Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Ji Yanlang whispered: "I know...
The next morning, the sky was a little cloudy. After practicing boxing and kicking, Ji Yanlang returned to his room and said that after finishing his shift, he would go to the village in the south of the city to see how the small courtyard for Aunt Deng and her daughter was being renovated.
Last month, the mother and daughter went to mourn. Ji Yanlang discussed it with his mother and asked about their wishes. Finally, he took out 80 acres of fertile land from the Ji family's property, plus a small farmyard, and gave it to the mother and daughter. In the future, whether Deng Hehua gets married or finds a son-in-law, the land and house will be at the mother and daughter's disposal.
When Aunt Deng got the land deed, she was so happy that she didn't know what to do. She wanted to kowtow to the lady at first, but after being stopped by Ji Yanlang, she wanted to pack up her belongings and move to the village immediately.
Ji Yanlang hurriedly said that the courtyard still needed to be repaired. It was the autumn harvest season and there was a shortage of manpower. After this busy period, he would replace the roof tiles, paint the walls, dismantle the stove and kang, and rebuild them. It would be just right to move in next spring.
Aunt Deng couldn't wait and wanted to go and see first. Ji Yanlang knew that she wouldn't feel at ease unless she saw it with her own eyes, so he took Aunt Deng and Deng Hehua with him.
As a result, Aunt Deng refused to come back after she left and insisted on staying there and cleaning up the yard herself. Ji Yanlang had no choice but to agree to hire someone to repair the house immediately and let her move in after it was repaired.
He originally felt that no matter how much the manor was renovated, it would not be as comfortable as the city. It was okay to stay there occasionally, but for a long-term stay, one had to stay in the city, and it would be cheaper for him to take care of it.
Moreover, the mother and daughter did not know how to farm and could not farm 80 acres of land, so they had to give the land to the tenants to farm, so there was no need for them to live in the manor.
But Aunt Deng didn't think so. She had a yard now, but it was empty, and she was still renting a house in the city. Wasn't that a waste of money? Besides, everything in the city had to be bought, and the yard was small, so she couldn't even raise a few chickens or ducks, let alone pigs or other livestock.
This time, Deng Hehua also agreed with her mother. She had almost learned Mandarin and was not afraid of the language barrier. She also felt that the farm was more comfortable and at ease. It was more like home than the house she rented in the city and she felt at ease living there.
Ji Yanlang thought that the house and land were in the same place as Ji Mansion's farm, so he just asked the head of the farm to take care of them on a daily basis. He then arranged for the steward to hire craftsmen to repair them as soon as possible.
"Didn't they say the kang and stove were rebuilt two days ago?" Fang Ying asked.
"Well, they sent me word yesterday that the roof tiles and walls are finished, and all that's missing is the furniture. I'll go take a look, and when I come back I can give Auntie a date, otherwise she's always anxious."
Fang Ying said, "Auntie, don't you still raise chickens? Tell them to fix the chicken coops, pig pens, and barn."
Ji Yanlang had actually already told the steward, but he still smiled and coaxed her: "You are still thoughtful."
Fang Ying made a casual remark and didn't take it to heart. After breakfast, Ji Yanlang left and she went to do the housework.
Ji Yanlang went to the south of the city during his break, and when he came back he went to Aunt Deng's residence and told her and her daughter about the progress of the courtyard renovation. When he returned to the mansion, it was already dark.
The lights were already on in the room. Fang Ying came forward and asked, "Are you cold?"
It was a cloudy day today, with a cold wind blowing, and it was indeed a bit chilly. But as soon as he entered the house, his wife asked about his well-being. Ji Yanlang couldn't help but smile: "It's not cold."
Fang Ying then asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Aunt invited me to dinner, but I said it was late and I had to go home, so I didn't eat. How about you?" Ji Yanlang asked as he walked towards the inner room, "Why didn't you go to mother's?"
This was the time when they usually had dinner in Li's courtyard.
"I calculated that you wouldn't be able to make it back, so I let Mom eat first." Fang Ying said as she ordered someone to serve the meal.
