I had been worried about Gongxian Hutong, but I didn't expect that my eldest brother not only knew about it, but also rushed to Xu's house early in the morning to inform them.

Thinking of this, Wu Niang's slight uneasiness disappeared.

She whispered to Eleventh Lady: "What did Big Brother say when he came?"

Eleventh Lady only mentioned what Luo Zhenxing had advised her not to cause discord between her and her husband for the sake of the child.

Wu Niang then asked Shiyi Niang what her plans were.

"What plans can I make?" Eleventh Lady said, "If that's the case, it depends on what the Marquis says."

"That's right." Wu Niang said with a smile, "You are a stepmother after all, so it's not convenient for you to take the lead."

Eleventh Lady nodded, not wanting to talk to her about this anymore, and smiled and changed the subject: "Is my sister healthy?"

"Yeah." Wu Niang smiled sweetly, "I'm fine. I eat and sleep every day, and I've gained a lot of weight."

"Being able to eat and sleep is a blessing." Eleventh Lady chatted with her with a smile, "I wonder what my sister likes to eat? I can ask someone to prepare some."

Wu Niang sighed after hearing this: "How can I be as picky as I was when I was a girl? I just eat whatever is available!"

Eleventh Lady heard her words with hidden meanings, but couldn't figure out what she meant, so she pretended to be confused: "I see that Fifth Brother's wife likes to eat sour bamboo shoots especially when she is pregnant. How about I ask someone to serve some for you to try? If it tastes good, take some back."

Wu Niang shook her head: "Forget it. It's easy for a person to go from frugality to luxury, but it's hard to go from luxury to frugality. I'm afraid that I'm used to eating, and once I can't eat, I'll feel uncomfortable."

He's complaining in front of me like this. Could it be that he's set his eyes on some new business and wants me to join in?

Eleventh Lady thought for a while and said with a smile, "Look at what my sister said. Sour bamboo shoots are not a good thing. If you like to eat them, I will ask Dongqing to help you make them." Then she stood up and called Luyun, asking her to bring a small plate of sour bamboo shoots.

Green Cloud left immediately.

"Alas!" Wu Niang sighed as she looked at him, "This is in line with the old saying - every family has its own problems. You, you don't have to worry about food or clothing, and you can get people to serve you whenever you say something, but the Marquis... As for me, my husband is handsome and well-educated, but his family is poor and has no foundation. We have to rely on my dowry to make a living. Others don't know, but you should know it best. We talk about how much dowry we have, but when it comes to the actual life, we can't even make a living. Otherwise, how could I show up in public and do business?" As she spoke, her smile became bitter, "Who knew that my luck was so bad that I encountered a heavy snowstorm that has not been seen for decades. I lost hundreds of taels of silver in vain."

Eleventh Lady has also lived through hard times. If she were in their shoes, she would feel heartbroken as well. She can understand Fifth Lady.

She advised Wu Niang: "Just think of this as a lesson. If you decide on a business in the future, start small. Once you are confident, it won't be too late to expand it."

"That's the only way I can think of it." Wu Niang said helplessly, "Your brother-in-law also advised me that. He said that we should just think of it as a bad year with no harvest."

Although Qian Ming is a bit snobbish, he has his own demeanor. Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "Since your brother-in-law thinks so, you should relax."

Wu Niang hummed, and then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she leaned over the table and asked Shiyi Niang in a low voice, "How is your dowry?"

Eleventh Lady didn't expect her to ask about this and paused.

Wu Niang said, "One is sandy land, the other is sloping land. Not to mention that we don't know the difference between the five kinds of crops, even the maid next to us came from the south, so how could she know how to grow crops on sandy land and sloping land? It must be difficult for my sister too!"

"Yes, I'm worried about this!" Eleventh Lady did not deny this, "But my knowledge is limited, and I don't have any particularly good ideas. If Fifth Sister has any good ideas, please tell me."

"Of course." Wu Niang agreed readily, "You and I are of the same mind. If I don't help you, who else can I help?" Then she showed a sincere look, "However, you really need to spend more effort on this matter. You know, you are different from me. I live in a small family with food in the pot and clothes on my body. But you have a big family and complicated and tangled personnel. If you don't have some private money, I'm afraid it will be difficult to reward the maids, let alone subdue those housekeepers who think they are more respectable than anyone else because they have served the lady!"

Wu Niang was right.

She was really worried.

If nothing unexpected happens, I will definitely be in charge of the Xu family's household next year. It is inevitable to invite these housekeepers to have a snack and give them a few pieces of jewelry to win their hearts. But the Xu family is not a poor family. The upbringing and living are very important. These housekeepers are very generous. If there are not enough things, it may not win people's hearts. Instead, they will be looked down upon. In the future, when I am doing my job, I will pretend to obey but disobey, which will make me lose my dignity.

Seeing that Shiyi Niang didn't say anything, Wu Niang lowered her voice and said, "Sister, there is a business that is very profitable. If it can be successful, it will not only help you out of your predicament, but also allow me to give birth peacefully."

There was a hint of helplessness in Eleventh Lady's eyes, and she politely refused, "Others may not know, but sister should know it best. I can't come up with extra capital." She said something very skillful, "I can't come up with extra money", giving people the illusion that although I have money, it is not much.

She did this on purpose.

