In Shiyuan Village, Liu Yanqing was very excited and wanted to run to the main house immediately to tell the people there that Lin Xiaowan was pregnant.
"Don't rush out." Lin Xiaowan pulled Liu Yanqing.
Because the doctor was visiting another elderly man in the village, Lin Xiaowan went to see him. They didn't go to town, as Lin Xiaowan didn't want anyone to know she was pregnant.
There was no need for them to rush to take care of the eldest wife. Lin Xiaowan wondered how long she had been pregnant. It hadn't even been three months yet. She planned to wait.
"Wait three months." Lin Xiaowan said.
"If we wait three months, they'll all be back in Beijing," Liu Yanqing said. "It's okay. They're such close relatives, so it doesn't matter if we talk about it. At least we should tell Father. If they go back to the capital, it will be difficult for us to see them."
"Just say whatever you want to say." Lin Xiaowan waved her hand. She knew that even if she didn't let Liu Yanqing say it, Liu Yanqing would run to the main house and say it.
"Okay." Liu Yanqing was worried that Lin Xiaowan wouldn't let him speak, so it was fine if she allowed him to.
Liu Yanqing thought that it was a bit late today, so he decided to wait until tomorrow morning to tell the people in the first house about Lin Xiaowan's pregnancy.
"Don't say anything else." Lin Xiaowan said, "It's not something particularly important."
"When Third Sister-in-law was pregnant, the first wife even sent her a few chickens," Liu Yanqing said. "Each chicken costs quite a bit of money."
Liu Yanqing thought that his family didn't have such high demands. If the eldest family gave them a few chickens, that would be fine. How could they be so picky when others gave them gifts?
It's not like you're giving something to someone else, so it's not easy to be picky.
"..." Lin Xiaowan was speechless. Liu Yanqing was not a good housekeeper at all. He just liked to take advantage of others.
Lin Xiaowan didn't even think about the eldest wife's things. If the eldest wife gave them something, they would accept it. If the eldest wife didn't give them anything, they shouldn't say anything.
This husband is really disgusting.
Lin Xiaowan didn't know why her husband became like this. Was it because she didn't know him well enough before?
"Don't worry, there's no one in our family who's so blind as to offend you." Liu Yanqing said, "It's just me and mother. You should take good care of yourself and give birth to a plump, fair child... Not to mention a son, a daughter is fine too."
Liu Yanqing only needed the children in his hands, and perhaps his father and mother would still remember them. Liu Yanqing knew that their stepmother was a very good person, and she would give all kinds of gifts, making it impossible for people to find fault.
"It's easier to pack things up when there's a child around, isn't it?" Liu Yanqing said, "There's no other happy events at home, so this is the only one for now."
Liu Yanqing didn't want to invite guests or hold a banquet casually. They would spend a lot of money to hold a banquet, and it was impossible to hold a banquet casually without a clear purpose.
Liu Yanqing hopes that Lin Xiaowan will get pregnant. He thinks pregnancy is a good thing and it will bring joy to the family.
"Stop talking, don't say these things in front of the child in the future." Lin Xiaowan rubbed her eyebrows. She was worried that the child would be led astray by Liu Yanqing.
"Why can't I say it?" Liu Yanqing thought his idea was a good one. "I'm not the young master of a marquisate, and our child doesn't have such a high status. He should learn more about the way the country people do things."
"You're really thinking ahead." Lin Xiaowan said, "Does your style count as country?"
"I'm a country person now, that's it." Liu Yanqing didn't think there was anything wrong with his idea.
Liu Yanqing thought, what's wrong with doing this? His son and daughter should learn from him. The children should learn from his strengths. If they want to take advantage of him, they can, but they can't mess around and know when to stop.
The people in the first house were all very nice, and Liu Yanqing was thinking about how to get more.
"Don't underestimate those people. Some of them do well." Liu Yanqing said, "They are also wise and can gain more benefits."
Liu Yanqing said it so bluntly, look at the widow Zhang's family in the village. Widow Zhang knows how to flatter others, and she also knows how to do more things. Ordinary people can't do what Widow Zhang does.
If you are too concerned about face, you still won't get so many things.
“…” Lin Xiaowan didn’t say anything. Her husband was just like that.