Ji Yanlang felt very relieved, but still said: "I should have said one more thing this morning. If I have something to do and come back late, don't wait for me. You can eat with your mother first, don't starve yourself."
Fang Ying helped him change into casual clothes while smiling, "How could you be hungry? I had tea with my second sister-in-law in the afternoon, so I don't feel hungry at all now."
He also asked him how things were going with Zhuangzi.
"The kang, stove, and newly painted walls all need to air out for a few days, so I'll use this time to fix the barn fence and other things. As for the remaining tables, stools, boxes, and cages, I can buy them all ready-made."
"That's good, it saves trouble."
The two of them talked, changed their clothes, and went out to sit down. The maid brought tea, and Ji Yanlang drank the tea and said, "I calculated that by the tenth day, which is a day off, I can move in and live here."
Seeing that he seemed a little hesitant, Fang Ying said, "It's better to move there early before it gets cold."
"I'm just worried it's cold living upstairs. Guess what Auntie said?"
"What do you mean?" Fang Ying asked with a smile.
"She said Bianjing wasn't as cold as I said, and that she and her daughter weren't pampered ladies, and weren't as afraid of the cold as I was." Ji Yanlang shook his head as he spoke, "In the end, I became the pampered lady."
Fang Ying smiled and said, "Seal the doors and windows, and prepare more firewood so you won't be too cold."
Ji Yanlang sighed, "Forget it. If they want to go earlier, I won't stop them."
At this time, the kitchen brought the meal in. The two stopped talking and finished their meal together. Fang Ying reminded Ji Yanlang: "Mother knows that you went to the farm in the south of the city today."
Ji Yanlang nodded, got up and went out to his mother's yard. He gave her a brief account of the progress of the yard's renovations, and finally said that he would let Aunt Deng and her daughter move there on the day of rest.
"That's good. Moving in sooner will allow me to get to know the neighbors sooner." Li was also worried about another thing. "Hehua will be eighteen by the New Year. It's not good to postpone the marriage any longer."
"Yes, my son has asked the village head's wife to keep an eye on it."
Before Aunt Deng and her daughter left the mourning period, Ji Yanlang discussed Deng Hehua's marriage with Aunt Deng. As Fang Ying had guessed, Aunt Deng was indeed unwilling to marry a son-in-law who was a soldier.
There are still heavy troops stationed in the north. The Hu people can come at any time. Who knows when the war will end? Aunt Deng doesn't want her daughter to be a widow at such a young age.
Besides, the Ji family gave them houses and land. How could a soldier be suitable for farming?
Ji Yanlang was somewhat shaken by the two subordinates who died in battle, so he followed Aunt Deng's advice and asked someone to help keep an eye out for men of marriageable age.
Mrs. Li said nothing more after hearing this, and told her son to go back and rest early. The next day, she told Fang Ying alone that after the yard was repaired and before moving in, she should remember to send a nanny over to check it out.
“Sometimes there’s something missing in the house, and the man can’t tell.”
Fang Ying smiled and agreed: "That's what I thought too."
On the seventh day, the furniture was brought into the house and everything was ready. Fang Ying sent Mai Cao to follow the nanny and brought a few more people to clean the house inside and out, and to see if anything was missing.
When Nanny and Mai Cao came back, they really noticed that a few things were missing. Fang Ying ordered people to prepare them. The rest of the daily necessities were already available by Aunt Deng and the others, so they could just move them over on the tenth day.
When Ji Yanlang heard this, he praised Fang Ying for her attentiveness again.
Fang Ying refused to take credit for it, and frankly said that it was Li who reminded her, "Although mother didn't ask much, she was still thinking about it."
Ji Yanlang just nodded without saying anything, as if feeling ashamed.
"Now that I think about it, it was because the mother and daughter were too hasty when they first entered the mansion, which led to misunderstandings..."
When Ji Yanlang heard her mention the first time, he felt even more ashamed and said hurriedly, "Let's not talk about what happened back then. Anyway, I was wrong..."
Fang Ying glanced at him and said, "Do you think I'm bringing up old scores with you?"
