The group looked around but couldn't find the young woman. The sun was already quite strong, and someone as diligent as her probably wouldn't have the habit of sleeping in late.
"Didn't she say that she had to take care of both the children and her mother-in-law who was over fifty? It's alright if it's a bit hard, but it's okay to wait for her for a while."
Song Xiaoyu thought Zhang Xiue's words made sense, so she nodded and went back to her work.
After resting for two days, Qin Xiaoniang has almost recovered and is now able to come out and help everyone with some of the work.
"Oh my, it's only been a day, and the house has already been built so high?" Qin Xiaoniang said with a smile as she walked out of the tent.
Li Qiang tilted his head back, revealing two rows of white teeth. "We men are naturally good at this kind of rough work. If we don't put in some effort, wouldn't we be eating for nothing?"
Zhang Xiue carefully laid out all the oil paper in her hands, ready to start working.
But when she looked up, she saw Qin Xiaoniang standing in the wind, dressed very thinly, and she couldn't help but frown. "Why don't you rest for a few more days? With your health, you can't do much work. I'm afraid you'll collapse again and it will only make things worse for us!"
“We’re not that delicate. We’ve been through so much hardship. If we have to rest all the time, wouldn’t that just make you all suffer? Huan’er has been very obedient lately. I’m thinking of stopping him from breastfeeding so I can get stronger and help with the heavy work.”
"Mother, Huan-ge'er is not even a year old yet, how can he be weaned?"
Although Song He'er couldn't have the same deep feelings for Qin Xiaoniang as the original owner, they had developed some familial affection over time.
“If poor children don’t have wet nurses, wouldn’t they all be weaned early? It’s not that I’m being dramatic or complaining about not having a wet nurse, it’s just that our lives are already tight, and we can’t waste unnecessary effort on our child. Huan’er has grown teeth and can eat now. Boys shouldn’t be spoiled like this.”
Qin Xiaoniang's words were very firm, and it seemed that she had made up her mind. But this was for the best, since the breast milk had little nutritional value anyway, it was better not to drink it.
Song He'er smiled and replied, "Mother is so thoughtful. Then when you cook the porridge tonight, cook it a little softer so that Huan-ge'er can eat it too."
"Okay." Qin Xiaoniang smiled and walked over to Zhang Xiue to help her tidy up the oil-paper umbrellas on the ground.
Although Qin Xiaoniang wasn't a particularly prominent mistress in the General's Mansion, she was still considered a proper mistress. Therefore, she didn't have much contact with the outside world, let alone do these kinds of handicrafts. Although her family was in business, she only knew the details of management and had never personally handled any of the tasks.
“These umbrellas are quite unique. In the Central Plains, I’ve only ever seen them in Qiantang…” Qin Xiaoniang said with an appreciative look in her eyes.
Zhang Xiue was so focused on her work that she had no time to observe these things.
“I’ve never been to Qiantang, but I know that the scenery of the water towns in Jiangnan is very unique. Hmm, I heard that it often rains in Nanzhao, but we are trapped here for life and have no chance to go and see it…” Zhang Xiu’e couldn’t help but sigh.
Upon hearing this, Song He'er couldn't help but recall an important matter.
Could it be that Song Xiaoqi's blatant accumulation of wealth indicates he's already planning to flee and escape to another country to survive?
If this heartless man leaves, those left to take the blame will inevitably be people like them.
She absolutely cannot stand by and watch this happen...
"Third Uncle, I want to ask you something."
Song Xiaoyu rolled up her sleeves and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Do you know which officials my father used to associate with when he was in court? Were there any envoys from other countries among them?"
Upon hearing this, Song Xiaoyu was slightly taken aback, then asked in confusion, "Why are you asking these questions? When I was an official in the court, I rarely discussed matters of the court with your father. Besides, I was a civil official, and he was a military official. Our affairs were different, so naturally we had nothing to discuss..."
"Oh, it's nothing... I just feel that my father is acting very strangely lately. These exiles in Xinzhou are living such miserable lives, so why is he indulging in such reckless behavior? He must have connections. I'm just worried that he'll become too audacious and do something that the court can't tolerate, which could implicate us!"
Song He'er couldn't directly tell Jiang Huaifu what he had told her, so she could only tell him the story slowly and indirectly.
To everyone's surprise, Song Xiaoyu laughed heartily upon hearing this, clearly showing that she didn't believe it at all.
"You little girl, you're overthinking things. Before your father came in, he had already spoken to his colleagues. They gave him a lot of money because of the favors he had done for them in the past, which is why they have their current wealth. As for other things, he probably wouldn't dare to do them, right?"
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