If she said she had money, she was afraid that Wu Niang would ask for too much and she would not be able to pay, which would ruin the harmony the two sisters maintained on the surface. If she said she had no money, she was afraid that Wu Niang would misunderstand her and think she was complaining about being poor and would not want to help her.

Wu Niang smiled and covered her sleeves after hearing this: "This business requires no capital."

Eleventh Lady's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, and she calmly reminded her, "How can there be such a thing as pie falling from the sky?"

"This is a piece of cake!" Wu Niang laughed, "Of course there are still some difficulties. However, this matter is difficult for others, but it is a piece of cake for Eleventh Sister."

What is difficult for others is a piece of cake for me... It can only be possible that he is using Xu Lingyi's name!

Eleventh Lady felt a chill in her heart, but she still smiled with a glimmer of hope: "Are you going to open an embroidery building? I am somewhat confident about this."

"Why open an embroidery shop? That also requires capital." Wu Niang smiled and told Shiyi Niang about the salt permit. "... Tell me, is this a pie in the sky?"

Eleventh Lady felt a little upset.

Merchants pursue profits. Who would push away the money they have earned? The Wen family is either setting up bait, using a business that can easily make a lot of money to lure Qian Ming and his wife, and then gradually making it easier from easy to difficult, so that the two can't stop and even take risks in the end; or although this business is profitable, it is not easy to succeed, and even the money earned is the relationship money.

If you go to Fan Weigang, you would have to spend 1,800 dan of grain to get rid of the middlemen, but now you only need 500 dan. Where does the rest of the profit come from? Naturally, it comes from those officials who exploit you. In this way, it is equivalent to snatching food from a tiger's mouth. It's okay once or twice, but if it goes on for a long time, I'm afraid that even if you are the king of the world, those officials will still be resentful and find an opportunity to trip you up. At that time, it is not impossible that a thousand-mile long embankment will collapse because of an ant hole.

She thought of the words that Luo Zhenxing had advised her.

Obviously, she was treated like an ignorant child...

Eleventh Lady pretended to be nervous: "I don't know Lord Fan... I'm afraid the Marquis will have to come forward..."

Wu Niang turned her eyes and said what Qian Ming had told her when they came: "This is a small matter, why do you need the Marquis to show up? You just need to tell the housekeeper at home and get Marquis Zhang's name card. We will help you with the rest."

"This is not good!" Eleventh Lady seemed a little flustered. "What should I say if the Marquis asks? No, no!" She shook her head like a rattle.

"Oh, the Marquis has so many things to do every day, how could he pay attention to these things." Wu Niang laughed, "You are too timid."

Eleventh Lady smiled awkwardly: "Sister, you know I'm timid. I'd better tell the Marquis first before making any plans!"

Seeing that she was tight-lipped, Wu Niang pretended to be disappointed with her son and sighed, "What can I do about you? I am worried about you, but you act like nothing happened. Don't think that I, your sister, am too straightforward. You should know that you and the Marquis have been married for a long time. He is not even 30 years old this year, and he has a concubine's eldest son, a legitimate son, and a concubine's eldest daughter. You should be aware of some things. You should know that you still have a long life ahead of you, and you may have another concubine come in one day. If you don't plan for yourself, you should also plan for your future children and make some money for yourself. Let's not talk about anything else, just take the Fifth Lady in your mansion. When she married in, she had a dowry of 128 loads. She was a county lady conferred by the court and the eldest daughter of the Dingnan Marquis's mansion. She was prominent, right? But she still opened a shop outside. Everyone knows that if you have money in your hands, you won't be panicked. Don't act like a child, afraid of this and that..."

Eleventh Lady listened attentively, and responded in a nod, but did not join in on the topic.

Wu Niang saw that Shiyi Niang was afraid of trouble no matter what she said. Although she was anxious, she didn't want to push her too much, so she slowly led the topic to the child: "...There's nothing to be afraid of. He's not the eldest son. Wait a few years, find him a wife, and give him some money to let him go out and live alone."

Seeing that it was getting late, Eleventh Lady interrupted her and said, "Sister, come over and have lunch here!"

When Wu Niang came, she had planned to go back early to report the news to Gongxian Hutong. Now that she knew Luo Zhenxing had arrived before her, she calmed down a bit. Thinking about Qian Ming asking her to spend more time with Shiyi Niang, she smiled and replied, "I haven't kowtowed to the Madam yet!"

Seeing that she agreed readily, Eleventh Lady called Amber in and told her to arrange lunch and send someone to ask about Xu Lingyi's letter. Then she changed her clothes and went to the lady's place with Fifth Lady.

The old lady was very happy to see Wu Niang and asked her many questions. Just then a maid came to report that Xu Lingyi was having lunch in the outer courtyard, so the old lady called the third lady to accompany him and invited Wu Niang to have lunch with her. After lunch, she personally sent her to the door of the house before returning.

Wu Niang's expression was somewhat uncertain. She sat down in Room 11 before she said, "I didn't expect you to please mother-in-law."

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "Mother is kind to others, but it's not like I would try to please her."

Wu Niang didn't say anything. She felt a little bitter when she thought about the respectful look on the eldest wife's face every time she mentioned the old lady.

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I have some personal matters these two days, so I can't update twice a week. I will update after I am done with this busy period! Please understand. O(∩_∩)O~