After everything calmed down, Liu Huan buried herself in the blankets with her back to him and refused to come out, no matter how much he coaxed her.
Just as Su Yi reached out his hand, Liu Huan nimbly dodged away.
"You should come out first, don't hold it in."
"Shut up!" The furious voice coming from under the covers made Su Yi chuckle to himself; he'd really angered someone this time.
He tentatively said, "Get up, let me wash your hands."
The person on the bed buried their head even deeper, letting out a sharp, explosive scream, "Aaaaaah, shut up!!!"
Su Yi sighed helplessly, then hugged himself tightly, blanket and all, to his chest. "Would you like to sleep while I'm holding you?"
The person under the covers didn't refuse anymore. They quietly lifted a corner of the blanket, took a breath, and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Liu Huan felt refreshed. She was a little worried about her fertile constitution and decided to take birth control pills.
“Anzhi and Anran are so grown up now, I have them, that’s enough.”
While talking, she observed the changes in his eyes. Seeing that he was expressionless, she didn't know what he was thinking and was afraid that he would misunderstand.
"Say something. I'm going to drink it whether you agree or not. I'm not discussing it with you, I'm just informing you."
Liu Huan steeled herself and remained stiff; she would not compromise on these matters of principle.
No need to take medicine
"What do you mean?" Liu Huan didn't quite understand.
Su Yi held her hand and said, "When Lord Yan came that time, I asked for the contraceptive pills and took them. I will never have any other children in this life. Anzhi and Anran are enough for us."
Liu Huan was instantly incredulous. She hadn't expected Su Yi to be so enlightened. In ancient times, the belief was that having many children meant many blessings, and it was actually quite rare for an official like him to have only one son and one daughter.
"What kind of look is that? Don't you believe me?" Su Yi looked a little aggrieved at her surprised expression.
Liu Huan quickly tried to coax him like a child, genuinely feeling that this person was sometimes quite childish.
Time flies, and two years have passed in the blink of an eye.
In Nanchang County, a large dam was built between the rivers and mountains using tall stones, which stored the river water in the valley, forming a depression where the water was so deep that the bottom could not be seen.
At first, everything they did seemed to collapse, but after trying every possible method and spending two years, they finally succeeded in building the dam.
In August and September of the same year, while everyone was worried about the floods, the expected thing did not happen.
The water level had only risen slightly compared to before. Su Yi went to the reservoir himself and found that most of the water was being held back and was not rushing in like before.
He made timely adjustments based on the water level to ensure that the dam would not be washed away by the turbulent river and flood the villages downstream.
Before his original three-year term was about to end, he applied to the emperor in advance to stay for another year. Only after he was completely at ease did he apply to return to the capital.
With the Emperor's permission, Su Yi began handing over his work and working on his parents' mindset.
"Father, Mother, please come with me to the capital. You haven't even seen your third brother's child yet. Are you going to never see him again?"
This touched the hearts of the two elderly people. What they love most when they get old is to be surrounded by their children and grandchildren. Although the eldest son also has his own family, he still hopes that the whole family can be together.
Su's mother wanted to agree, but when she heard that her third daughter-in-law was the daughter of a high-ranking official, she was afraid that they would not get along.
Liu Huan often spoke highly of Qi Yuechan to them, saying she was a good girl and that she and her parents should get along well.
“Mother, Shi Tou and I have really made up this time. We can live a peaceful life together from now on. Isn’t it wonderful that we can all live together? My sister is in the capital. Don’t you miss her?”
When talking about her eldest daughter whom she hadn't seen for several years, Su's mother couldn't hold back her tears any longer.
"But, your older brother..."
Both sons are her flesh and blood, and Su's mother is also worried about her eldest son.
“Let Shi Tou write a letter to his elder brother and ask them to go to the capital together. If they don’t get used to living there, they can buy a house in the capital and live separately. Shi Tou can also check the children’s homework.”
The only concern was persuaded by Liu Huan, and Su's mother happily packed her luggage together.
Once she leaves, she plans to sell the house again. Liu Huan is an insecure person who likes to buy houses to live in wherever she goes, and then sell them when she leaves.
She handed over the workshop to Chu Xuan to have someone manage it, and the profits were still distributed every six months.
Even if she doesn't earn more in the future, it doesn't matter. The money that soap has earned her in the past two years is enough. With the dividends from several sources, she is not short of money at all.
The imperial decree arrived quickly. Su Yi and Liu Huan arrived quietly, and when they left, the people saw them off for miles, especially those working in the workshops, who were afraid that they would not be able to be seen off if they were late.
Nanchang County has changed a lot in the past two years, becoming a well-known soap manufacturing county. Its soaps are sold all over the country, and locals go to buy soaps and then buy them from other places, making every household very rich.
