Chapter 129 Chapter 129 The family moved to...
When they arrived, they happened to run into Aunt Wang, who had just finished weeding the herb patch. It was clear that Aunt Wang had taken good care of the patch during Zhao Mingsheng's absence. At a glance, the patch looked neat and tidy, and all the plants were growing vigorously.
Zhao Mingsheng greeted Aunt Wang with a smile and told her that the whole family was moving to the capital.
Aunt Wang was naturally happy for them, but also a little disappointed. With the Zhao family gone, the medicinal fields probably wouldn't need her anymore, which meant she wouldn't have the money to supplement her family income. She stared at the medicinal fields, a little lost.
Zhao Mingsheng knew her predicament. She was not the only one. Most of the farmers in Qingshan Village were poor. The terrain here was rugged and there was little farmland on the plains. Many families worked hard all year round but could not harvest much crops. The poorer families could only barely fill their stomachs.
But the people here are simple and honest. When the Zhao family first settled here, they also received a lot of help from the villagers. Zhao Mingsheng thought that before leaving, he had to do something to help these villagers.
"Aunt Wang has been taking care of the medicinal fields for so long, she must know that these herbs can be sold for a lot of money, right?" she said.
Aunt Wang smiled innocently, "I don't know exactly how much they can be sold for, I just know these herbs are very valuable."
Not far away, honeysuckle flowers were in full bloom, their tender yellow petals spreading out like small umbrellas, framed by their calyxes. This was the last bloom of the year. Zhao Mingsheng walked down the ridge of the field, casually broke off a honeysuckle branch, and toyed with it in his hands. He asked, "Would you like to convert your fields into medicinal plants?"
Aunt Wang was stunned. She had never thought of changing the crops on the farmland to other crops. After all, her ancestors had relied on growing crops for a living. Although the annual harvest was barely enough to fill their stomachs, they had never thought of changing to growing other crops.
"Will this work?" Aunt Wang was a little uncertain.
After growing medicinal herbs for a year, Zhao Mingsheng already had a rough idea of what medicinal herbs were suitable for growing in Qingshan Village. She planned to choose some medicinal herbs that were easier to grow, such as honeysuckle, which did not have high requirements for soil and climate and could be harvested twice a year.
"Compared to growing crops, the land in Qingshan Village is actually more suitable for growing medicinal herbs. If Aunt Wang trusts me, just do as I say."
Zhao Mingsheng was not 100% sure about the success of this matter, but he was at least 80% sure.
Aunt Wang thought for a moment and gritted her teeth: "Okay, I'll listen to you! But others may not give up their farmland so easily."
Zhao Mingsheng smiled slightly. She had also considered this. Once the villagers tasted the sweetness, naturally someone would be willing to plant it.
Originally, they had planned to have lunch at the Zhao family's house, with Meng personally cooking. Unfortunately, plans couldn't keep up with changes. Jing Liu came midway and said that something had happened in the capital and the emperor urgently summoned him back.
Yan Zhuo looked over with a slightly apologetic look, and Zhao Mingsheng immediately waved his hand to indicate that it was okay. "Business is more important. Next time, after we move, I'll invite you to try my mother's cooking."
Yan Zhuo looked at her deeply and said, "Okay."
Hearing that Yan Zhuo had returned to Beijing for some business, Zhao's father felt a sense of regret. Zhao Qingyue went to the county school to say goodbye to his teacher and classmates, and did not return home for lunch. The large table of delicious dishes prepared by Meng's mother went to Zhao Mingsheng, who ate until her belly was full.
After dinner, Zhao Mingsheng lay back down on the bed and rested for a while. When the sun was no longer so strong, she got up and called Aunt Wang to go to the medicinal fields. The Zhao family would be moving to the capital in the next day or two, so she had to use this time to help Aunt Wang plan the farm affairs as soon as possible.
"After the last batch of fruits and vegetables in the fields are ripe, auntie, just do as I say."
Aunt Wang still had some unripe fruits and vegetables in her field, and it would be a shame to chop them away now. Zhao Mingsheng helped her roughly plan what to plant and how to plant them after the land was plowed.
Aunt Wang was very grateful and nodded repeatedly to Zhao Mingsheng, saying, "After hearing what you said, I feel much brighter."
After solving Aunt Wang's problem, Zhao Mingsheng finally put his mind at ease.
Next comes the big matter of moving.
Yan Zhuo had sent people to help at the old house, which really saved Zhao Mingsheng a lot of trouble. They had already arranged the carriages to transport the goods. On a sunny morning, the Zhao family said goodbye to their fellow villagers and boarded the carriage to the capital.
After arriving in the capital, the whole family was busy for three days just to sort out the belongings they brought from Qingshan Village.
To make his home more comfortable, Zhao Mingsheng took advantage of the warm weather to have the walls and tiles renovated, saving him from having to repair them later when they leaked in the winter and the summer. He also took advantage of this time to clean up the side room and place Meng Mu's flowers.
The Zhao family relocated to the capital, and the happiest person was none other than Old Lady Gu. She had heard that the Zhao family's new house hadn't been finished yet, and it wasn't convenient for her to go there. Thinking that her second daughter-in-law, Li's relatives, also lived in the area, she should be more familiar with it. So, she picked out a few maids and guards and sent Li with them to see if there was anything they could help with.
This was exactly what Li wanted, and she agreed obediently.
After leaving the Marquis' Mansion, Li did not go directly to the Zhao family, but instead quietly went to her nephew's house next door.
Li's younger brother was unlucky and died of illness three years ago. Now, only his wife Miao and nephew Li Yucheng are left at home. His nephew's wife was also short-lived, having died of illness only a year after marrying. As her brother's only son, it was natural for her aunt to help take care of things.
