Chapter 122 Time Flies: Bao Beiyuanjiang and Liu Dingqin
Although the first person of the third generation of the Ye family was a young boy, Ye Daji and his father were quite happy.
They originally doted on the original owner of the body and did not favor boys over boys.
What's wrong, buddy?
Look at their little brother, how capable he is!
Like Jiang Liu, who is not only hardworking and resilient, but also found a good son-in-law for Jiang Dahe.
So, as long as they are one's own children, what does it matter if they are girls or boys?
They are all good kids!
In addition, this precious grandson was someone they had longed for for many years. Therefore, after the grandson was born, the two of them did not consult Jiang Ji, the scholar, but directly named the grandson Ruyi.
Ye Ruyi.
Auspicious and easy to remember.
This made Liu Yi secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
He cherishes every child he has raised with such care, even if it's a boy.
The two elders didn't give him a hard time because of his gender, and everyone was happy.
He made the right decision by insisting on marrying Ye Liang back then.
Now he lives in a spacious house and earns several taels of silver every month.
Even her brothers from her maternal family made a lot of money.
His mother would praise him every few days, saying things like he had good ideas and good vision, unlike before when she felt sorry for him suffering while complaining that he didn't listen to his parents.
A happy mood will help your body recover better.
Ye's father was also willing to spend money. Throughout the entire month of his confinement, he ate chicken, duck, pork, and fish in various ways to nourish his body, and there was always meat at every meal.
Therefore, at the baby's one-month celebration, he hadn't lost any weight compared to his pregnancy.
But he was in excellent spirits and looked radiant.
After a month of careful feeding, Xiao Ruyi has become much plumper and is no longer afraid of people. When Ye Li holds him, he not only doesn't cry, but also stretches out his little chubby hands to interact with Ye Li.
Moreover, his little face, which was only a month old, felt even softer than Jiang Ya's.
Ye Li was overjoyed and even stopped eating, holding the little cutie tightly, unwilling to let go.
Jiang Ji watched from the side, feeling that time was tight and the task was heavy.
If he fails the provincial examination next year, then he and Ye Li should indeed have a baby.
He'll be twenty next year.
Since we'll have to give birth sooner or later anyway, we might as well have it sooner. Once the baby is grown, she can go with the couple to the south of the Yangtze River.
But then, he had no interest in studying.
From Ye Li's pregnancy to raising her child to two years old, three years have passed in the blink of an eye.
He will most likely fail the next provincial examination as well.
Then he can only hope for the provincial examination seven years later.
...
Having achieved success at a young age, he was actually somewhat complacent and arrogant.
Making him wait for seven years would surely wear down most of his spirit and ambition.
Let's give it our all!
After Xiao Ruyi's full moon celebration, Jiang Ji returned to the county school and studied even harder than before.
He even forbade Ye Li from visiting him.
First, it's cold.
Secondly, he wanted to focus all his energy on reading.
If you spend such a long time at noon and in the evening reading, whether it's memorizing or seeking advice from classmates, tutors, or Master Han, you can learn a lot.
Jiang Ji worked hard, and Ye Li naturally supported him.
It's already November, and the weather is gloomy every day, with occasional snowfalls. Since Jiang Ji doesn't want him to go out frequently, he'll just stay home and get through the winter.
Last month, Jiang Cheng got married. His wife is the daughter of a scholar who is not only literate but also gentle and virtuous.
Originally, he wanted Jiang Da's wife to take over his tofu-making job so he could go to the county town in the morning.
Winter days are short and dark, so he didn't really want to go to see Jiang Ji in the evening.
But now that Jiang Ji wants to focus on his studies, he continues to work in the workshop.
Actually, this is fine too.
He observed Zhang Xian for half a year before allowing her to join the workshop.
If Jiang Da's wife were to enter the workshop now, Zhang Xian would definitely feel uncomfortable.
Zhang Xian's cousin-in-law is actually a good person. He is cheerful, efficient, and makes excellent pickles. Ever since he married into the family, Ye Li has stopped eating Liang Erxiang's pickled vegetables and started eating his.
He now also makes taro paste, and whether it's washing the taro or mashing it, he does it quickly and well.
Making taro paste is actually quite hard work; you have to come over the afternoon before to wash the taro.
The next day, I had to come over early in the morning to cook and press taro.
In the dead of winter, all the employees were his own people, and the profit margin on taro paste was really high, so Ye Li waved his hand and raised everyone's wages from thirty coins a day to seventy coins a day.
