Chapter 228 Having a Younger Brother
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A year has passed in a flash.
Spring has arrived again.
Ye Wan received a letter from Lin Anyuan, instructing her to set off for Jingzhou.
Prince Jing had already captured Jingzhou, and one more step forward would have brought him straight to the capital, but he was stopped by a general surnamed Wei.
Ye Wan didn't hear much more news; she was always very busy.
"Madam, we've gathered all the chicken feathers, duck feathers, and wool we could find. We've even used our spare clothes to pad our winter clothes for this year, but we're still short a lot. What should we do?"
Lingniang came to report to Ye Wan on the winter clothing reserves.
King Jing's army was growing stronger, recruiting more soldiers. Providing these soldiers with food, clothing, shelter, and transportation was a major problem.
In the past two years, at Ye Wan's suggestion, a large number of high-yield crops have been planted on the land in Ganzhou, while wheat is planted in Jizhou and chickens, rabbits, cattle and sheep are raised on a large scale, so there is an abundance of food and fodder.
Of course, there were many obstacles along the way, which were all resolved with the help of Lady Lin, the wife of Prince Jing.
Although Ye Wan had never met this Madam Lin, she would send her things from time to time.
From small items like needles and thread to food and drinks, and from large items like gold and silver jewelry.
Mrs. Lin would occasionally reciprocate with gifts.
The relationship between the two was less like that of superior and subordinate and more like that of close friends. However, Mrs. Lin refused Ye Wan's request to meet.
Daya chimed in, "Mother, the cotton is all controlled by the powerful An family. It will be extremely difficult for ordinary people to buy large quantities."
"An family?" Ye Wan was taken aback.
"Isn't the An family in Jiangnan? Can cotton be grown there?"
The An family is the family Lin Anyuan's biological father belongs to.
“Mother, the An family has the largest cotton plantation. The cotton produced here is basically all from the An family. Three generations make a family, five generations make a clan, and ten generations make a family of noble lineage. The wealth accumulated by a family of noble lineage is beyond our imagination.” Daya had only learned these things after reading many books.
"Perhaps we can buy it from Anjia."
Ye Wan frowned, "If we buy it, it's still uncertain whether the An family can sell it."
According to her estimate, there is a 90% chance that they won't be sold.
And then there's Lin Anyuan's identity...
Lingniang, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up, "Madam, could you take me with you when you go to Jingzhou this time?"
As if afraid of being misunderstood by Ye Wan, she hurriedly explained, "Madam, don't worry, I have no feelings for Master anymore. I just want to go and see bigger places."
“I misunderstood before, but I have corrected myself now. I will never get any closer to the master again.”
After Lingniang finished speaking, she lowered her head, feeling very uneasy, afraid that Ye Wan would not agree.
She's not young anymore; she's reached the age to get married.
The older women in the neighborhood introduced her to many options, but none of them appealed to her. Having seen the good ones, how could she settle for the bad? So she wanted to explore bigger places, hoping for more possibilities.
She was unwilling to compromise herself.
"Alright, then you can leave things here to Madam Hu and go with her later."
Hearing Ye Wan agree so readily, Lingniang was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.
"Thank you, Madam. I'll go back and prepare right away."
Lingniang left with a happy expression.
Er Ya spoke up only after everyone had left, "Mother, aren't you afraid she has ulterior motives and will turn around and try to seduce Father again?"
Ye Wan sent someone over, "Qingdai, you must remember, if someone else takes it away, it means they had that intention. If they didn't, you could kick them and they wouldn't leave."
Er Ya laughed immediately, "Isn't this just like my pet dog, Da Huang? No matter how much I rub it, it won't move."
Dahuang is a puppy she picked up and has raised for half a year.
Sanya swallowed her snack. "Second sister, last time I saw your big yellow dog chasing after a female dog's tail. I bet it won't be long before it gets snatched away."
"Sanya, believe it or not, I'll hit you!"
Er Ya pretended to reach out her hand.
Sanya immediately dodged, "You can't beat me, Second Sister. Those fancy moves you've learned are no match for me at all."
All three sisters are trained in martial arts.
However, her eldest and second eldest sisters only learned a few self-defense techniques, unlike her who did.
The two sisters were arguing when Lady Dou arrived.
“Madam, I heard you’re going to Jingzhou and taking Lingniang with you. I want to go with you too.”
You can't leave me behind!
Ye Wan asked her to sit down and talk. "Even if you hadn't come to me, I would have come to you. Your Dou Xin is also in Jingzhou. He specifically mentioned in his letter that he wanted to bring you along. Do you think I would abandon you?"
Upon hearing this, Lady Dou couldn't help but laugh.
After laughing for a while, her face fell with worry. She placed her hand on her abdomen and said, "Madam, do you think I ruined my health when I was a courtesan? Otherwise, how come I haven't been able to conceive after being married to Dou Xin for so long?"
Ye Wan looked at her and asked, "Madam Dou, do you really want to have a child?"
Dou Niangzi smiled and said, "Who among us wouldn't want to have a child? Having a child means having a home, and it makes me feel more fulfilled."
"Unfortunately, my wish may not come true."
She drank a lot of cold medicine to prevent pregnancy back then, which is probably why she hasn't been able to conceive for so long.
"Who said that? Why didn't you come to find me sooner! Wait a minute!"
Ye Wan went to the inner room and came out quickly.
"This is a secret recipe someone gave me. I've made it into pills. You should take one pill a day on the way there. I guarantee you'll get pregnant in the first month after we arrive."
As Ye Wan spoke, she handed a small bottle of pills to Dou Niangzi.
"real?"
Lady Dou was overjoyed.
This was an absolutely delightful surprise. "Thank you, Madam. You are the goddess in my heart. From now on, if you tell me to go east, I will never go west; if you tell me to cuddle the dog, I will never beat the chicken."
"I will only listen to you from now on."
The lady wouldn't lie to her; she'll be pregnant soon.
Ye Wan joked on purpose, "You're not listening to your husband anymore? I'll make you leave him and come with me, are you willing?"
“I would be willing, I would be more than willing, but I doubt Lord Lin would agree.” Lady Dou laughed.
"Alright, alright, hurry up and pack your bags, and tell them everything that needs to be said."
"yes."
Lady Dou left happily.
"Mother, do you really have a secret elixir for conceiving a child?"
Er Ya asked curiously.
"It's fake, it's just some medicine to warm the uterus and regulate the body. How long have they been together? They're not young anymore, and they've both been through a lot, so it's not that easy for them to have a child."
"If we stay together every day, I'll get pregnant very quickly."
Ye Wan's words had a psychological effect.
Of course, those really are good medicinal herbs.
These were all tonics from her spatial storage, which she and Hui Gu had made into pills for unforeseen circumstances.
"Huh? Mother, you're such a liar. I thought there really was such a medicine, and I was even thinking that you would give us a little brother."
Ye Wan's lips twitched upon hearing this.
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