Li Jun was rushing to the village for another reason: he wanted to bring back more eggs, chickens, and ducks so that his wife could have some nourishment.
Just thinking about how in eight months, a child will be born, and I'll become a father. In another year, he'll be calling me "Dad"—just thinking about it makes me incredibly excited.
When Tang Baozhu woke up, it was mid-afternoon. Thinking that staying cooped up in the house all day might not be good for the baby in her belly, she decided to go out for a walk.
Chunxue and Qingliu were worried and wanted to go with them. Tang Baozhu thought that they could help if anything happened, so she agreed.
Tang Baozhu hadn't been out much for a long time. She was a homebody who preferred to stay at home, practicing calligraphy, embroidering, and making clothes every day. If it weren't for the fact that she was pregnant and needed to move around more to prepare for childbirth, she wouldn't have wanted to go out at all.
The three of them didn't go far, just strolled around the entrance, occasionally bumping into people from the village and exchanging greetings. Most of the villagers were quite simple and honest.
When they encounter villagers returning from the vegetable fields, they will ask Tang Baozhu and her family if they want to eat any vegetables they have grown at home. They are so kind-hearted.
Tang Baozhu knew that this was due to the good reputation left by her father, Tang Xiucai; everyone remembered Tang Xiucai's kindness.
Besides, she's just a young girl and wouldn't bother anyone. Why not be friendly to each other?
I walked for about half an hour before heading back. I'm not used to walking around a lot, and walking for too long made me worried that my legs would ache at night and affect my rest and sleep.
Li Jun arrived at the village around mid-afternoon. The first thing he did was to tell the village head to tie up the chickens and ducks. Then he took three large baskets filled with straw and put the chicken, duck, and goose eggs into them one by one.
Each basket contains one type of egg, which can hold about 100 eggs, totaling more than 300 eggs. That should be enough to eat for a while, and any more than that would spoil.
There were also some early-ripening fruits in the orchard, both sour and sweet. After all, pregnant women's tastes change a lot these days, and Li Jun didn't know what kind of fruit his wife wanted to eat, so he simply brought her a little of each kind as long as they were ripe.
By the time it was getting dark, the shed of the oxcart was already piled high with vegetables, fruits, and meat.
Li Jun originally wanted to rush back under the cover of darkness, but he was worried about the safety of the road. After all, he didn't have any weapons for self-defense, and it would be bad if he were robbed.
Besides, the road was already difficult to travel, and after dark it was even harder to see the road clearly. I thought it best to wait until dawn tomorrow and set off.
Li Jun endured a difficult night, and set off as dawn broke, eager to see his wife.
I didn't think that getting married would make any difference, but after getting married, I realized that the changes were huge, and at the very least, I couldn't bear to be apart from my wife.
Tang Baozhu slept in a bed all by herself that night, feeling incredibly comfortable. She was also thinking that Li Jun probably wouldn't be back so soon, so she could still sleep in a bed all by herself.
Unfortunately, she was too optimistic. The next day, around mid-morning, Li Jun returned in his oxcart.
Although there was a moment of disappointment at not being able to sleep in the same bed with someone, I was still quite happy that Li Jun was back. After all, my pregnancy was so uncomfortable, and it was nice to have someone with me.
Li Jun drove the oxcart into the yard, not even bothering to unload the things from the shed, and went straight into the room to find his wife.
As soon as I entered the room, I saw my wife making tiger shoes for the baby. "You're pregnant now, so why don't you stop making shoes? We can just buy a few pairs from the shop later. It won't cost much money anyway."
Tang Baozhu had already heard the commotion and knew he was back, so she wasn't surprised to hear his voice now.
"What do you know? It's bought outside, and although it doesn't cost much, it's homemade. It's a token of my love. With every stitch I sewed, I was thinking of a blessing for the baby in my belly. Is that something you can buy outside?"
Li Jun was worried that Baozhu would be angry, so he quickly softened his tone and coaxed her, "I'm just worried about you. Since you want to make them, then make them. But you have to promise me that you'll only make two pairs. Anyway, he won't be able to walk before he's one year old, so he won't be able to wear them. Why bother? You might as well wait until he's born before you make them for him."
"Okay, don't worry, I won't overwork myself."
Just then, Chunxue came in from outside. "Miss, Master, where are those things in the oxcart?"
Li Jun then remembered that the things inside the car hadn't been unloaded yet. He slapped his forehead and quickly followed her out, saying, "Honey, wait for me a moment. I'll go and arrange those things before I come back in to keep you company."
"Okay, go ahead, I don't have anything to do here."
Tang Baozhu could tell from Li Jun's travel-worn appearance that he had rushed back without taking a break along the way.
He also came out of the room and told Qingliu to quickly boil a pot of hot water so that Li Jun could wash up after he finished his work and feel more comfortable.
"Understood, Miss, I'll go right away."
Tang Baozhu watched Qingliu go to the kitchen, thinking that Chunxue and Qingliu were not young anymore, probably around 20 years old, and were of marriageable age.
It seems a bit of a waste to just release them after less than three years of bringing them home.
Tang Baozhu thought she should discuss it with Li Jun that evening to see if they could buy a few more young men. She thought that if they married each other, their children would feel a sense of belonging to the family.
Those long-established families seem to have passed down their servants generation after generation in this way. Tang Baozhu was also ambitious and wanted her children to work hard to break out of their comfort zone.
Although she herself didn't mind, and could stay in the countryside or a small village, she still wanted to give her children the best.
If a farmer's son wants to rise through the ranks, he should start with the imperial examinations. Although I can't help him take the exams, I can ensure he has no worries and cultivate some loyal talents to help him.
After thinking it through, Tang Baozhu decided to spend more money to buy more land and estates so that she could generate more income in the future and have the means to support more servants.
Tang Baozhu stood at the door of the living room, watching Li Jun carrying things into the storeroom, sweating profusely. She thought to herself, "He's supposed to be my son-in-law, how can he do such rough work?"
It seems we need to make arrangements to buy people. We should at least buy two able-bodied young men who can work with him and also keep Chunxue and Qingliu company.
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