.
He took Miao Wan's hand and squeezed it, "Awan, no matter what happens, the Qiao family will not let you be burned to death." I will always stand in front of you.
Miao Wan nodded happily, "I know, Dad and Mom are so powerful, they will definitely protect me!"
Qiao Ruichen: “…” My wife is so stupid, how did she remember the content of the dream?
The author has something to say:
I deleted more than 3,000 words and rewrote it, but still couldn’t write about the happy water. It was so painful to revise it. The next chapter is here soon. Why can’t I talk so much!
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