The next day, Liu Yanqing went to the main room and told them that Lin Xiaowan was pregnant.
Father Liu went to the fields. After hearing the news that Lin Xiaowan was pregnant, Mother Liu's mood did not get better or worse.
Liu Yanqing was not born from his mother's womb. What his mother did for Liu Yanqing, her illegitimate son with no blood relationship, was just superficial.
It's impossible to say that Liu's mother likes Liu Yanqing very much. At most, Liu's mother said that she felt Liu Yanqing was easy to worry about and that the four houses didn't bother with those things.
"It's a happy event." Mother Liu nodded. "Go back later and bring some things back."
Liu's mother was not stingy and was willing to give a few chickens and cakes. She also had cotton cloth suitable for children at home.
At the beginning, Liu's mother also wanted to give Feng Guanjing and her unborn child to the third room, but the child in Feng Guanjing's unborn child was killed by Liu Fang.
"Thank you very much." Liu Yanqing was very grateful.
Liu Yanqing didn't think he was here to extort money, but of course, if others said he was here to extort money, then he was here to extort money.
Only if they are not afraid of what others say can they gain more benefits.
Mother Liu had nothing to say to Liu Yanqing, except to ask how Lin Xiaowan was doing. She didn't invite Liu Yanqing to dinner. Liu Yanqing was also smart and said directly that he would go back to take care of Lin Xiaowan.
"I have to go back early. I still have some work to do and take care of them." Liu Yanqing said, "I just came to tell my father and mother."
"Okay." said Liu's mother.
"Please tell my father when he comes back." Liu Yanqing said.
"Okay." said Liu's mother.
When Liu Yanqing saw the things his mother had prepared for him, he was in a good mood. Because Liu Yanqing's bicycle couldn't hold so many things, his mother had someone drive the things directly to Shiyuan Village.
Not long after Liu Yanqing left, his father came back.
"People from the fourth house have just arrived," said Liu's mother. "The fourth family's daughter-in-law is pregnant and came to announce the good news. I had someone prepare some things for them and also sent someone to take them to Shiyuan Village."
"Just do whatever you want." Father Liu had a legitimate grandson. When he heard that the fourth son's family was going to have a child, he was not that excited, but he was a little happy.
Father Liu believed that Mother Liu would arrange everything, and he didn't need to worry about these things at all.
In the past, Liu's father was an official in the court, and Liu's mother took care of the rear house and other interpersonal relationships.
When in the capital, Liu's mother was able to keep the concubines under control and manage everything very smoothly.
As for those illegitimate sons, in fact, Liu's mother didn't manage them too badly.
Liu Yanbo was mainly misled by Concubine Qing, but even so, Liu Yanbo's brain was still very useful; Liu Yanyuan from the third room still knew how to seek benefits and avoid harm, and Liu Yanyuan did not make too much trouble, mainly because of Concubine Chai. Liu Yanyuan also had some little thoughts.
In the fourth room, Liu Yanqing was a bit of a playboy, but he had never killed anyone or robbed a woman.
"We gave them some cakes, chickens, fish, and two rolls of cloth," said Liu's mother. "Family life is better now, so we can give them some more things. However, our family property was acquired after the family split up, so there's no reason to divide it up among them. I can just give them some daily."
Mother Liu is not a saint. She would never say that the other families received too little, and she would never say that she would give money to the other families.
She knew that Father Liu might be thinking that the other families had received too little. That's how people are. When life is hard, they don't think too much about these things. When life gets better, they start to think about these things.
"Okay." Father Liu had no objection. He felt that Mother Liu's tone was a little bland. Mother Liu was always so well-behaved and arranged everything.
Father Liu didn't feel anything before, but now he feels that Mother Liu is being unfair to him. His wife has always been considering his feelings, so she always says these things.
"They're talking about splitting up the family when they're in trouble. It's already very good that you can give them something." Father Liu said, "Don't worry too much."
Father Liu doesn't want Mother Liu to be too cautious, otherwise he will feel like a scumbag.
Mother Liu didn't take Father Liu's words to heart. Men are like this, one thing now and another thing later.
Why wait until later to cause people to complain when something can be solved with a little effort?
That's what Liu's mother did, arranging all the matters properly.
