In Shiyuan Village, Lin Xiaowan gave birth to a daughter. Liu Yanqing wasn't unhappy. It wasn't like Lin Xiaowan couldn't have children in the future. If they wanted a boy, they could continue to have more.
"She doesn't look very pretty." Liu Yanqing stared at his daughter. Such a small child looked like a monkey.
Liu Yanqing looked down at his palm, then at his daughter. She was so tiny. He certainly hadn't intended to slap her; he just thought she was incredibly small, so tiny.
"It's only been a few days since birth, and it's like this. It will improve over time," Aunt Zhao said. "You're a father now, so be more careful and don't say these things in front of the child."
"She doesn't understand." Liu Yanqing said. How could such a young child understand the difference between beauty and ugliness? Children also can't understand what people say.
The child doesn't understand, so she won't be angry after hearing it.
Liu Yanqing didn't even dare to reach out and touch his daughter, always feeling that she was too fragile.
"Whether she understands or not, we have to pay attention to her," Aunt Zhao said. She felt a little regretful. She wished it had been a son. If Lin Xiaowan had given birth to a daughter, there was no way they could turn her into a boy. "Go get all those little clothes out and put them away."
"They're all in a cabinet," Liu Yanqing replied. "There's no need to take them out."
"Why don't you take it out? You need to wash it and dry it in the sun." Aunt Zhao said, "You've never raised a child, how would you know this?"
When Aunt Zhao was in the Marquis's mansion, she had people to serve her, so she didn't have to do these things. They didn't have that much money now, so it was not easy to hire more people. They did what they could do themselves.
Liu Yanqing wasn't very good at washing clothes, so Aunt Zhao did more. Lin Xiaowan was in confinement after childbirth, and women in confinement shouldn't touch cold water too much.
At this time, the weather was still a bit cold. Aunt Zhao would not force Lin Xiaowan to do those things at this time, even if Lin Xiaowan was relatively weak at this time. But the family still depended on Lin Xiaowan, who knew how to manage those sensible things.
If they handed the family over to Liu Yanqing, they would probably be left with nothing in the future.
Aunt Zhao understood this, so she was happy to do these things. She also took good care of her granddaughter, who was still so young and needed someone to be around.
This little granddaughter is also pitiful. If they hadn't split up the family, they could have gone to the capital with her, and they could have lived in the marquis's mansion, so the little granddaughter would have a wet nurse to take care of her.
But now, the little granddaughter doesn’t have a wet nurse or even a maid.
Aunt Zhao loved her granddaughter dearly. They couldn't just raise her as a village girl while they were in Shiyuan Village. They still had to let their granddaughter learn to read and write, and learn other things, so that she could marry a better family in the future and not marry those peasants.
"Then you wash it." Liu Yanqing said, "I'll get the clothes out."
"Forget it, I'll get it myself." Aunt Zhao waved her hand. "You should take good care of your daughter. She's so young, so pay more attention to her."
"She doesn't move much, so she's fine. She won't fall." Liu Yanqing said. It's still relatively good that the child can't roll around yet.
Liu Yanqing thought that the child was always crying, which was not good. They said that the child would cry when he was hungry, urinated, or felt uncomfortable.
This made Liu Yanqing very helpless. He wondered if Liu Yulian was like this before?
Alas, he has no idea what my younger sister was like before.
Liu Yanqing never cared about those people before. He just went out to play and had fun. Who would care about what happened in other people's yards?
"She's still young now, but she'll grow up in a while." Aunt Zhao said, "Be more careful, she's your daughter."
"Yes, yes, yes, she is my daughter." Liu Yanqing said that he knew this and Lin Xiaowan did not cheat on him.
When Liu Yanqing came to Lin Xiaowan, he was thinking about writing a letter to the Jingning Marquis' Mansion to tell them that he had a daughter.
"What do you think is the best way to write it in the letter?" Liu Yanqing asked.
"It's good enough, no need to write it too well." Lin Xiaowan said, "Why, are you still writing sentimental words over there? Do you think others don't know what kind of person you are? Don't forget how we treated her back then. Who would believe you if you wrote such affectionate words? You're just disgusting people over there."
Liu Yanqing touched his nose and thought, forget it, he would just write the letter in a more ordinary way.
"They sent quite a few things here before," Lin Xiaowan said. "You should be content."
"I'm quite content, but we should at least tell them that we have a daughter," Liu Yanqing said. "It's not something that can't be said. If we don't tell them, will they just guess? Maybe they'll even prepare a full-month or a hundred-day ceremony for our daughter."
