Duke Anguo and his wife only knew what was on the surface about Zhao Yiming's situation.
So when the old lady found out that Zhao Yiming had no father or mother, she almost wanted to find Tian An on the spot and trick her into breaking off the engagement.
Later, when he heard from his son that he had passed the examination and was currently studying at Songshan Academy, and that his academic performance was doing well, he slowly retracted his steps.
But she still disliked his humble family background and was afraid that Tian An would be wronged.
Mrs. An had no choice but to persuade him, "You two are childhood sweethearts, you know each other well, and you have a good relationship. Besides, Yiming is a very ambitious child. Your husband often tests his knowledge and says he will become a great man in the future."
Besides, there are not many families that can match our Duke's Mansion. My daughter-in-law feels that those young masters from aristocratic families can't compare with Yiming in anything except their family background.
The daughter-in-law also heard An An say that when they were engaged, Yi Ming promised that he would never take a concubine in the future.
"Really?" The old lady looked at her son and asked him for confirmation.
Duke Anguo nodded and said, "That child is quite knowledgeable, and he will take the provincial examination next year. Whether he performs well or not, we will know then."
The old lady nodded. "According to what you said, his knowledge and character are quite good. Let's wait and see!"
After thinking for a moment, he looked at his son again: "Don't just watch! Take the time to give him more guidance. If you can't give him guidance, introduce him to others. Don't you know many great scholars of the time? Don't hide it."
Duke Anguo looked at his wife helplessly. His mother was still as sharp-tongued as ever, but kind-hearted. She said she disliked him, but in her heart she was truly considerate of him.
The old lady was displeased when she saw him still standing there looking at his wife. She frowned and said, "What are you still standing there for? The exam is not long away. If he fails, I will hold you responsible."
Duke Anguo felt even more helpless. How could this become his business?
Seeing my mother's glare flying towards me again, I quickly slipped away and said, "I'll go and arrange it for him right away."
After Duke Anguo left, the old lady called her daughter-in-law over, "Suyin! Anan will be coming of age next year, right? I'm afraid that reckless man Tian Mingwu is unreliable. We have to help arrange it. There's also the dowry. Come on, let's go to the storehouse and take a look."
Tian Mingwu, known as a rough man, had just brought his daughter to the mansion when he was called away by the deputy general. When he returned in the evening, his face was filled with sorrow.
After Tian An, the caring little cotton-padded jacket, had the maid bring him a sumptuous dinner, he picked up some food for him and asked, "Dad, why did you come back with such a sad face after going out? Did something happen?"
Tian Mingwu swallowed the braised pork in his mouth, sighed, and then said, "My daughter! Daddy has to go out on business and may not be back for a while."
Tian An paused and asked hurriedly, "How long will you be gone? Can you come back for the New Year?" It was only a little over a month away from the New Year.
Tian Mingwu shook his head. "It's not certain at the moment. Cangzhou in the north suffered a once-in-a-century cold snap. Countless livestock froze to death, houses collapsed under the weight of snow, and many civilians died of frostbite. Bandits also arose.
The Cangzhou governor sent a letter to the imperial court asking for help, and Dad was ordered to escort relief supplies to the rescue, and was also responsible for suppressing and eliminating the bandits.
This task is really difficult! Tian An couldn't help but worry about Tian Mingwu. "When will Dad leave?"
"We have to set off early in the morning three days later." Tian Mingwu said while eating.
Tian An stood up in surprise, "Three days? In such a hurry?"
"The disaster in Cangzhou is severe. We can't delay any longer. The roads are difficult to travel on in the frost and snow, and it will take quite a while to get there. Three days is the maximum."
What Tian Mingwu didn't say was that these three days were needed to prepare disaster relief supplies and dispatch troops, otherwise the emperor would probably let him set off that night.
Tian An thought for a while and said, "Then Dad, take your time eating. I'll go pack your luggage." Then he quickly ran out of the house.
"Oh..." Tian Mingwu watched Tian An hurriedly go out, so he had to swallow the words that were yet to come out of his mouth and continue eating.
As Tian An walked, she instructed Xiang Tao and Deng Xue to inform Chun Xi, Chen Qiang, and Deng Shuang to come to his yard, as she had something to tell them.
Late in the evening, Tian An suddenly called a few people. They knew the matter was urgent, and they all came in less than a quarter of an hour.
Seeing several people coming, Tian An directly ordered:
"Chen Qiang will have people go to the farm to fetch flour and vegetables tomorrow morning. I will need them.
Notify the village to prepare vegetables that are easy to preserve.
Order ten more carriages, which will be used in the evening two days later.
Deng Shuang sorted out the number of sweaters we had overnight, packed them all up and loaded them onto the truck two days later.
Chunxi, go gather the maids and servants in the mansion, and prepare the existing ingredients. We will make instant noodles overnight."
No one asked the reason and immediately took action after receiving Tian An's order.
Taking advantage of the preparation time, Tian An went back to his room and wrote a long list of herbs and gave it to Deng Xue. "Give it to Sister Ya Lan tomorrow morning and ask her to help me collect them within two days."
After writing the list of medicinal materials, Tian An rushed to the kitchen to teach everyone how to make instant noodles.
There is no sun in winter and there is not enough time, so dehydrated vegetables can only be dried using firewood.
After Tian An explained the method of making instant noodles, everyone took up their respective responsibilities: some cut vegetables, some made soup, and some kneaded the noodles.
The lights in the kitchen were brightly lit and everyone was busy. The noise was so loud that even Granny Qin and Nanny Xiao, who had already gone to bed, were startled.
After the two came over and knew that Tian An was going to prepare disaster relief supplies for Tian Mingwu, they stopped sleeping and rolled up their sleeves to get busy with everyone.
It was late at night, and Tian An couldn't let them work hard! He hurriedly stopped them and said, "There are limited ingredients in the mansion tonight, not enough for them to cook. If mother-in-law and nanny want to help, they can go back and have a good sleep first. When the new ingredients are delivered tomorrow, it won't be too late to help."
Seeing that there really wasn't much food, the two old men gave up, but they didn't leave. "Then let's see how they cook it first, so we don't have to learn it tomorrow."
Tian An nodded, "Then you can't watch for too long! Go to bed early."
The two nodded happily.
After Tian An finished explaining everything, she went back to her room. She still had to prepare various medicines.
Wherever there is a disaster, there is illness. Medicine is the most important and the most indispensable thing.
She planned to use up the reserve medicine in the space first, and then slowly replenish the stock in case of emergency.
When she returned to the room, Zhao Yiming was already waiting for her there.
Tian An was not surprised. It would be strange if he didn't know about such a big scene!
Seeing her come back, Zhao Yiming stood up and said, "I know everything. What can I do for you? Just tell me."
"You came at the right time." Tian An pulled him and ran to the pharmacy.
After closing the door, he asked Xiangtao to watch outside and not allow anyone to disturb him.
He turned around and took out a stack of papers and gave it to him, "Please write down the effects, dosage and precautions of these medicines for me."
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