Seeing that the situation was not right, Ji Yanlang hurriedly coaxed: "No, no, tell me what you want."
"But now that you mention it, I remember how majestic you were back then..." Fang Ying stopped talking and looked at him with a half-smile.
Ji Yanlang quickly stood up and bowed repeatedly to Fang Ying to admit his mistake.
After the two of them laughed and joked for a while, Ji Yanlang continued and asked Fang Ying which misunderstanding she was talking about.
"That's what Aunt Deng said to Mom. When she first arrived in Beijing, she couldn't speak Mandarin at all. How did she come up with those words?"
It's impossible that Ji Yanlang was speaking the local dialect and changed it into Mandarin himself to let Li hear it, right?
"The person who sent them to the capital taught her word for word." Ji Yanlang's face turned grim when he mentioned this. "It's still my fault. I didn't arrange the right people."
"Have you told Mom?"
Ji Yanlang shook his head: "After asking clearly, I wanted to find a suitable time to talk about it, but I set out before that."
It was several months later when I returned home. Even if I still remembered the incident, it was too late to bring it up.
Fang Ying originally thought that if the original misunderstanding was resolved, she and her son might not be so awkward when it came to matters involving Aunt Deng and her daughter. She would no longer have to be the one to give reminders and pass messages between the two sides.
But at this point, no matter what excuse we find to bring up the past, it is indeed inappropriate. It seems as if everyone is still holding it in their hearts and can't get over it.
"I shouldn't have mentioned it. Mother never took it to heart. She always thought ahead of us and made sure Aunt Deng and the others were well taken care of. Why would she bring up what she did in the first place?"
Ji Yanlang reached out and held her fingertips, whispering, "I know you did it for me."
Fang Yingxin said, "You know, why can't you get over this awkwardness? She was born into such a good family, with such a good mother, but she could create a rift between herself and others because of outsiders. She's really heartless."
Sons are just not good, they are not as caring as daughters.
Ji Yanlang didn't know her mind had already flown away, and thought she was shy, so he didn't respond. He pulled her up and went into the room, saying, "It's late, go to bed."
The two men had their own thoughts and had a good dream that night. Unexpectedly, the next day, an urgent military intelligence report was delivered to the capital - the Hu people were mobilizing troops and were about to attack again.
"The Hu people didn't get what they wanted in July, so they're deliberately attacking us during the autumn harvest season," Ji Yanlang explained to his mother. "Our border towns are well-prepared, so there's nothing to fear."
Li nodded and didn't take it to heart. After fighting these battles, she had seen that the two sides had equal military strength and neither side could defeat the other in one fell swoop.
Moreover, this year the capital area has a good harvest, and the south is also a bumper harvest year. The country has sufficient food and grass, and the defenders can wait for the enemy to tire themselves out. Even if they cannot repel the enemy, the enemy will not be able to hold on until winter comes, and will retreat.
The government mobilized troops and even did not mobilize the imperial guards in the capital, and the cavalry camp did not increase training. As agreed beforehand, Ji Yanlang moved Aunt Deng and her daughter on his day off, and also met a young man who the village head lady thought was a good fit.
"He's an okay person, but he's an only son and doesn't want to marry into the family and change his surname. He also has an old mother to support." Ji Yanlang said to Fang Ying.
"If you don't want to marry into the village, why did the village head lady let you meet her?" Fang Ying was puzzled.
"They said we could adopt a son for Brother Deng to continue the family line."
"What if you only have one son?"
Ji Yanlang said: "Yes, so I said no. If there is such a thing again in the future, unless you agree to adopt the eldest son, you don't have to return it to me."
"Does this village head lady have any selfish motives?"
Just by adopting a son, without having to give birth to one of your own, you can get a wife for free, as well as eighty acres of fertile land and a manor. What a wishful thinking.
Ji Yanlang felt the same way. "I asked two other women from the neighborhood who were there to help to find out if they were successful."
"Well, there's no rush. Let's take our time."
Deng Hehua's marriage has not been settled yet, but the wedding dates of the two princesses in the palace are coming one after another.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
