Zhao Yongzhong sighed softly upon hearing this, "That's the only way. However, Yongjin went out with you and hasn't returned yet."
"The situation in Fushui County to the east is unclear, and we don't have enough people. Let's wait a little longer. We should be back soon."
Zhao Yongqian nodded slightly, then tilted his head and asked, "By the way, how are the winter preparations going?"
Zhao Yongzhong replied, "We're still short of some wood, so it might take a few more days. Anyway, we'll make it in time."
Zhao Yongqian felt relieved after hearing this. "Okay, I'll go home first and then go pay my respects to my uncles later."
The second wife's house is very large.
Zhao Yongqian lived in a remote courtyard in the outer yard.
The yard is located on the west side, and the house has poor lighting. Originally, there was only one main room and two side rooms.
Later, when he reached marriageable age, the eldest son of the family took charge and asked his stepmother to build two small rooms next to the house.
As long as parents are alive, the family will not be divided.
Zhao Yongqian has become accustomed to living here. Even though he knows that the entire house is now empty and there are many larger courtyards to choose from, he is too lazy to move.
He and his cousin talked as they walked and soon arrived at the door of their home.
His wife, Ms. Sun, and five-year-old daughter were at home.
Hearing the noise at the door and learning that her husband had returned safely, Sun quickly got up and went to the door to greet him.
"Did my husband encounter any danger on this trip?" Sun wanted to take the bag from his hand.
"Not bad." Zhao Yongqian waved his hand. "It's heavy, I can carry it myself."
Sun withdrew her hand awkwardly.
The two of them walked into the main house one after the other.
The five-year-old daughter saw her father coming back and rushed over happily, "Daddy!"
Zhao Yongqian dodged with a smile, "Daddy is dirty, I'll hold you later."
"Husband, please wait a moment. I will go boil some water." Sun said hurriedly when she saw this.
No news was received in advance and the family was not prepared.
As soon as she entered the house, Sun turned around and walked out, hurriedly going into the east kitchen to light a fire.
Zhao Yongqian restrained his smile and sighed when he saw this.
Sun came from the Sun family of Guangping and was a concubine's daughter in the family.
The marriage was decided by his stepmother and agreed by his father. He had no say in it and could only act according to the ideas of his elders and marry the girl.
As a concubine's daughter, her life at home was probably not easy, which made her timid and indecisive.
Her stepmother said that he was not presentable and often made things difficult for her for no reason. She suffered a lot with him after she married him.
This made Zhao Yongqian feel pity.
Perhaps because they shared the same suffering, he gradually accepted his wife.
Zhao Yongqian had no intention of taking a concubine. Even though Sun had been married for so long and had only given birth to a daughter, causing him to be ridiculed by many outsiders, he still did not change his mind.
With Sun's temper, if a newcomer were to come in, he would be bullied to death.
After boiling the water, Zhao Yongqian got up and walked into the bathroom.
Sun retrieved her spare clothes and then hurried into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
My husband's status in the family is gradually increasing, and now whenever there is something good in the family, they will send me a share.
But without Zhao Yongqian's permission, Sun did not dare to accept anyone, including the servants sent by the clan.
There are still a group of servants living in the second house. They used to bully the weak and treat the couple with respect on the surface but look down on them behind their backs. They often pretend to obey and act in a sarcastic manner.
Now that group of people were scrambling to get into the courtyard to serve.
Zhao Yongqian didn't need any of them and sent them all out to work on repairing the wall.
"Is sister-in-law at home?" A group of young ladies came to the gate of the courtyard and shouted inside.
Seeing Sun coming out of the kitchen, four or five young ladies walked into the yard with a fawning look on their faces and bowed, saying, "We heard that our eldest brother has returned, so we sisters have come to pay our respects to you and your sister-in-law."
These young ladies were all concubines in the family. When their father was promoted and transferred, he did not bring all his concubines and children with him.
Some of the less favored children of concubines were all sent back to the clan by their stepmother.
Meiqi said: Be filial on his behalf and serve the elders in the family.
They lived in the backyard of the second house and now depended on their half-brother for their livelihood. When they learned that their half-brother had returned home, they hurriedly packed up and rushed over.
I was afraid that if I was a step slower, I would leave a bad impression on my brother.
Sun had become accustomed to them coming over every now and then and was about to speak.
Zhao Yongqian finished his shower and came out of the bathroom.
Seeing so many people in the yard, he frowned slightly.
The young ladies immediately knelt and saluted, "Big Brother."
Zhao Yongqian saw that they were dressed neatly, with pearl hairpins on their heads, and his brows furrowed deeper and deeper. "You stay at home all day?"
The young ladies didn't know why their eldest brother asked this. They looked at each other for a moment and replied nervously, "Yes."
The tribesmen still hold on to traditional ideas, believing that girls in the family should stay in the backyard and do housework. Now that there is enough food, they can support these young ladies.
Even if Zhao's daughter was a concubine, she was still a noble lady and there was no need for her to show her face in public.
Zhao Lingfeng and other uncles who were in charge of miscellaneous affairs were too lazy to argue with the clansmen.
In addition, some uncles and aunts also agreed with the views of the clan members. The young ladies at home were powerless and might cause trouble or even make things worse if they went out, so they should just stay at home.
Zhao Yongqian was often busy outside and always returned home after dark. He lived in the front yard, which was far away from the back yard, and rarely interacted with his concubines.
It's a rule that you are not allowed to walk around freely after dark.
The young ladies often came to pay their respects during the day, but they were always disappointed.
We finally received the news today that my half-brother returned home during the day, so a group of people rushed over.
But seeing their half-brother's expression... they had no idea what they had done wrong. For a moment, they nervously clutched the hems of their skirts, standing there at a loss as to what to do.
Zhao Yongqian said nothing in the end.
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