In this way, Jiang Dahe, Jiang Tong and others' wages, including the workshop and taro paste, amounted to one hundred coins a day.
This made the villagers envious.
But when it comes to making taro paste, they really can't get involved.
If you want to make more money, you can only hope to turn into an egg.
Fortunately, after a year of promotion, the preserved eggs have gained several more sales channels.
Besides Boss Yue, several other merchants in Fucheng have signed long-term contracts with Yezaopo.
Businessmen from neighboring counties have also set their sights on this business.
In this way, even in winter, preserved eggs will not be hard to sell.
However, compared to the large number of business travelers from other places during the summer, the number of preserved egg jars in every household has decreased significantly.
After a year of frenzy, each family had saved more than a hundred taels of silver by making eggs.
Therefore, I'm fatter this year than last year.
Even the most frugal families, after receiving the New Year's gifts from the workshop, would go to the county town to buy New Year's goods.
But Ye Li's family was much quieter this New Year than last year.
This year, Ye Liang, Ye Adie, and Liu Yi are all away, and they won't come after the New Year either—Tang Yu also became pregnant at the beginning of the twelfth lunar month.
Previously, due to the birth of Xiao Ruyi, Ye Wen and Tang Yu temporarily gave up the idea of renting a shop in town. There was a lot of work to be done at home, and the two of them could lend a hand at home.
As a result, at the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, Tang Yu suddenly vomited while eating pig's trotters. She went to the town to see a doctor, who found out that she was indeed pregnant.
This made Father Ye extremely happy.
Right now, Xiao Ruyi can't be separated from her, Liu Yi is completely tied up, and Tang Yu also needs to stabilize her pregnancy.
Therefore, Father Ye did not plan to return to the workshop.
The Ye family didn't come, and our own family members are all quite busy.
Jiang Ji spends all day reading in Jiang Mai's room, and can only see her when she is eating or sleeping.
He was more self-disciplined than Ye Li was during his college entrance exam.
Jiang Ji's actions made Bao Beiyuan feel embarrassed to come and bother him this year.
There's no rush for him and Jiang Liu; they'll be engaged in another six months anyway. The imperial examinations are more important.
Jiang Ya, that little fellow, hasn't lost her interest in needlework, and she often goes to Jiang Liu and Jiang Yu to ask for advice.
Jiang Liu was also extremely busy. Besides making taro paste and working in the workshop, she also had to make clothes and shoes for Jiang Ji, Jiang Mai, Jiang Ya, and Ye Li because Ye Li didn't know how to sew.
Of course, Bao Beiyuan's contribution is indispensable.
More importantly, she wanted to go to the village school to learn to read.
Everyone was busy running around, but Ye Li was so idle that he grew moss. After the New Year, when Jiang Ji and Jiang Mai returned to the county school and private school, only he and Jiang Ya were left at home, which made the house seem even more deserted.
Fortunately, the weather warmed up, so he handed over the tofu-making job to Jiang Da's wife, and he often went to the county town himself.
Sometimes she would even go to the Ye family to see Xiao Ruyi.
He wouldn't go to see Jiang Ji, but he could bring Jiang Mai some food and drinks, and chat with Yu Cai for a bit while he was at it.
Yu Cai never expected that Jiang Ji would go to such extremes besides living apart from Ye Li in order to study.
Moreover, it didn't just last for one or two months, but for almost half a year.
That perseverance is truly admirable.
Compared to Jiang Ji, his elder brother seemed much more lax.
Thinking of what his father often said, when he returned to the Wu family and saw Yu Shiting, he compared his elder brother with Jiang Ji.
Upon hearing this, Wu Fulang immediately began to urge Yu Shiting on.
He was supposed to be Cai Ge'er's support, but he only talked the talk; in terms of actual actions, he was not even a tenth as good as Jiang Ji.
With such laziness, how could one possibly pass the imperial examination?
Yu Shiting blushed deeply after being scolded and repeatedly admitted his mistake.
Previously, he had tested Peng Ximing's scholarship, and over the past year, Peng Ximing had been well-behaved and had no intention of studying, so he became somewhat lax.
But who would have thought that Jiang Ji, who was ten years younger than him, would have such perseverance and willpower.
It truly made him feel ashamed.
He may have outshone Yu Shixin, but his life cannot be limited to competing with Yu Shixin alone.