"It's just a few things, not much." Liu's mother said, "Our family is not so poor that we can't afford these things."
“…” Father Liu always felt something was wrong.
Mother Liu didn't say much, she just didn't love Father Liu that much. When Father Liu took in several concubines and had children with them, Mother Liu couldn't have loved Father Liu that much.
Perhaps when Mother Liu first married into the Marquis of Jingning's mansion, she had loved Father Liu. But that love gradually wore away and disappeared, and Mother Liu knew that she only needed to be a qualified mistress of the household.
Father Liu respected her, and she managed the rear quarters well, that was all.
For someone like Mr. Liu, even if he feels something is not right, it is just a fleeting thought that passes through his mind, and he is unlikely to think too much about it.
Father Liu was already this old. He might think that he had let Mother Liu down, but he couldn't possibly think that having three wives and four concubines was wrong. Aren't other men like that? He didn't favor his concubine over his wife, so there was nothing wrong with that.
In Shiyuan Village, Liu Yanqing came back with something.
When Lin Xiaowan walked out of the yard, she saw the people sent by the eldest wife moving things.
"We have six chickens," Liu Yanqing said with a smile. "They're all alive and can be raised in the yard. We also have eggs and cotton cloth. The cakes there are delicious too. You should try some."
Liu Yanqing thought that Lin Xiaowan couldn't eat that much, so he could eat some. Fortunately, he went to the eldest house today, and his stepmother was quite generous.
You have to know that the first wife's family didn't have much money. When Liu Yanjing and Princess Zhaoyang got engaged, the betrothal gift Liu Yanjing gave to Princess Zhaoyang was not much.
Lin Xiaowan looked at the smile on Liu Yanqing's face and wondered how this man could be so shameless.
"Put everything away." Lin Xiaowan said.
"I was originally wondering whether they would believe it and whether I should take you there to find a doctor. They didn't think much about it and just gave me so many things." Liu Yanqing said.
Liu Yanqing rubbed his hands, the people in the first house were really nice.
"Who would doubt this?" Lin Xiaowan was really impressed by Liu Yanqing's train of thought.
"That's right, I didn't intend to lie to them and tell them that you were pregnant." Liu Yanqing had just thought about it. He had previously thought that if Lin Xiaowan didn't get pregnant, when the Liu family's eldest wife was about to return to Beijing, he would still have to go and tell them that Lin Xiaowan was pregnant.
Hehehe, this way I can get more things.
When the people from the first wife return to Beijing, they may not be able to take so many things with them, but if they leave some things between their fingers, that can also save the fourth wife a few years of hard work.
Liu Yanqing was not stupid, nor did he think that this was a bad thing. He was the biological son of Marquis Jingning and the younger brother of Liu Yanjing. Liu Yanqing believed that he was qualified to accept those things.
The premise is based on what the people in the eldest house are willing to give them. Liu Yanqing thought that even if the eldest house of the Liu family did not leave so many things, every bit they left would count.
Could it be that they won’t go to the eldest wife’s house for the sake of their so-called self-esteem?
Liu Yanqing would never do that. Didn't he see that Widow Zhang had gained so many benefits? He thought he had to learn from Widow Zhang. He hadn't learned enough yet, and he could continue to learn.
Widow Zhang had no idea that Liu Yanqing wanted to learn from her, so she asked her family to buy some fodder.
Widow Zhang's brother raised several sheep, which had a lot of wool, and they were used to sell the wool.
It’s just that more people are raising sheep, so there’s less pasture.
No, Widow Zhang’s brother had mentioned this before, and was worried about how to feed the sheep.
When Widow Zhang saw the grass harvest on the farm, she asked her family to come and buy some. They offered four pounds of grass for one penny, a very cheap price, and they also offered five pounds for one penny.
Widow Zhang believes that they don't need to buy grass every day. They can buy grass when they are short of it. They can also cultivate grass on their own land, so they don't need to buy grass.
"With more people raising sheep, you still need to open up some land to grow grass," Widow Zhang said. "In the future, there may be an even greater shortage of forage. Growing it yourself can save a lot of money. The grass can be grown on wasteland, and the land requirements are not high."
Widow Zhang and her family took care of the pastures, and she knew how the pastures grew. The pastures could produce seeds and grow very tall, one crop after another, a bit like cutting leeks.
