Chapter 486 A Nighttime Talk Between Husband and Wife
(Thanks to Haheyyun for casting 11 monthly tickets.)
The candlelight flickered on the kang table, illuminating Zhao Min's focused face.
Her brush stroked lightly across the ledger, and the beads made a crisp sound on the abacus.
After hearing Zhao Min's question, Li Shiliang remained silent and did not respond.
Li Shiliang's silence finally caught Zhao Min's attention. After writing down a number in the ledger, she put down her pen and looked up at Li Shiliang beside her.
"Third Brother?"
Li Shiliang sighed, his feet swaying unconsciously in the basin of water, splashing a few drops of water onto the ground.
"In October, she... has no plans to return to Jinzhou."
"What?"
Zhao Min dropped the abacus on the kang with a clatter. She was a little flustered and first looked at Li Yanqiu and Maotou, who were already asleep on the kang. Seeing that the two were still sleeping soundly, Zhao Min then picked up the abacus from the kang.
Turning around, Zhao Min lowered her voice and asked Li Shiliang, "Didn't Aunt Li say before that in October, the General sent him to Jian'an to kill the bandits?"
Just like when they went to the Turkic Khaganate, they would be back in three to five months at most.
How did it come to the point that they won't come back?
What's wrong? Why?
Li Shiliang shook his head, lowered his voice, and the couple huddled together: "That's what they say to outsiders."
In October, she told me privately that she... had offended the Princess Consort of Zhenbei.
Zhao Min's expression changed instantly. She grabbed Li Shiliang's wrist and demanded, "The Princess Consort of Zhenbei? The General's wife? How did she offend him in October? Wasn't she the General's favorite?"
"They didn't tell me the specifics for October, but judging from the way things are going in October, it's going to be quite significant."
Li Shiliang lifted his feet out of the now-cold water, dried them, and then sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed). "She planned to take Aunt Li and Shitou away first, and then send someone to pick up Aunt Zheng and the others later."
"Didn't her aunt's second wife marry Mr. Jiang in October?"
Mr. Jiang's surname is Jiang, so isn't he related to the Princess?
Li Shiliang, sitting cross-legged, shook his head again. "Shiyue didn't tell me about this, and I didn't ask. I don't know how this happened."
Zhao Min was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up from under the quilt at the kang table and quickly walked to the kang cabinet at the end of the kang to start rummaging through things.
Li Shiliang looked at Zhao Min in surprise: "Minniang, what are you doing?"
"Let's pack up the gold and silver; we have to go with October."
Zhao Min said this without turning her head, her voice firm and unquestionable.
Li Shiliang's eyes widened immediately: "Are you crazy? We have an inn, land, and a family business here..."
Zhao Min stopped searching, turned around, and the candlelight danced on her resolute face: "Third Brother, listen to me."
Zhao Min held up one finger to Li Shiliang: "First, October has been incredibly kind to both of us."
If she hadn't valued you and made you live like a human being, how could everyone have called you "Third Brother" when they saw you?
Without her influence, Mr. Jiang would never have agreed to name our Yanqiu!
Without the rules she set, how could Yanqiu, a little girl, have gone to school?
When I gave birth to Maotou, I had a difficult labor. If it weren't for Doctor Jin and Yue Niang helping me, Maotou and I might have died together!
You'll lose your wife and kids too!
Dr. Kim was brought back in October!
It was Li Shiyue who made Yue Niang become the apprentice of Physician Jin!
Besides, if it weren't for October leading troops to my mother's home to suppress bandits and avenge the Zhao family, my mother's family would have been wiped out long ago!
From both a moral and logical standpoint, for you and for me, Yanqiu and Maotou, and for October, they are all great benefactors to our family!
She's in trouble now, we can't just ignore her."
Before Li Shiliang could speak, Zhao Min started rattling off a long string of words.
"Don't worry about whether we can help October. October is a very capable person. She may not need us, but we have to have a conscience!"
Immediately afterwards, Zhao Min raised her second finger: "Secondly, Yanqiu is lucky. She is a girl who was able to go to school and study for so many years. This is her good fortune."
But all of this will only work in October!
In October, the village school must allow girls to study just like boys!
But if you don't return by October, do you think your cousin (Li Shiyang) will still agree to this rule?
Li Shiliang wanted to say "yes," but then he thought of Li Shiyang's temperament. Back in Li Family Village, when Li Shiliang was called "Dog Third Brother," Li Shiyang never said anything.
So Zhao Min continued, "Third Brother, we have to go to Jian'an with Shi Yue. I trust Shi Yue!"
She's a capable person!
If we go to Jian'an, who knows, Yanqiu might catch the eye of Shiyue in the future and get a minor official position!
Besides, he's grown up, it's time for him to go out and broaden his horizons.
As parents, we have to think about our children's future.
At this point, Zhao Min lowered her head. "Third Brother, I know Yanqiu isn't your biological child, but you treat her even better than your own children!"
I only gave birth to your son. My body is not good enough. I had a difficult childbirth last time, and Dr. Jin said that I will have difficulty having children in the future.
"Maybe, in this lifetime, I can only give birth to your child."
Zhao Min looked up again with tears in her eyes. She held Li Shiliang's hand and said in a choked voice, "Although Maotou is still young, judging from his appearance, he is probably not as smart and studious as Yanqiu."
If Yanqiu is able to make it in the future, she definitely cannot abandon Maotou, who is her younger brother from the same mother.
The two siblings support each other. In the future, we'll find Yanqiu a good son-in-law to live with us, and then we'll both have a good life ahead of us.
"But, Third Brother," Zhao Min's tears fell without warning, which pained Li Shiliang so much that he reached out to wipe them away.
"If we stay in Lijiatun, will we still be able to find a son-in-law for Yanqiu in the future?"
I'll only ever have Yanqiu as my daughter in this lifetime, and I can't bear to watch her get married!
I have to keep her by my side, otherwise, otherwise, I, I have this feeling in my heart...
Although a woman's tears are the most useless thing, they can be a suitable weapon in front of someone she cares about.
Therefore, sometimes you can tell if a woman is smart by whether she cries.
"Alright! Alright! Minniang, don't cry, let's go!"
Our whole family is going with October!
Don't cry, your crying makes my heart ache.
At this moment, Zhao Min, with tears streaming down her face, raised her third finger at Li Shiliang.
Her voice was lowered even further: "Third, and most importantly, October offended the Princess of Zhenbei. Do you think those of us who are close to October will have a good outcome if we stay in Jinzhou?"
"October 1st is over, and our lives might not be as good as they are now!"
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Li Shiliang's head.
"you're right."
Having seen a lot in the prefectural city over the past few years, Li Shiliang certainly knew what kind of people those aristocratic families were.
Li Shiliang reached out and put his arm around Zhao Min, nodding as he said, "Minniang, let's go with Shiyue."
But what about the inn and the land?
A shrewd glint flashed in Zhao Min's eyes: "Tell the villagers about the inn job, and someone will surely be willing to take it on."
As for the land... let's leave it for now, and make further plans after we've settled down in Jian'an with October."
Suddenly, Maotou on the kang (a heated brick bed) turned over and mumbled a few words in his sleep.
Zhao Min quickly lowered her voice: "Don't tell the children about this yet. Tell them when you ask Shi Yue and we're about to leave."
Li Shiliang nodded and reached out to hold Zhao Min's hand: "Minniang, tomorrow morning, I will go to the Li family and tell them that our whole family will follow her!"
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