After a lively reunion dinner, the family stayed up until the wee hours of the morning before finally resting. The next morning, dumplings were cooked in the kitchen, and after eating them, the New Year celebrations were considered over.
As for visiting relatives and friends afterwards, Xu Di had just arrived and didn't know many people, so the Xu family kept to themselves for two days.
Xu Di arranged for a few people to secretly go to Qingzhou to inquire about the Zhou family. Before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the people who went there returned.
The Zhou family bought a large five-courtyard house in Qingzhou City, where the whole family lived. As the patriarch of the family, Old Master Zhou usually lived a secluded life and rarely appeared in public. The eldest son of the Zhou family handled all matters, but Old Master Zhou made the decisions on many things.
The old man's name was Zhou Bingcheng. He had three legitimate children: two sons and a daughter. His eldest son was Zhou Renyi, his second son was Zhou Rende, and his daughter was said to have married and moved away, but there was no news of her ever returning to her parents' home.
The Zhou family not only owns a large area of fertile land in Penglai, but also has many shops in Qingzhou Prefecture, generating a considerable income every year. It is said that they have a close relationship with the prefect of Qingzhou. Otherwise, how could Zhou Renyi, a commoner, dare to lose face in front of Xu Di, a county magistrate of the seventh rank who was a top scholar in the imperial examination?
Xu Di wanted to investigate the Zhou family thoroughly. He couldn't interfere with the Zhou family's business dealings, but they had used various means to seize so much fertile land from the common people. If it were a normal business transaction, Xu Di wouldn't have been interested. After listening to Magistrate Yuan's words, Xu Di sent people to investigate. Back then, because the Zhou family bought a lot of land, many families were ruined and people died tragically. Even now, many elderly people still grit their teeth with hatred when they talk about what happened back then.
Xu Di sat in the somewhat cold room, looking at the documents placed on the table. After thinking for a moment, he said to the two men standing by with their hands at their sides, "Go and find out where this Zhou family girl married and to which family. A girl can't just not go back to her parents' home after she gets married, can she? Also, you should carefully investigate the matter of the Zhou family forcibly buying other people's land back then. Land is the lifeblood of ordinary people, and it can't be sold off so casually."
The two agreed and left quietly.
Xu Di had a premonition that his investigation of the Zhou family would uncover something that many people were desperately trying to keep hidden.
However, being able to so easily uncover someone's secret is actually quite a satisfying thing, and Xu Di really enjoys this kind of wicked pleasure.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the lantern festival is held. Penglai is too small. Some shops on the street have hung a few lanterns of various shapes outside, which attracts people to gather around and look at them.
After dinner, Xu Di went for a stroll in the streets and returned shortly afterward. Li Yuexi was surprised to see him back so quickly and asked, "Husband, didn't you go out to see the lanterns? Why are you back so soon?"
Xu Di waved his hand and said, "There's nothing to see. It's too poor. You can wait a little longer. I'll develop this county properly. On the fifteenth of the first lunar month, there will not only be lanterns to see, but also folk dances and dragon and lion dances. Everyone should have a lively and festive celebration."
Li Yuexi and Xu Di have known each other for so many years, and after they got married, they basically lived together. As soon as Xu Di opened his mouth, she understood that he was holding back a grudge. She couldn't help but smile, took Xu Di's hand, and said, "My husband is a very capable person. He can govern the country and bring peace, and he can also defeat enemies. In the future, this place will definitely develop better than Qingzhou."
Xu Di could easily tell that this was just him being coaxed. It was a rare moment of warmth between the two of them. Xu Di gently touched his already slightly protruding belly and said, "Have these two little ones been good today?"
In three months, it will be Li Yuexi's due date. Because she is carrying twins, Li Yuexi's belly is very big. Chen Zhaoci made her a big belly band to support her belly. Every day, she has to walk in the yard with her belly band on at fixed times, all for the sake of a smooth delivery.
Medical technology is very backward now. Giving birth is basically a life-or-death ordeal for women. Even if one birth goes smoothly, it can take half a life. Giving birth to two is even more dangerous.
In modern times, if childbirth is difficult, a C-section can be performed, and both mother and child can be cared for healthily. But that's not possible now; there are no such conditions. Even though Chen Zhaoci is a senior doctor, sometimes he still feels uneasy because he worries about Li Yuexi and the two children in her belly.
Chen Zhaoci had already visited Madam Tong, the registrar. Madam Tong's family home was not far from Penglai, and Chen Zhaoci planned to visit Madam Tong's family home properly in a few days. Madam Tong was a midwife who had delivered countless babies and had a very good reputation in the area. It was said that in the past twenty years, all the babies she had delivered had been born safely. Of course, there were also quite a few babies who died after birth due to improper care.
Li Yuexi nodded and said, "They haven't been too noisy today. We were probably the ones who were making a lot of noise during the New Year holidays, which kept the two kids from getting any rest and made them very restless. They haven't been as restless these past few days."
Xu Di gently touched Li Yuexi's belly. Seeing no reaction, he helped Li Yuexi cover herself with a soft quilt. The two of them leaned against the kang (a heated brick bed), reading a book together. The wind howled outside the window, but the room was filled with the warmth of spring. Xu Di cherished this peaceful and tranquil life.
After the Lantern Festival (January 15th of the lunar calendar), the New Year celebrations are considered over. Farmers wait for the ground to thaw before starting to work in the fields.
Xu Di hired craftsmen to build a brick kiln on that wasteland, and within a few days, the tall chimney stood tall.
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