That evening, several bonfires were lit at Qingshan Xiaozhu. The Zhao family was large, so they slaughtered three sheep and provided a considerable amount of pork and vegetables.
They had barely eaten their fill; if there had been another sheep, it would probably have been killed by these hungry wolves.
Yunyou ate until he was patting his belly, then sat on a recliner in the courtyard, rocking back and forth, occasionally taking a sip of hawthorn water.
I felt so comfortable I felt like I could take off.
"This is what life should be like, this is the true essence of human warmth."
Meat is definitely the best food. Sigh, why did I eat vegetarian food for so many years?
A former monk poses a soul-searching question.
After finishing his barbecue, Xu Dongsheng is now following Zhao Qingyan, holding a bowl of hawthorn water in one hand and a bowl of barley tea in the other.
No matter what Zhao Qingyan wanted to drink, he would hand it to her immediately.
"Yan'er, meat is hard to digest if we eat it tonight. How about we get up and walk around for a quarter of an hour to help with digestion?"
Xu Dongsheng spoke with extreme caution, as if afraid Zhao Qingyan would say, "Who are you looking down on? Will I get indigestion?"
Zhao Qingyan obediently stood up lazily, "With such a handsome man by my side, I'll naturally follow. Let's go."
After saying that, the two of them headed towards the backyard of the Zhao family, following the stone path all the way to the Zhao family's martial arts training ground.
There are many exercise machines here, modeled after those in parks of later generations.
However, the ones in later parks were all made of iron, while the Zhao family used only wood, coated with tung oil.
Upon arriving at the training ground, Zhao Qingyan found a seesaw and sat on one side, while Xu Dongsheng sensibly sat on the other side.
The two teenagers seemed to be having a lot of fun.
The moon hangs high in the sky, and the ground is covered in starlight. Even without lights, it looks bright outside.
The young couple had their fill of fun and then walked down the mountain hand in hand.
Seeing Zhao Minggeng standing in the courtyard constantly looking towards the back mountain, Zhao Qingyan knew that her father was overthinking things again.
"Dad, why didn't you go back to your room? Were you waiting for me?"
Zhao Qingyan asked the question knowing the answer already.
"What do you think? It shouldn't take more than an hour to digest, right? It's getting late and the dew is heavy, young lady, you need to take good care of yourself."
Under Zhao Minggeng's forceful urging, Zhao Qingyan returned to her small wooden house, while Xu Dongsheng was sent away from Qingshan Xiaozhu by his father-in-law.
"You brat, you don't even know how to avoid suspicion late at night. It's a shame you two are engaged."
Sigh, what a worry! It's better to have a son, so he can marry someone else's daughter and let that other person's father worry about it. Haha..."
I wonder if all fathers with daughters feel the same way. Anyway, the Zhao brothers are becoming increasingly anxious as their daughters grow up.
Zhao Qingyi got married, and although Zhao Changgeng didn't say it openly, he was still thinking about her.
Fortunately, Zhao Qingyi is doing alright. Her son-in-law is also ambitious.
But now he had to go with his son-in-law to that harsh and cold northwest place, and Zhao Changgeng felt very uncomfortable.
I drank quite a bit tonight, and my wife just helped me home to sleep.
Zhao Yonggeng has two daughters.
Zhao Qinglin is well past the age to get married, but she hasn't found a suitable young man yet.
As a father, he felt conflicted. He hoped his daughter would marry into a good family, but he also didn't want her to get married.
Being a daughter-in-law in a wealthy family is not easy. If you happen to have a troublesome mother-in-law, even if your daughter is shrewish, she will still suffer from her mother-in-law's temper.
Sigh, Zhao Yonggeng has been quite anxious lately.
Naturally, he devoted himself even more to his studies, determined to pass the imperial examinations and support his daughter.
When it came to Zhao Minggeng, he wasn't worried about his daughter being bullied; it was just that once his daughter got married, she would belong to someone else's family.
We can't see each other every day. It would be best to find a husband for our daughter to live with us.
Those who can become live-in sons-in-law are generally not very good themselves.
No one who can get married wants to become a live-in son-in-law; they all think it's a disgrace to the family.
The culprit that caused all the fathers in the Zhao family to be in a bad mood today is currently at the post station, having just fed his son goat milk.
"Husband, I wonder if the letter that Steward Chang helped send has been received at home yet."
I have a feeling my mom will cry.
My dad has to drink. My grandma will definitely force them to study, haha…”
Zhao Qingyi spoke casually, and in a direction that Wang Huaijing couldn't see, she gently wiped the corner of her eye.
She was homesick and missed her family.
Before setting off with Wang Huaijing, I had anticipated this day would come, but I never expected to be sent to such a far and remote place.
Now I can only pray that my husband's official position will rise higher and higher.
Wang Huaijing noticed that his wife's mood was off.
"Hmm, why did Grandma force Dad and the others to study?"
Zhao Qingyi adjusted her emotions.
"Fool, of course we hope that someone in the family can pass the imperial examinations and achieve official rank, so that they can support us sisters in the future and take care of us married-out women."
The best ways to take care of married daughters are twofold: first, to provide them with a dowry; and second, to help their sons-in-law advance their careers.
You know, we've gone so far away, so naturally our families would want us to be closer, so that it would be easier to see each other when they miss us.
Now that we're so far apart, milk is definitely going to be a hassle.
As she spoke, Zhao Qingyi chuckled softly.
Wang Huaijing felt a tightness in his chest as he listened.
If I hadn't been exiled to this remote Northwest, my wife wouldn't be so homesick.
"My wife, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault for dragging you down," Wang Huaijing said with heartache.
"What are you talking about? You should think of it this way: wherever you go is to serve the country, whether it's the Northwest, the Northeast or anywhere else."
Once you go there, you will surely govern the area well. My husband, do you know the general situation of Mogao County?
I remember a saying: "Adapt to local conditions."
With the right approach, one can thrive in any environment.
Zhao Qingyi was trying her best to encourage Wang Huaijing in her own way.
Wang Huaijing was moved.
He didn't know what other people's wives were like, but he knew that his own wife was the best wife in the world.
"Thank you for your understanding, madam. I only know a little bit about the specific situation in Mogao County from the Ministry of Revenue."
The area has historically suffered from tax deficits, a small population, limited arable land, abundant land, and frequent sandstorms.
The previous magistrate was killed by wolves while on an inspection tour.
Wang Huaijing's words made Zhao Qingyi fall into deep thought.
The tranquil atmosphere was soon broken when Sang Er, a servant brought from Lingnan Prefecture, knocked on the door.
"Sir, the postman at the post station requests an audience with you."
Wang Huaijing opened the door. "Did they say why they wanted to see me?"
Sang Er shook her head. "Yi Cheng didn't say. He's sitting downstairs waiting for the master."
Wang Huaijing, wanting to avoid offending anyone, went downstairs.
"Magistrate Wang, I am truly sorry to have disturbed you so late at night."
But I really have no other choice. There's a baby in our inn, only three or four months old.
The wet nurse is unable to breastfeed the young master due to a high fever, and the child is now crying loudly from hunger.
I saw that you had a milk goat, so I thought I'd ask for a bowl of goat milk for that child.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com