Spring nights are fleeting.
On the first day after their marriage, the newlyweds solemnly paid their respects to Gao Chuan's stepmother and father.
I also met my brothers and sisters at home, and went to the clan to get to know everyone.
Li Qingruo had done her homework beforehand and was already familiar with the intricate family relationships within the Gao family. Led by Gao Chuan, she greeted each of them one by one, and the identities of the people matched up.
At the end of the day, relatives and friends mostly praised him.
The day after the wedding, Gao's father gathered his family, invited Li Qingruo's parents, and the clan elders.
In front of everyone, the assets were clearly divided, and Gao Chuan's share was given to him.
Madam Gao didn't cause any trouble in this matter, after all, Gao Chuan was a child of the Gao family, and a capable one at that.
If she were to become a ghost, neither her father nor the clan would be happy about it.
Besides, Gao Chuan was just an illegitimate son, so he could only get two or three percent of the inheritance.
Since this matter had already been decided long ago, and it was Gao's father who proposed it himself, no one else had anything to say about it, and no one would use it to criticize Gao Chuan for being unfilial.
Gao Chuan was an illegitimate son and wouldn't receive much property, so the division of the family estate went relatively smoothly.
Gao Chuan and Li Qingruo paid their respects to their parents. On the third day, which was also the day Li Qingruo returned to her parents' home, the two moved out of the Gao family home and into Li Qingruo's house.
Gao Chuan even joked that he would have to rely on Li Qingruo to support him from now on.
However, on the day the property was divided, Gao Chuan handed over all the property he received and the money he had to Li Qingruo.
Li Qingruo's marriage was already arranged, and her relatives had long since returned to Li Family Village. Only Li Xushi and Mo Qiaoniang remained in the house, waiting for the division of the family property to be completed.
With everything settled, Li Xushi and his wife were about to leave the prefectural city and return to Lijia Village.
"Your mother sees that your complexion is rosy. From what I've observed these past few days, your husband seems to be a very honest person. When two people live together, the most important thing is to treat each other with sincerity. Qingruo, you must remember this well."
"Mother, can't you stay a little longer? I can't bear to leave you."
"Sigh, I won't keep you any longer. You're married now, it's time for you to live your own lives."
Gao Chuan also tried to persuade his father-in-law to stay, but the two of them still refused.
"Qingruo is thoughtful, so please be more lenient with her. If there is anything wrong with her, just tell me and I will teach her a lesson."
Gao Chuan knew perfectly well that his father-in-law was pointing out his flaws; even if he was Qing Ruo's husband, he couldn't discipline his daughter.
"Qingruo has a very good nature. She treats me kindly. Father-in-law, rest assured, Qingruo is the only one for me in this life."
He himself was a victim of polygamy and did not want his descendants to suffer the same fate.
With Gao Chuan's words, Li Xushi and his wife were satisfied.
They were busy and didn't want to stay any longer, so they hurriedly returned to Lijia Village.
Li Qingyao is going on a study tour, and Li Qingyi and Li Qingduan will be going with him.
Our first stop is Dazefu, which has waterways, making it convenient to go anywhere.
The two returned to Lijia Village and busied themselves packing luggage for Li Qingduan and Li Qingyi. They also instructed Baisha to take good care of them before bidding farewell to their two sons.
Suddenly, the house was completely empty.
“Usually when the children are all around, it’s quite lively, but now that everyone has scattered, it feels rather strange.”
In the stillness of the night, the couple sat facing each other in their room.
"Who says otherwise? Qingruo is alright, she's in the prefectural city, so I can go see her if I want to."
"Men need to be tempered and trained. I just hope everything is alright. I wonder where they are now."
"Go to sleep, things will be better tomorrow when we get busy."
Pan Jinhua's soap shop opened for business.
In May, Pan Jinhua bought another shop in the county.
The eldest brother managed the workshop, and the second and third brothers had also gained considerable experience there. The operation of the soap shop was then handed over to the two of them.
This was Pan Jinhua's private property, so she didn't give it to the clan.
Now each branch of the family has prospered. Although the fourth branch manages the workshop, they have earned a lot of money from it and have bought a lot of land.
Of the four brothers in the fifth branch, Li Xuhai now holds an official position. The letter he sent earlier said that he had gone to another place to farm, and that he was settled in the Ministry of Agriculture.
If they can return to Beijing by the end of this year, they may stay in Beijing from now on, and then the Cheng family will be able to bring their children to Beijing for a family reunion.
The other members of the fourth family: the second son became a carpenter and built a workshop specializing in wooden products. Pan Jinhua also came up with some toys and asked Li Xujiang to make them, which earned them a good reputation. Now, Li Xujiang is preparing to expand into a toy workshop, making things like nine-linked rings and Rubik's Cubes.
Li Xuhu works in the workshop. He's doing quite well in business and is now in charge of a section of the workshop on his own.
Li Xuhe runs a chicken farm in cooperation with Fangda's braised food shop. He raises a lot of chickens and ducks, and this year he also raised about ten piglets. Although it is tiring, the profit is not low.
The Li family of the seventh branch, Li Xuyue, worked in the workshop, while Li Xuya and Li Xuluan also started doing business outside.
Everyone is doing quite well.
The soap was made by Pan Jinhua and Li Qingjing together. Pan Jinhua got 50% of the profit, while Li Qingjing shared the remaining 50% with his two uncles.
Li Qing didn't participate in the shop's operation; he only contributed money and constantly improved the soap recipe, taking 20% of the profits.
Li Xushi and Li Xuchang not only had to contribute money, but also take charge of the shop's operation, material procurement, and so on, with the two of them splitting the profits 15% each.
This division was proposed by Pan Jinhua, and it seems that the second wife is at a greater disadvantage.
After all, Li Qing was the child of the first wife, while Li Xuchang of the third wife had a dowry brought by Qi Wan and had already made a fortune from soybeans, so he was not short of money.
As for the second wife, Li Qingduan and Li Qingyi did not gain any advantage and were indeed at a disadvantage.
Pan Jinhua was worried that Li Xushi might be upset, so she specifically talked to him. Li Xushi was indeed feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
There were six children in the family. Li Qingzhang was the eldest son of the main branch. At the beginning, the share of the workshop was divided between Pan Jinhua and the clan members, each taking 20%, while the other branches each took 15%.
In their family, each of the three branches of the family received half a share.
When Li Qingzhang was engaged, Pan Jinhua gave him half of the workshop's share.
Therefore, it is a foregone conclusion that Li Qingzhang will inherit the workshop.
Everyone in the family knows how much money the third branch of the family has; apart from their mother, they're probably the richest. Qingtong is also a promising child prodigy, now widely known far and wide, and is destined for great things.
His Qingduan and Qingyi ranks are inferior to Li Qingzhang's and inferior to Li Qingtong's.
The second son of the eldest brother's family used to be a carefree and irresponsible person, with no idea what the future held for him. Now, he's helping his mother make soap.
He saw it all and was very anxious.
"Second brother, I'm sure you're feeling a little uncomfortable too."
"mother."
Li Xushi twitched the corner of his mouth, trying to hide his embarrassment, but couldn't bring himself to say it.
"I know you too well. Don't say such nonsense in front of your mother. If you have thoughts, just say so. Do you have to hide them from your mother?"
"Yes. Mother, in my heart..."
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