Li explained her purpose to her sister-in-law Miao, saying she wanted her nephew to go with her to the Zhao family next door to help. Miao listened to her, but her eyes were somewhat evasive. She hesitantly invited her to have some tea first, saying that her son had gone out and had not returned yet, and she had sent someone to call him.
Li frowned. Where could he go so early in the morning?
Half a cup of tea later, he saw his nephew coming in from outside, yawning and in a disheveled state. He could smell the smell of alcohol and cosmetics from a long distance away.
Miao smiled awkwardly and said, "Cheng'er is out socializing with his friends."
Miao was still trying to cover up for him, and how could Li not understand? How could he be so out of place at a social event so early in the morning? He must have just crawled out of some brothel. His sister-in-law was naive. When her brother was alive, she could still control this nephew. Since her brother passed away, Miao couldn't control this nephew anymore. She had heard that this nephew was a little unruly outside, but she didn't expect him to be so absurd!
Li was quite disappointed. "It's already noon, and you reek of alcohol. How can you face people? Go wash up quickly, don't miss the important things."
In front of this aunt, Li Yucheng restrained himself a little and asked politely, "Aunt, what are you doing here today, and who do you want me to see?"
Li's expression softened a bit: "Do you know that a new family has moved into the yard next door?"
Li Yucheng picked up the teacup beside him, rinsed his mouth, and replied vaguely with a mouthful of tea in his mouth. There were people coming in and out of the yard next door from time to time these days, and it was hard for him not to know.
"Come with me and see if there's anything I can help you with."
"Why should I help this non-related person? I won't go because I still need to catch up on my sleep." When Li Yucheng heard about this, he refused outright.
"The important thing isn't to help." Mrs. Li also expected him to refuse, so she took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Auntie is here to help you."
Before Li Yucheng could react, Miao came over impatiently with a warm look on her face.
"That's great! Since your brother left, we've been orphaned and widowed for so many years. We finally managed to find a wife for Cheng'er, but she died young. Now Cheng'er has no one to confide in when he returns home. Whose official's wife is this new girl who moved in next door?"
Li shook her head. "Her father wasn't an official in the court, he was just a doctor."
The warmth on Miao's face suddenly cooled, but she couldn't lose face in front of her sister-in-law, so she just made a sad face and acted pitiful.
"Although Cheng'er hasn't passed the imperial examination yet, his ancestors were officials after all. How could he marry a young lady who isn't even an official's daughter and whose father is a doctor? If his father knew about this, he wouldn't agree."
Li naturally noticed Miao's expression and snorted softly. "Are you so anxious now? Cheng'er is my nephew, how could I possibly harm him? I haven't finished yet. You've seen this young lady before. She's incredibly beautiful."
"Have you seen her before? Whose family is she from?"
Li Yucheng became interested because the young lady's appearance could get such an evaluation from Li. He didn't care about her family background. He only cared about whether the young lady was pretty. If she was beautiful, even if her family background was low, it would not be impossible to take her home as a concubine.
"She was originally a girl from the Marquis' Mansion."
She used to be a girl from the Marquis' Mansion, but that means she is not anymore.
When Li said this, Miao knew who it was. The person living next door was actually the Fifth Lady of the Marquis' Mansion. When she visited relatives at the Marquis' Mansion during the holidays, she had seen her several times beside the old lady of the Marquis' Mansion. She was truly a fairy-like figure.
Li Yucheng was also stunned. The fifth lady of the Marquis's mansion was not only outstanding in appearance, but also a leader in poetry, literature and etiquette. Every young man in the capital had been attracted to her, and he was no exception. However, he was still somewhat self-aware at the time. A person like that was not even his dream.
Li Yucheng's breathing became heavier when he thought that the person who was once out of his reach now lived next door to him.
"Aunt has worked hard to create such a good opportunity for you, you must cherish it!" When talking about this, Li's face showed a bit of pride.
Miao saw her son's affection, but she was still a little hesitant. No matter how good Zhao Mingsheng was in the past, now without her status as a daughter of a marquis, she was just a poor woman. How could she be of any help to her son in the future? She said, "If Cheng'er likes her, it would be easier to take her as a concubine. For the position of wife, it is better to marry someone of equal status."
To put it bluntly, I still look down on it.
Li's face suddenly darkened. "Although Zhao Mingsheng is a fake daughter, she is the apple of the old lady's eye. If she becomes my concubine, how will I explain this to the old lady? How will I cope in the future in the Marquis' Mansion?"
"Miao, you know the Li family's current situation. They've long since fallen out of the aristocratic family ranks, and their shops are struggling. If it weren't for my help, I don't know how much they would have lost!"
What she didn't say out of some pretense was that the Li family now had no money, no fame, and still wanted to marry into a wealthy family, but they didn't even consider whether there was any lady from a wealthy family willing to marry as a successor!
Li was really angry.
Li Yucheng, who was standing by, saw this and quickly stepped forward to comfort her. "My mother didn't mean it. Aunt, please don't be angry. I will definitely not let the Zhao family's lady be my concubine."
Hearing her nephew's attitude, Li's expression finally softened a bit. She looked at Li Yucheng and said, "You know your aunt has loved you the most since you were little. How could she possibly harm you? Zhao Mingsheng may be of low status now, but my old lady loves her dearly. Most importantly, she has a lot of money. If she can use it as a dowry, you won't have to worry about the expenses of this mansion anymore, right?"
These words really touched Li Yucheng's heart. The Li family was now in deficit and he almost didn't have enough money to go out and have fun. He really needed a large sum of money to fill the gap.
"Aunt, you're right. I'll go back to my room and clean up, and then go with you to the house next door to see if there's anything I can help with!"
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