Baozhu, in particular, loved corn cakes and ate three or four in a row. Madam Jia also liked the soft and fluffy texture of corn cakes.
In the front yard, Master Jia the Second didn't drink, so he finished his meal quickly.
Li Lao Er then invited him to take a stroll in the hot spring valley, as a way to digest his food.
When Grandma Li heard this, she also invited Grandma Jia to pick fruit in the orchard.
This was a novel idea, and Madam Jia happily agreed.
Jiayin took Baozhu to see her pony, and even had Shuiling lead the horse, carrying Baozhu around the yard a few times.
Baozhu blushed with excitement and insisted on going out.
Granny He quickly followed, and they arrived at the orchard. Only then did Baozhu dismount and pick and eat fruit.
Madam Wen was pregnant, and Wenjuan's belly was even bigger, so they couldn't go up the mountain and stayed at home.
There was a small matter in the second village, and Xiao Cui came to find her, so Tao Hongying went to handle it.
Taking this opportunity, Madam Wen pulled Madam Jia aside and asked her about the girl Wan'er she had seen the day before.
Madam Jia only had this one niece, and because her sister-in-law was in poor health, her niece had to take over the household at a young age, so she doted on her very much.
The other day, the young man from the Li family coincidentally ran into his niece, and she couldn't help but think about it after she got home.
To be honest, my niece's marriage is a bit awkward.
Although the Xing family was wealthy and had a good reputation, her eldest brother was just a scribe.
Originally, this job was considered prestigious, but now, being confined to Jiangnan, this job can neither help the emperor secure the country nor resist the barbarians to reclaim lost territory. It is utterly useless.
Moreover, her sister-in-law is in poor health and has a son at home.
If someone marries their niece, they will have to take care of their father-in-law's family and support their brother-in-law, which is a heavy burden no matter how you look at it.
Therefore, it's out of the question for the wealthy and powerful; their niece can't marry into such a family.
Even if you marry into the family and suffer grievances, your family won't be able to support you.
However, marrying his niece to a minor official or even a merchant from a family of lower social standing than the Xing family would be a waste of her talent.
This leaves one in a situation where one is neither good enough for high-end jobs nor good enough for low-end ones.
At this time, the Li family suddenly came into her view, and no matter how she thought about it, she felt it was a good opportunity.
First, the second branch of the Li family holds the title of Earl.
Li Jiaren is the eldest son of the second wife. He is good at studying and good-looking. He will become an earl in the future. His niece will definitely become his aunt after marrying into the family.
Furthermore, since Li Jiaren's mother has passed away, even if Uncle Li remarries later, she will be a second wife and will not dare to put on airs with his eldest son's wife.
My niece doesn't have to suffer from her mother-in-law's oppression and bullying!
Finally, everyone in the Li family, young and old, was harmonious and happy, and their lives were thriving. She was sure her niece would be treated well after marrying into the family!
Thinking this way, Madam Jia the Second spoke to Madam Wen, her words carrying a hint of positivity.
"My niece just turned 18 this spring, and the family is trying to arrange a marriage for her, but there isn't a suitable one yet."
“This child is sensible, and I feel sorry for her. I want to find her a good family that I know well.”
Madam Wen was pleased to hear this and said, "That makes sense. A woman's marriage is like a second reincarnation, so she must choose carefully."
"It's not just about the man; you also need to see if the family is harmonious. Ideally, it should be like the Li family—a large, prosperous family where everyone works together and lives a thriving life!"
Madam Jia nodded, about to speak, when she suddenly remembered something and looked somewhat troubled. She sighed and said, "Actually, my niece is also a stubborn girl with her own ideas. Otherwise, her marriage would have been arranged long ago. It's just because of a small request that it's been delayed until now."
"What small request do you have?" Mrs. Wen asked curiously.
Even Wenjuan, who had been smiling and silent the whole time, looked at Madam Jia.
Madam Jia said, "My elder brother only married my sister-in-law in his whole life, and they are very loving. My niece sees this and hopes to find a husband who will not take concubines, so that the couple can live together in harmony and wholeheartedly."
“But this is not an easy thing. Putting aside others, even my husband, who is very respectful to me and devoted to educating our children, has still taken two concubines! There are probably very few men in the world who are willing to be faithful.”
Madam Wen was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "I thought it was something important. Miss Wan'er's request is not high at all. Why are you sighing?"
This time, it was Madam Jia's turn to be surprised. She asked, "Isn't this requirement too high? Several families were interested in marrying him before, but they all stopped responding because of this requirement."
Madam Wen replied, "Perhaps this is indeed difficult for other families, but it's nothing if you find a truly suitable family."
"For example, in Aunt Li's family, neither the Earl nor Jiaren's brothers are allowed to take concubines. Aunt Li said that taking concubines would easily cause chaos in the family."
"It's just that the Earl and the Master did not remarry. They preferred to have Aunt Li take care of everything rather than take a concubine."
Madam Jia's eyes lit up. She was actually testing the waters, but she didn't expect the Li family to have a rule against taking concubines. She had really struck gold.
She desperately wanted to agree to the marriage on behalf of her niece, but she hesitated because she hadn't discussed it with her brother and sister-in-law.
So she could only suppress her excitement and say, "So, Aunt Li is really wise. When there are too many wives and concubines in the family, people's hearts become chaotic, and life naturally becomes bumpy."
"I hope my Wan'er will also have this good fortune in the future and find a good husband's family like the Li family."
“Definitely,” Madam Wen said happily, but she didn’t make any absolute statements. She continued, “It all depends on fate. When the time is right, things will naturally fall into place. If the time isn’t right, then there’s nothing to worry about. We can just keep looking.”
Madam Jia nodded and quickly changed the subject.
Meanwhile, Li Lao Er accompanied Jia Er Lao Ye Zi on a stroll through the valley, orchards, and villages.
When they arrived at the workshop in the second village, Master Jia frowned as he watched the wounded soldiers working inside and outside with crutches.
When Li Lao Er saw him, he led him into the workshop.
Several severely wounded veterans, unable to go to the orchard to pick fruit, had been tidying up the workshop courtyard these past few days. When they saw Li Lao Er come in, they all greeted him politely.
After asking about some trivial matters, Li Lao Er said, "In two more days, once the fruit is picked, our workshop will be making noodles. By then, we probably won't be able to rest anymore. Take advantage of these few days to rest more and don't overwork yourselves."
“No, Lord, we’re not tired.” One of the wounded soldiers said with a laugh, “We’re all eager to get back to work! Yesterday, the Marquis himself said that he would arrange marriages for us next year, so we need to earn more wages to buy betrothal gifts.”
"Oh, really?" Li Lao Er laughed. "If the Marquis says so, then it must be true. Next spring, have a few more big, fat pigs raised in the pigsty so you can have a proper celebration when you get married."
The wounded soldiers thanked them profusely, and when they got back to work, they put in even more effort.
Unable to contain himself, Master Jia asked one of the wounded soldiers, "Didn't the imperial court give you compensation money? Why are you still working here? Isn't it hard?"
Served at midnight~~
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