"Madam, remember to come home more often in the future."
"Madam, have a safe journey!"
"Madam, Nanchang County will always be your home."
"..."
Liu Huan received the most enthusiastic cheers throughout the journey; even many children waved and babbled in response.
What she didn't know was that after she left, the people of Nanchang County spontaneously built a temple dedicated to Lady Liu on the mountain next to the soap workshop. The temple enshrined a portrait of Liu Huan, and a pair of children were also placed next to it.
A stone tablet at the entrance is inscribed with Liu Huan's contributions to Nanchang County, and it is engraved with gold thread.
Later, it became a famous temple in Nanchang County. Whenever people were in trouble or encountered misfortune, they would go there to pray for Lady Liu's protection.
Everyone was happy on the way back; a family reunion is a joy for anyone.
An Ran, in particular, was so excited when she heard that the destination was the capital that she rolled around in the carriage.
"Mother, are we really going back to Father's house?"
Liu Huan answered with her eyes closed, "You've asked that many times already, take a break, kid."
Liu Huan started getting motion sickness in the carriage again, probably because she hadn't traveled far from home in a long time. The symptoms started after half a month of travel.
Su's mother thought she was pregnant again and asked her questions indirectly with a concerned look, which made her very embarrassed.
Seeing this, Anzhi pulled the person back, saying, "If you keep making trouble, we'll go to another carriage."
An Ran refused, saying, "I don't want to. Those two kids are too noisy."
"Then don't speak."
On the other carriage were Qiu Rong and Qiu Ju's children, both just over a year old. Two years ago, Chang Bai asked Liu Huan for a marriage decree, and the two quickly got married.
Qiuju and Ermo, who had been married for several years, finally welcomed their first child, coincidentally one month apart.
Anran is very happy when she's at home; she's chubby and loves to be cuddled and held.
The journey here was long, and the child was too young to adapt and cried a lot, which annoyed her. Just thinking about the child's crying made her look disgusted.
They traveled on and off for half a year, and even spent their birthdays in a carriage.
Looking at Anzhi, who was noticeably taller, Su's mother sighed, "I never imagined that in the blink of an eye, both children would be ten years old. Anzhi has grown so much taller that they don't even look like twins anymore."
Anran was furious when she heard this and kept begging her brother to grow up slowly.
Anzhi was so annoyed by her pestering that he nodded and said he would be shorter than her next birthday, and was let off the hook.
"Alright, you two, you're going to be laughed at by Guan Yi and the others soon."
An Ran had heard Guan Yi and Guan Huai's stories many times and was eager to see her two cousins.
The carriage slowly arrived at the gate of the capital. An Ran lifted the curtain and looked at the tall city gate with great curiosity, exclaiming, "Brother, this place is really big, much bigger than Nanchang County!"
Anzhi glanced up casually and replied perfunctorily, "Yeah, it's big."
The carriage stopped abruptly, and An Ran leaned outwards, "Oh, why did you stop?"
Changbai, standing beside the carriage, said, "Master, it's the eldest young lady and the third master who have arrived."
"Young Miss?"
Anzhi muttered speechlessly, "Idiot, that's my aunt."
Liu Huan helped the two of them off the carriage, and Su Wan had already been crying in her mother's arms.
Upon seeing Liu Huan, she couldn't help but wipe away her tears again, saying, "It's good that you're back. You've always been a worry."
"Big sister, I miss you so much."
The two women wiped away their tears, and Qi Yuechan also came forward, her eyes red, and greeted Liu Huan, "Huanhuan."
Liu Huan released Su Wan's hand and pulled her back, saying, "Greetings, Third Sister-in-law."
The two met as friends at first, and then as sisters-in-law. The change in their status made them both feel that fate was wonderful.
Liu Huan called the two children over, "Quickly, this is your aunt, and this is your third aunt."
Anzhi greeted them politely and calmly, which the two of them found very endearing.
Su Wan, in particular, had two sons but never got pregnant again, and she was very fond of pretty young girls.
He happily went up to Anran, touched her face, and hugged her affectionately, saying, "Oh my goodness, you are so beautiful, so adorable."
The family met at the city gate, surrounded by onlookers.
"Whose house is this? Why are they blocking the city gate?"
"So, what kind of high-ranking official is he?"
Someone started to explain, "You don't know this? This is because Lord Su of the Su family just returned from his post in another place. He's not someone that ordinary minor officials can compare to."
"So it was him."
Although no one has ever met Su Yi, everyone knows what he has done.
Seeing that more and more people were gathering, Su Cheng quickly called to his parents, "Father, Mother, Second Brother Huanhuan, let's go back first and talk about it later."
The family returned home happily, where the Su family had already prepared a long table feast.