Those grasses can also grow new plants, and then they can buy special culture medium for growing grasses, so that they can grow more grasses.
If there is more pasture at home, we can raise more sheep. The sheep produce wool and milk, which can be sold for money.
As long as there is enough land at home to grow crops, everything will be fine.
"It's not too late to plant now," said Widow Zhang. "We can harvest quite a bit and dry it in the sun. When the weather gets cold, we'll have grass to grow."
"Yes, we have to plant it." Liu Da had no other thoughts. He felt that Widow Zhang was very thoughtful and that his sister was right. His sister was working for Princess Rongning. Liu Da believed in his sister and believed that she must know more from Princess Rongning.
"Just keep an eye on it, don't let the sheep eat the grass," Widow Zhang joked. "Plant more."
In the Liu family's main house, Liu Yulian packed out several large boxes of books, and there were still some books that had not been packed into the boxes.
"Why are there so many?" Mother Liu was as surprised as Princess Zhaoyang, even though she knew her daughter liked these books and had collected a lot of books before.
But when she didn't see so many boxes directly, her feelings were not so deep.
"Our luggage is not as much as your books." Liu's mother joked.
"Yes, there are not as many books as there are." Liu Yulian said, "Not only that, we have also made arrangements with several families to come to Beijing with us."
"Then we can do it together." Liu's mother said, "You can use your own money and you don't have to tell us."
"I'm just telling you." Liu Yulian didn't discuss it with these people. She just decided on the people herself. "When we get back, we'll build a few houses in the suburbs, or somewhere further away. Their children can go to school in the capital, and we can also hire someone to teach them."
Liu Yulian had thought about it. It would not be easy to get those people to follow her to the capital. She wanted talent, and when faced with talent, it was inevitable that some sacrifices would be made and more benefits would be given to those people.
"It's good that you have an idea." Liu's mother believed that her daughter's housekeeping ability might not be that strong, but her daughter still had certain abilities when it came to organizing people to research things.
In the military camp, He Xiyuan learned that Liu Yulian had developed cement, and he followed some other people to build military fortresses with cement.
He Xiyuan saw the great role of cement, and when the Liu family returned to Beijing, he wanted to go with them. After returning, he would study and then take part in the imperial examination.
"This cement is really good." General Xu sighed.
General Xu also ordered people to use cement to build roads. Cement is very useful and easy to use.
He Xiyuan stood in front of General Xu and saw how those people used cement.
"After you return to Beijing, I don't know when you will come back." General Xu looked at He Xiyuan, "Don't you plan to stay here?"
"No." He Xiyuan didn't like war very much. He was well educated. The teacher of the Imperial College once said that He Xiyuan would be able to get a first place in the imperial examination one day.
If these things hadn't happened to the Liu family, He Xiyuan would have already taken the imperial examination. He Xiyuan didn't know if he could win the first place, but he thought that the love between him and Sister Lian was unmatched by anyone.
"I don't have big ambitions." He Xiyuan said, "There are also many strong people in the military camp."
He Xiyuan didn't think he had to stay here. He just wanted to live an ordinary life. He was just an ordinary person. He and Sister Lian didn't need such a passionate relationship. Just a warm and simple life would be enough.
General Xu looked at He Xiyuan and said, "You can go back and take part in the imperial examinations, or you can speak for the people."
"How many people become officials just to speak for the people?" He Xiyuan sneered. "Some people just do it to bring honor to their families and gain power."
He Xiyuan thought he didn't have such lofty ambitions, and that he would just do his job well. If he were a local official, he would certainly consider the local officials.
But if you really ask him why he wants to take the imperial examination, his answer will be that it is for himself and for the future of him and his sister Lian.
This is the most truthful answer. Speaking up for the people or being an honest official are all empty answers.
"I'm an ordinary person!" He Xiyuan said.
General Xu smiled. He Xiyuan was still like this. If it were someone else, they might have said something high-sounding, but He Xiyuan didn't.
"When I look at you, you're not ordinary in any way." General Xu said with a smile.
"In front of Sister Lian, she's just ordinary." He Xiyuan said.
"What? You don't want to be unique?" General Xu raised his eyebrows.
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