Tao Hongying shook her head and chuckled softly, "Mother, don't worry, Hui Niang is very clever."
Sure enough, Li Yong opened the door and came out a short while later.
As he led the horse, he said to the old woman, "Auntie, Hui Niang can't feed her two children. I'll go to a nearby village and see if I can buy a dairy goat."
"I heard that children who drink goat milk grow taller, so I'll have Fu Niu'er and Mao Ge'er drink a few more bowls every day from now on."
“Go ahead,” the old lady replied. “Remember to mention our family name. We’re not expecting a huge discount, we just hope they don’t try to fool you with some old sheep.”
Li Yong chuckled in agreement, mounted his horse, and rode off.
Tao Hongying exchanged a glance with the old lady and smiled, "Mother, am I right? Huiniang is very clever, which is why I would prefer her to teach Funiu instead of inviting Madam Cui."
The old lady sighed and nodded in agreement, "Jinrou is a good person, but she's too stubborn and disdains using underhanded tactics, making her too easily taken advantage of. A woman like Huiniang is much better."
As the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking, a carriage arrived at the door, and Zhao Yuru actually jumped out of the carriage.
"Third son's wife, why are you back?"
The old lady quickly went out with Tao Hongying. Zhao Yuru, carrying the package, smiled and said, "Mother, there are carriages in town that go to Xindu. I was thinking about home, so I took one for a while. Then I hired a carriage to come back from Kyoto."
"How's the shop?"
"It's fine. Lao San and Jia Huan can manage. Jia Ren and Gou Sheng can also help out at noon and in the evening."
The three women, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, walked into the house while talking. At this moment, Jiayin heard the noise from next door and, no longer afraid of her mother's spanking, ran back in a flash and hugged Zhao Yuru's leg.
"Third Aunt, Third Aunt, Fu Niu misses you!"
Zhao Yuru beamed with joy, hugging and kissing her little niece repeatedly, jokingly saying, "You've only been back a few days, and you already miss your aunt? Perhaps you're longing for the nice things your aunt brought back?"
Fu Niu blushed, "No, no, I just miss my third aunt! There will be delicious food when my third aunt comes back!"
Zhao Yuru laughed heartily, "Isn't this the same thing? In the end, you still want something that tastes better!"
After saying that, she stopped teasing her little niece, opened the package, and took out a box of pastries. "A new pastry shop opened in town these past few days, and everyone says it's delicious. Your aunt bought you a box. Would you like to try it? If you like it, your aunt will buy you more in the future."
"Thank you, Auntie!"
When Jiayin opened the package, she found that the pastries were indeed novel and unique. She quickly took out a few pieces, grabbed the rest, and ran off.
Her brothers would be getting out of school soon, so she sat by the door for a while, waiting for them to come back so they could eat together.
Zhao Yuru grabbed her little niece and said, "Wait a minute."
She then took out two pairs of shoes, one large and one small, and said with a smile, "I've been doing some needlework these past few days since I've had nothing to do. Mother and Fu Niu'er can both try them on."
"With so much work to do in the shop, why are you still thinking about making shoes for us? Be careful not to stay up too late and strain your eyes."
The old lady complained, but still put on the shoes, which fit perfectly as always.
Jiayin also wore new shoes and jumped around on the ground.
Compared to all the fancy shoes in my previous life, the most comfortable are still the thousand-layer soles sewn stitch by stitch!
"Thank you, Auntie!" Fu Niu hugged her third aunt's leg, smiling and acting coquettishly.
At this time, the boys were dismissed from school.
Jiaxi and Jia'an led Maoge'er into the house, and they were overjoyed to see Zhao Yuru return.
One person calls out "Mother," another calls out "Auntie," and the room immediately becomes even more lively.
The old lady was so annoyed by the noise that she quickly sent them to the west room to have some snacks.
Cat immediately grabbed the snack box, and Jia'an and Jiaxi helped carry their little sister, and they ran off in a lively and cheerful manner.
