Chen Zhaoci and Granny Lu had been waiting. When they heard that the guests had arrived, they asked Li Yuexi to dress up simply and then go to the main hall in the front yard to receive the two ladies.
As Xu Di's wife receiving the families of Xu Di's colleagues for the first time, Li Yuexi felt a mix of anticipation, excitement, and trepidation.
When Granny Lu saw this, she smiled and said, "Yuexi, don't be nervous. Just act like you're meeting guests as usual."
Li Yuexi said somewhat shyly, "Granny, I'm afraid I won't do it well and people will laugh at me, making them laugh at my husband."
Granny Lu smiled and said, "Not to mention your young age, you are now six months pregnant. Who can be too harsh on you? There will definitely be many more such things in the future. Let's not rush it and learn slowly."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhaoci smiled and said, "That's right. Just listen to what your nanny says and sit quietly to the side. If they ask you something, you can answer if you want, or just smile if you don't. Everyone here is a seasoned person; they can't force you to talk, can they?"
Chen Zhaoci and Granny Lu helped Li Yuexi slowly walk to the main hall in the front yard, which would be the place to receive guests in the future. Magistrate Yuan and the wife of Registrar Tong were already waiting in the main hall. When they saw the three of them coming over surrounded by several maids and servants, they quickly stood up.
Chen Zhaoci said with a smile, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry to have kept you two ladies waiting."
The wife of Magistrate Yuan was a talkative and cheerful woman. She rarely spoke, but when she did, she spoke with the soft, gentle accent of the Wu dialect from Jiangnan. Although she was over thirty years old, she was petite and looked very young.
As for the wife of Registrar Tong, she clearly came from a poor background. She was rather tall, and her finger joints were quite thick, probably from years of hard farm work. She was a woman of few words and sat smiling beside him the whole time.
Upon seeing Li Yuexi's belly, Madam Yuan exclaimed in surprise, "Madam Xu's belly is so big, yet you still accompanied Lord Xu all the way from the capital? The journey must have been very tiring!"
Li Yuexi smiled and said, "It's not too hard. You'll get used to it."
The wife of Registrar Tong examined Li Yuexi's belly carefully, frowned, and said, "Madam Xu, your belly is quite big. How many months pregnant are you?"
Li Yuexi said with a smile, "It's been more than five months."
Upon hearing this, the wife of Registrar Tong exclaimed in surprise, "Madam, are you pregnant with twins?"
Chen Zhaoci asked with great interest, "Mrs. Tong, how did you figure that out?"
The wife of the registrar smiled and said, "To be honest, my maternal grandmother was a midwife. My mother followed in her footsteps, and I went with my grandmother to deliver babies when I was young, so I learned a bit about it. However, after I married my husband, I stopped going with my mother to deliver babies."
These are genuine obstetricians! Chen Zhaoci knew that since they had been able to pass down their skills, they must have something unique about them. Chen Zhaoci was very interested and talked to the wife of Registrar Tong for a long time, which made Registrar Tong's wife quite interested in Magistrate Xu's mother.
After seeing the person off, Chen Zhaoci said to Granny Lu, "I think this Lady Tong is quite shrewd. I'll find an opportunity to have a good talk with her."
Granny Lu nodded and said, "Indeed, the wife of Registrar Tong looks like she has suffered a lot, while the wife of Magistrate Yuan looks like she has never suffered. She has been raised in luxury since childhood. I heard that the Yuan family is a prominent family, so the in-laws they have formed must be of high quality."
When Xu Di returned at noon, he saw that the return gifts from both families were just ordinary presents. He felt more satisfied with his two subordinates, as they were both shrewd and capable. He believed they would get along well when working together in the future.
Xu Di has been busy preparing to investigate the villages that were massacred by the Japanese. As the newly appointed local official, this is a matter he must take on. However, he needs to figure out how to do it, when to do it, and the specific arrangements. As the local official, every action he takes must demonstrate his true intentions to the people under his jurisdiction, give them hope, and instill in them the confidence to live a good life with him. This is Xu Di's true intention.
Xu Di first told Magistrate Yuan and Registrar Tong about the matter. Magistrate Yuan didn't say anything, but Registrar Tong looked somewhat troubled. Xu Di didn't say anything at the time, but later found an opportunity to ask Registrar Tong if he had any difficulties. Registrar Tong then sighed and talked about the tragedy that had happened a few days ago.
In recent years, the Japanese have frequently come ashore from the Bohai Sea to burn, kill, and plunder. They chose the Bohai Sea because the coastal defense of Dengzhou is relatively weak compared to Yuezhou and the Jiangzhe area. Each time they come, the defense is practically nonexistent.
The imperial court did not pay much attention to this issue at first. One reason was that the local county magistrates and prefects concealed the truth, and another reason was that there was really nothing to rob in Dengzhou. At most, the Japanese would just set a few fires when they came.
However, a spy planted by the Liang dynasty among the Jin people brought back a message that the Jin people had contact with the Japanese and wanted to cooperate with them to invade Goguryeo and then send troops from Goguryeo to attack Liaodong Prefecture.
Liaodong Prefecture was the northern gateway to Daliang. If Liaodong Prefecture were to fall, Daliang would be an open plain for the Jurchens, something no one wanted to see.
With this intelligence, Emperor Liang Cheng began to redeploy the coastal defense forces. The most important thing now was to strike at the Japanese and prevent them from forming an alliance with the Jin. However, Japan was separated from Liang by the sea, and it would not be easy to attack them. The Japanese who came to harass them could not simply burn and kill as they pleased and leave.
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