The steward and his servants knelt on the ground and shouted, "Welcome back to the mansion, Master and Madam, Second Master and Second Madam, Young Master and Miss!"
Su Yi said expressionlessly, "Get up, reward me!"
After the servants thanked them for the reward, they hurriedly welcomed their masters into their own room, where they changed their clothes, washed their hands, and ate in the garden.
Apart from the eldest brother's family, who is still on the road, the whole family is now together.
The place they lived in was the same as before; Su Yi and Liu Huan were still in the main courtyard, which hadn't been moved for all these years.
The courtyard of the Su family elders is also cleaned every once in a while, so it is always spotless and has no unpleasant smell.
Thinking that everyone was tired that day, we went to rest after dinner.
The next morning, everyone unanimously prepared to go to Su's parents' courtyard at dawn.
When they arrived, Su Cheng and Qi Yuechan were already waiting nearby. Qi Yuechan was dressed in festive attire, and Su Cheng had also changed into his court robes.
Once everyone had arrived, the servants brought over prayer cushions and placed them in the cushions. Su Cheng and his wife knelt down to offer tea to the two elders, who happily accepted it. The two elders then gave each of them a red envelope.
"As your mother, I only hope that you two live in harmony and happiness for the rest of your lives."
Qi Yuechan accepted the red envelope and bowed again: "Yes, your daughter-in-law will remember Mother's teachings."
She then pulled her son and daughter, who were standing next to her, to kneel down, saying, "Quickly, pay your respects to your grandparents."
The two children must have heard this title often, and they obediently knelt down without any resistance, which shows that Qi Yuechan had taught her children very well.
Qi Yuechan remained respectful throughout, showing none of the arrogance often associated with noblewomen, which relieved Su's mother.
With many children in the family, everyone took out the gifts they had prepared to give to the children, but Anran had no idea who to give them.
Guan Yi is the oldest, and at fifteen or sixteen years old, he has transformed from a mischievous child into a very polite teenager.
She took the initiative to help Anzhi and Anran get acquainted with their surroundings and took all her younger siblings out to play.
Su Cheng's son, Su Feng, was a wild child who was spoiled and a little tyrant.
She really liked Anran when she saw her. She kept saying she wanted to take her sister to play in the street.
Guan Yi was most afraid of his incessant chatter, so he sent someone to the backyard to tell him and then took the children to the street.
Throughout the journey, Su Feng displayed the air of a host, buying everything he saw to give to his sister and brother.
The servants couldn't carry any more, and Guan Yi reminded them, "Xiao Feng, you can't buy too much."
"It's okay, I'll buy more gifts for my sister."
With several unruly children by his side, Guan Yi deeply regretted not having brought them along.
Passing by a restaurant, he encountered a young man of similar age to Guan Yi coming out. Upon seeing him, the man exclaimed, "Brother Guan, didn't you say you had something to do and couldn't leave? How come I ran into you here?"
Guan Yi was embarrassed. "I... just brought my younger siblings out for a stroll."
Seeing An Zhi's calm demeanor, the teenagers boldly speculated, "Could these be twins?"
Guan Yi smiled and introduced, "Yes, this is my second uncle's child. I'll find you at the academy tomorrow."
The teenagers watched him leave with the children, and couldn't help but feel envious. "Brother Guan's cousins are clearly from a distinguished family."
"Yes, Brother Guan's uncles are all very capable."
"People have different fates, let's go."
Everyone knows Guan Yi's identity. Although they are classmates and both are sons of merchants, Guan Yi is completely different from them.
Guan Yi's two maternal uncles were both favored ministers of the emperor, and one of his maternal uncles' relatives by marriage was a general who protected the country.
Although he attended school alongside the sons of merchants, everyone was aware of the disparity in their education.
Therefore, even if Guan Yi is absent from their gathering, no one will say anything.
Guan Yi quickly took his younger siblings away, fearing he might run into his classmates again. He had originally said he had something to do, but if people found out he was taking care of the children, he wouldn't be able to explain himself.
Now that it's so easy to leave, An Ran, after a short stroll, has become bolder and ran off with Xiao Lan in a flash.
"Safety, don't run around."
Guan Yi was so anxious that he wanted to go forward and chase after her, but Su Feng's sister held him and wouldn't let him go.
Seeing this, Anzhi could only comfort her, "It's alright, cousin. She'll be back by herself in a little while." Guan Yi was worried that such a young girl might be in danger.
Anzhi reassured him further: "Cousin, don't worry, very few people can hurt her."
Guan Yixiang felt a little relieved when she saw the person accompanying her cousin.
Su Feng and his younger sister Su Wei were talking to him, and he felt a terrible headache. He planned to send them back first and then come back to find his cousin. "Alright, my dears, I'll send you back first after you've bought your things, okay?"
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