Li Sanniu's family is currently building a new house, and Yan Qingqing is worried that he won't be able to make it in time, so she's thinking about whether to postpone the construction of the new workshop.
But Village Chief Yang was so enthusiastic that after returning home, he had someone clean up the land west of their village.
But we're waiting for Yan Qingqing to give the order to start work.
Yan Qingqing was having a headache over choosing a supervisor.
Although the Li family is developing rapidly in many aspects, its manpower is not keeping up. Yan Qingqing doesn't have many people she can use.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing sighed. Talented people are often hard to come by.
Just as Yan Qingqing was in a dilemma, the gatekeeper hurriedly delivered a letter, saying it came from the border.
Yan Qingqing was overjoyed to hear this, knowing that the letter from the border must be from Li Xiangjian.
Li Xiangjian wrote a letter home after he left.
Yan Qingqing quickly opened the letter and read it. Li Xiangjian said that he was doing well at the border and told his family not to worry about him.
They had a small-scale conflict with the people of Beiliang during the Chinese New Year.
The Northern Liang people tried to steal their food because their grain supplies had been burned, but the Northern Liang people were well-prepared and did not succeed at all.
He was promoted to centurion for his outstanding performance in the battle.
Moreover, his men all respected him, and if he made another meritorious contribution, he would definitely be able to return as a ninth-rank captain.
In his letter, Li Xiangjian expressed confidence in the future. He also mentioned the Emperor's newly appointed title of "Mingzhao Ren" (a high-ranking official title).
I heard that she was granted an imperial title by the emperor for cultivating high-yield crops such as potatoes and sweet potatoes. Moreover, her family is from Chengyang County. Li Xiangjian said he was 100% sure that this person was Yan Qingqing.
However, he still wanted to verify whether the person everyone was talking about, Mingzhao, was actually his mother.
Yan Qingqing looked at Li Xiangjian's letter and couldn't help but laugh. This child was really adorable.
Although I had already guessed it, I still wanted to verify it just to be on the safe side.
When Yuan Huiniang and Li Xiangping heard that Li Xiangjian had sent a letter, they came to Yan Qingqing's courtyard to inquire about the situation.
Seeing Yan Qingqing holding the letter with a smile on her face, Yuan Huiniang knew that the letter must contain good news.
Li Xiangping asked, "Mother, is it a letter from my third brother? What did it say?"
Yan Qingqing handed the letter to Li Xiangping and told him to read it himself.
Li Xiangping was increasingly pleased as he looked at the photos, muttering to himself, "My third brother is truly becoming more and more successful."
This really makes our Li family proud.
Even so, Li Xiangping knew that Li Xiangjian must have had a tough time at the border. These military achievements were all earned with his life.
Not only the third brother, but even the second brother was busy like a spinning top every day for the family business.
However, he, as the eldest brother, enjoyed his mother's protection and obtained an eighth-rank agricultural official position for nothing.
Thinking about this, Li Xiangping really felt a little ashamed.
Having been mother and son with Li Xiangping for so long, Yan Qingqing could see through his thoughts at a glance.
So he sighed and said, "Your younger sisters will definitely get married when they grow up, and your second brother is a good businessman. He will inevitably travel all over the country in the future."
Your third brother has already gone to the battlefield; the fate of most military generals is to guard the border.
Your fourth brother is a scholar; even if he becomes an official in some region in the future, it's uncertain where he will be.
From now on, only you and Hui Niang will be able to stay by your mother's side.
Li Xiangping didn't have time to think much after hearing Yan Qingqing's words. He quickly went to Yan Qingqing and said, "Mother, don't worry. Although Hui Niang and I don't have any great abilities, we will always stay by your side."
Yan Qingqing nodded and said, "In my heart, you siblings are all the same. Whether you farm, do business, or become officials, I will treat you all the same."
You must never belittle yourself just because you feel you are not as good as your younger siblings.
Li Xiangping wasn't one to dwell on things. He might not be as good as his younger siblings in other aspects, but he could stay by his mother's side for a long time, which none of them could compare to.
After chatting for a while, Yan Qingqing decided to write a letter to Li Xiangjian to tell him about the changes at home and put his mind at ease.
Li Xiang'an and Yuan Huiniang naturally agreed wholeheartedly.
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "You two should also write a separate reply when you get back, and tell him that he is going to become an uncle again and that Xiang Ping has been granted an official position."
Li Xiangping scratched his head and said, "Mother, you don't need to tell my third brother about my official position, do you?"
Yan Qingqing glanced at him and said, "Why don't you tell him that your eighth-rank agricultural official position was personally conferred by the emperor, it wasn't just a windfall?"
Although it was Mother who discovered those potatoes and sweet potatoes, they would never have yielded such a high yield without your careful tending.
These were the driving forces and sources of confidence for the third brother in the army.
Yan Qingqing understands these children's psychology very well; the confidence a poor family gives is definitely different from that of a powerful family.
Li Xiangjian wants to make a name for himself in the military, and Yan Qingqing needs to give him that confidence.
Li Xiangping seemed to have thought of this as well, and nodded in reply: "Mother, don't worry, I will write a reply to my third brother as soon as I get back, so that he can rest assured."
"Oh, right, there's actually another thing I wanted to ask my mother about today."
Yan Qingqing glanced at him, signaling him to continue.
Li Xiang paused for a moment and continued, "I want to buy some more land."
Although our family now has more than 1,000 mu of land, in addition to growing grain, we also grow some potatoes and sweet potatoes. It's enough for our own consumption, but it's far from enough to store grain.
Furthermore, regarding the cotton that Mother discovered, Magistrate Ling has already submitted a report to the Emperor.
I reckon we'll need to set up an experimental base at home; we won't be able to do it without enough land.
Yan Qingqing nodded in agreement; Li Xiangping had indeed considered everything thoroughly.
Judging from the current situation, their family does indeed need to buy a lot of land.
Yan Qingqing thought for a moment and said to Yuan Huiniang beside her, "Since the eldest brother wants to buy land, you can take 20,000 taels of silver from the public funds and give it to him. If there is a suitable one, let him make the purchase directly."
Yuan Huiniang nodded and quickly agreed.
Although she now holds the reins of household management and is eager to support her husband in doing some things, she doesn't dare to withdraw such a large sum of money without Yan Qingqing's approval.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing agreed, Li Xiangping smiled and said, "Actually, my third uncle also told me about wanting to buy land before the New Year."
He said he wanted to buy a small estate of about 100 acres, but I haven't found a suitable one yet.
However, I received inside information that the government will be releasing a large amount of land in the south of the city in a few days, which would be a good opportunity for him to buy more.
Li Xiangping is now an agricultural official, so he is naturally more informed about this matter than Yan Qingqing.
The government's release of land for transfer is a rare opportunity. Yan Qingqing nodded in agreement and asked Li Xiangping to find a time to ask Li Sanniu how much he planned to buy, so that they could make preparations in advance.
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