"Let's see who dares to attack!" Qiao Feng stamped her feet and shouted. After all, she was much older than the two of them and still had some prestige, so she successfully intimidated them.
But just calming her down wasn't enough; she also had to solve the problem. She spread out her palms and asked, "Yaoyao, tell me, why are you so sure this coin is yours?"
Sanniu pointed at Yuanbao and said, "There's my scent on it, Yuanbao can smell it. If it's not mine, I won't fight with her for it."
"What's at my feet is mine!" Erniu glared at her angrily.
"Both of you, stop arguing. This is easy to handle." Qiao Feng said, "If Yuan Bao can smell it, so can Jin Bao. Why not just let Jin Bao smell it?"
Erniu cried out "Wow!" and started to cry again. She pointed at Yuanbao and Sanniu while crying, "It touched it with its mouth, and she also took it with her hands. Jinbao can only smell the scent of the two of them."
Qiao Feng was left with no other options but to wait for her master and her father to come back and deal with the matter. She collected the extra coin and said, "This money belongs to me. Neither of you can have it."
Qiaofeng then went to the kitchen to boil an egg, peeled it and brought it to Erniu to apply on the corners of her eyes. Erniu was reluctant at first. She refused, but Sanniu agreed. "Sister Qiaofeng, it hurts here too." She nodded to her chin.
"I won't give it to you!" Erniu took the peeled egg from Qiaofeng's hand. "Wow, it's a little hot, really hot." She giggled as she tossed the egg in her hands. Seeing Sanniu staring at her, she shouted, "Sister, do you want to try it? It's fun."
Sanniu cupped her hands and threw the egg into her palms. Sanniu exclaimed, "Wow, it's really hot."
Qiao Feng was speechless: "Did I boil these eggs for you to play with?"
The egg was white and tender. Erniu couldn't help but take a bite and passed it to Sanniu. The two kids took turns taking a bite, and time flew by in their crisp laughter...
In a blink of an eye, Ding Youtian's three-year term is about to end. The next step is whether to be promoted to an official in other provinces or return to Beijing, but the court has not issued an edict yet.
The people of Danyang were reluctant to see the couple leave. In the last month, people came every day to donate gifts. In just three years, the population of Danyang County had increased to more than 20,000, apple orchards were spread all over the county, and many families had apple trees planted in their yards.
In addition, the sweet potatoes sent by the village head were also planted by every household in the county. Jian Ning also taught the local people how to make various foods with sweet potatoes. The trees they led the people to plant have also grown into towering trees.
As there were more trees, there were more and more wild animals on the mountain. However, Jian Ning had never used the spiritual spring water to trap wild animals again. It would take at least ten or twenty years before he could hunt them. Now was not the time for hunting because the mountains were high and the forests were dense. Official notices were posted in every street and alley in the city, strictly prohibiting people from going up the mountain to hunt.
In the past three years, Jian Ning has never left Danyang. She didn't even have time to go back to see the completion of the Princess's Mansion. Ma Fuquan was there to check on the latest situation of Dabao, Da Niu, A'man and Da Jun. She and Ding Youtian could see the changes in them every once in a while.
Dabao and Dajun were already twelve years old, and eighteen-year-old Ma Xiaomai had been promoted from centurion to captain of a thousand men. He had written a thick stack of letters to Qiaofeng over the past three years. Jian Ning had no idea what they were about, but Sanniu, with her sharp eyes, had snuck a peek at them a few times while Qiaofeng was reading. She told Jian Ning that Xiaomai always wrote about how many bowls of rice he had eaten and what time he got up.
Qiaofeng locked the letter and the small items sent to her by Ma Xiaomai in a box. Jian Ning opened a "People's Medical Clinic" for her next to the bookstore. Now Qiaofeng can sit and see patients alone.
That evening, Duan Xinyan and Erlangzi came back from outside. Both of them had happy faces when they entered the backyard. Duan Xinyan and Erlangzi had gotten married a year and a half ago. Because the journey was long, the King of Pingnan and his wife did not come, but Aunt Li came with Duan Xinping and his wife.
Although Erlangzi could not afford the betrothal gift, the King and Queen of Pingnan still gave Duan Xinyan a lot of dowry, and Feng Zheng, her maid who used to serve her, and two others also came along.
"Eldest sister, I just went to the clinic. Qiaofeng took my pulse and found out I'm going to be a mother!" She came in and reported the good news to Jian Ning with a beaming face.
"Congratulations! When your eldest brother-in-law's appointment comes down, if he's not going back to the capital, do you two go with us to the appointment or settle down in the capital? Mother wrote back recently saying that you want to settle down in the capital, and she will ask your brother-in-law to find a small house for you in the capital. Father and mother will buy it for you, and you don't have to spend a penny yourself."
Duan Xinyan quickly took Jian Ning's arm and said, "Then write back to mother and ask her to buy a house for us. For the time being, we will follow you. Wherever you go, we will go."
"No need." Erlangzi's hair had grown longer, tied up with a silver hairpin. It was no longer the same as before. He said seriously, "Since you're marrying me, I'll buy you a house. Why should I ask your parents for money?"
Seeing Duan Xinyan's face fall, Jian Ning nudged her with her elbow. "Don't worry, Xinping and I will buy you a house in the capital. I'll take the lion's share, and you're not allowed to argue with him about it." After that, she said to Erlangzi, "Don't worry too much. Just think of it as a gift from us two older sisters to your child. Accept it with peace of mind. When you can afford to buy your own house in the future, you can rent it out or resell it."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ma Fuquan sent a message. He heard from Huo Jincheng that Ding Youtian had been transferred and was still the county magistrate, but this time he was going to Xinggang County in the southernmost part, which borders the Yue Kingdom.
Xinggang County, part of Baiya Commandery, borders Zhuling County. Qin Yifan, whose term expired last year, remained in office as magistrate of Zhuling County. When Ding Youtian learned he would be relocating to Xinggang County, he frowned and remained silent for a long time. Jian Ning assumed he was reluctant to go.
"You don't want to? Wouldn't it be nice to go there? We can get back to Dingxian Village in one day by water, and it would take less than two hours to get to Zhuling County by carriage."
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