From then on, Yu Shiting also became diligent and, like Jiang Ji, lived the life of an ascetic.
However, he was older and had many constraints. Although he worked hard physically, he could not immerse himself in the ocean of the Four Books and Five Classics as Jiang Ji did.
At times like these, he can only recall that scene from years ago to urge himself on.
Only by passing the imperial examination can one truly become a reliable support for the Wu family.
Yu Shiting focused on his studies, while his wife, having nothing else to do, frequently visited Banxianju.
Her eldest son, Yu Liqian, has already started studying at a private school.
Her youngest son, Yu Linian, will stay at home temporarily and be personally taught by her.
Actually, she had ulterior motives.
Because she suddenly discovered that Ye Li often brought Jiang Ya and Jiang Liu to Banxianju.
Yu Linian is eight years old this year, but compared to Yu Liqian when he was eight, he is not only half a head shorter, but also thinner.
This made her secretly anxious.
If she doesn't grow tall enough, it will affect her marriage prospects in the future—by then, her father-in-law might have already retired from his position as county magistrate.
Therefore, upon learning that Jiang Ya often visited Banxianju, she also brought Yu Linian over so they could have a meal together.
If you want to grow taller, you definitely need to eat first.
Although Jiang Ya is a year older, she still eats with great enthusiasm, eating quickly and with gusto, using both her little hands and chopsticks. It's hard not to eat more of her food too.
It's a pity that such a cute child isn't my own.
Ye Li often brought Jiang Ya and Jiang Liu to Banxianju because of Bao Beiyuan.
Bao Beiyuan would come to Banxianju every morning to deliver drinks. Moreover, he was about to finish his twenty-five-month mourning period, so Ye Li brought Jiang Liu over so that he could meet with Jiang Liu more often.
For the past six months, Bao Beiyuan has gone to Yezaopo at least twice a month.
Jiang Liu would ask Ye Li to bring him food and clothes almost every week.
The two didn't meet often, but each time they did, it warmed Bao Beiyuan's heart.
Jiang Liu had kept his literacy a secret from him until the New Year.
Jiang Liu had already memorized the entire menu of Banxianju and could even keep accounts, which made him instantly envious.
Given Jiang Liu's age and the numerous daily tasks she had, the effort she put in to achieve this in such a short time was all for him!
Actually, after the last analogy about wild grass, he asked Jiang Shun a lot of questions about planting crops.
But to his surprise, Jiang Liu was also trying to get closer to him.
He is so lucky to have such a wife!
Therefore, when the twenty-five-month mourning period ended, he went to propose marriage the very next day.
The day when you can get engaged is the day when you are a good person.
On this day, Jiang Dahe smiled more than he had when Jiang Jizhong was a scholar.
He even set up two tables of wine so he could enjoy himself with his close friends and family.
When the villagers learned of the marriage, they all came to offer their congratulations.
In the past two years, as the whole village has become richer, the standards of young people of marriageable age have risen considerably.
But Bao Beiyuan is a truly presentable son-in-law.
Moreover, the dowry was two hundred taels of silver, an amount never seen before in Yezaopo.
Aside from having neither land nor a house, he excels in everything.
But this doesn't affect anything. With the income from drinks and preserved eggs, the young couple could buy a house in the county town.
Jiang Dahe listened to the villagers' words and his face lit up with joy.
He'll definitely treat such a good son-in-law like his own son.
Therefore, on the second day after the engagement, he not only returned the two hundred taels of betrothal money, but also added another two hundred taels so that Bao Beiyuan could buy a shop.
Bao Beiyuan was deeply moved.
Since Uncle Dahe treats him like his own son, it would be hurtful for him to refuse again.
However, there's no rush to get a shop.
First, no suitable one was found.
Secondly, he has found a shop he likes.
The shop he desired was Bao's Noodle Shop.
This year, Bao Beixing and his wife went to the south of the Yangtze River again, which angered Gong Lisheng so much that he cursed them several times, saying that the family fortune left by his father would be squandered by Bao Beixing and his wife in a few years.
The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart.
Indeed, given the couple's laziness and extravagance, they might really have to sell the Bao family noodle shop in a few years.
Bao's Noodle Shop is where he grew up, though it holds some unpleasant memories for him.
But that was the result of his parents' hard work.
He certainly didn't want the shop to fall into the hands of others.
Therefore, he plans to wait and see.
Anyway, he and Jiang Liu won't get married until next year.
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