Tao Hongying asked a couple of questions and, upon learning that Zhao Yuru wouldn't be returning until tomorrow, hurried off to the valley to get busy.
The old lady took Zhao Yuru to see Huiniang. Zhao Yuru sewed two tiger-head hats for the child, and Huiniang was delighted, thanking her profusely.
Zhao Yuru said, "We're sisters-in-law, no need to be so polite. After you finish your postpartum confinement, we'll be counting on you to help arrange Jia Huan's marriage."
"Of course, my sister-in-law won't let me help. Lying in the room every day, I'm practically suffocating." Hui Niang couldn't help but complain a few times during her first postpartum period, which made the old lady and Zhao Yuru laugh.
"This is how it is during postpartum confinement. You can't be careless, or you'll develop health problems later in life and suffer when you're old."
"Yes, you gave birth to twins, and they were premature. You should be in a double postpartum period. We'll ask Doctor Zhang to check your pulse and see if you need to stay in the postpartum period a few more days."
As the group was talking, Granny He and Shui Ling and Shui Yun came over to help with the cooking.
The old lady then led Zhao Yuru out of the side room. It was the first time Zhao Yuru had met Granny He and Shuiyun Shuiling.
The three men all seemed to be honest and upright people, and since the Marquis had personally sought them out to take care of Jiayin, Zhao Yuru was naturally pleased. She untied her purse, took out three pieces of silver, and gave them as a reward.
"We're not home most of the time, so the old lady and Fu Niu'er need you three to take extra care of them."
Granny He and Shuiyun and Shuiling looked at the old lady, who smiled and said, "Take it. She's not home often and worries that Hongying can't manage all the work by herself. If you take the money, you can help her more in the future, and she'll feel at ease."
The three women, including Granny He, quickly bowed and accepted the money.
Finally, Shui Ling went to the west room to keep Jia Yin company.
Shuiyun followed Granny He into the kitchen to pick vegetables, soak rice, and prepare to cook.
The three of them lived next door. Every morning they would do needlework, or tell Jiayin stories and teach her manners.
They come over at noon to help with cooking, do laundry and tidy up the house in the afternoon, and then go back home after cooking and eating dinner.
With their help these past few days, the old lady has had a much easier time, and Tao Hongying doesn't have to worry about home while she's busy in the valley...
That evening, the old lady brought out all the gifts she had given on the day of the marriage proposal and showed them to Zhao Yuru, who was completely relieved.
The next morning, Li Lao Er drove the carriage to take Zhao Yuru back home, and on the way, invited Mr. Wen, Madam Cui, and Liu Zhiheng to his home for dinner.
Liu Zhiheng was thinking about the fruit on the mountain, so he went to Suijintan by car right away.
As he swaggered down the mountain, munching on fruit, Mr. Wen and Mrs. Cui arrived.
The Li family set up a small banquet, and the old lady personally asked Mr. Wen, Mrs. Cui, and Liu Zhiheng to help propose marriage to the Peng family. Even Mrs. Liu was to be a guest.
Liu Zhiheng and Mr. Wen readily agreed. Both the Li and Peng families were interested in the marriage alliance, so their meeting was just a formality; it was a very simple matter.
But Madam Cui refused. She was a divorced woman, and no matter the reason, her marriage was not considered happy.
She didn't want to get involved in such a joyous occasion, so she smiled and said, "Auntie, you'll all be going to Luo'an then, and Hongying will be the only one at home. I'm afraid she won't be able to take care of everything. I'll stay home and help out."
Grandma Li knew her concerns, patted her hand, and didn't insist.
Once the matter was settled, everyone dispersed.
The archway at the village entrance was almost finished in four or five days because there were enough people to help.
Once you exit the Xindu Gate and walk a short distance north, you'll see this towering archway.
Many people envy them, many are jealous of them, and even more regret them.
If they had known that this barren mountain and riverbank, covered with rubble, was a treasure trove of natural beauty, they would have seized it no matter what. How could it have fallen into the hands of a group of refugees?
But it's too late to say anything then!
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