"..." Lin Xiaowan's mouth curled up slightly, she knew that Liu Yanqing was still thinking about others sending him things.
Fortunately, Liu Yanqing's temper was not too bad. If the Jingning Marquisate did not send any gifts, Liu Yanqing would not say much. If the Jingning Marquisate did send gifts, the value of the gifts was not high, and Liu Yanqing was happy.
That's because those things were free, and the things they gave to the Jingning Marquisate were too little. The two sides were not equal at all, and the people in the Jingning Marquisate must have known this. Maybe they gave those things to the Fourth House because they were quieter.
In the town, Liu Fang was quite disgusted when she learned that Lin Xiaowan had given birth to a daughter.
"It's just a daughter. Why do they have to go to the town to buy so many things?" Liu Fang said.
"You're a girl, too." Zhen Wenze thought he hadn't considered favoring boys over girls, but Liu Fang had the same attitude. "What if the baby in your belly is also a girl?"
"You...can't you say something nice?" Liu Fang was unhappy. Why did Zhen Wen Ze say this at this time? Zhen Wen Ze should have said that the baby in her belly was a boy.
"Boys and girls are fine," Zhen Wenze said. "They are all children of our Zhen family."
"Girls are useless." Liu Fang said.
"Princess Rongning is quite good." Zhen Wenzhe was also impressed by Liu Fang. He had said so much, but Liu Fang still said that.
Liu Fang was a woman herself, and Zhen Wenze thought that this was how Liu Fang would live her life. If Liu Fang gave birth to a daughter, he would never let her teach her bad things.
It was strange to say that none of the Liu family's illegitimate daughters seemed to be very good. Zhen Wen Ze knew that Liu Fang was not a good person, and he also knew that the wife of the Second Young Master Mei was not a good person. The reason why Zhen Wen Ze knew some of the things about the Second Young Master Mei's wife was because Aunt Chai told them in front of them.
These people also belittled another concubine daughter of the Liu family, Miss Liu San, saying that Miss Liu San only listened to her mother and married a distant relative of her mother's family.
Zhen Wen Ze thought that Xue Liu should be living a good life. He saw that neither Concubine Qing nor Concubine Chai were good at educating children.
"Do you like her? Do you want to marry her?" Liu Fang gritted her teeth. "It's useless. She already has a fiancé. Even if she doesn't have a fiancé, you are not worthy of her."
"Yes, I'm not worthy of her." Zhen Wenze still had some self-awareness. "It's enough that I'm worthy of you."
"You..." Liu Fang was unhappy. Zhen Wenzhe was saying that she was not as good as Liu Yulian.
"Don't be so unhappy, you are pregnant." Zhen Wenzhe thought Liu Fang had a bad temper. Before he said anything, Liu Fang was already dissatisfied with all kinds of things.
"You also know that I'm pregnant." Liu Fang was dissatisfied. "You know that I'm pregnant with your child, and you still say this to me."
"..." Zhen Wen Ze was too lazy to say anything. Whatever he said would be wrong.
In Beijing, those who had been admitted to the research institute had been arriving one after another in recent days, each assigned to a different team. Some were working on steam engines, some were preparing to go to Hainan to study rice, others were working on greenhouses, and still others were working on glass...
Those people scattered. There weren't many people in the research institute, and the number of people in different research groups was different.
Of course, the research team at the Institute rarely studies sweet potato cultivation, as the Agricultural Department handles this research. Research on hybrid rice is also conducted jointly by the Institute and the Agricultural Department, though there's no integration between them; at most, they just share information.
Liu Yulian had never considered uniting those people with those from other departments. That was not easy. If they united, whose side would they listen to on key issues? It would be better to work separately.
In later generations, there were many research groups working on the same thing, but not just one research group.
Liu Yulian did not invite everyone to gather together for dinner or organize any welcoming activities.
This was the feudal era, and before these people had figured out anything, it was best not to try anything fancy, lest someone report it to the emperor and displease him.
The newcomers to the institute didn't have particularly outstanding abilities, and their ability to get in wasn't particularly strong. This was mainly because they hadn't studied the material much, resulting in those at the bottom of the list having low grades.
Miss Xue Er was assigned to research greenhouse cultivation, but she knew where greenhouse cultivation was best, especially hybrid rice. She wanted to research hybrid rice even more. If she could increase rice yields, she would also be remembered in history.
But Miss Xue Er is getting married, and her in-laws may not necessarily want her to go to the South China Sea.
Miss Xue Er still plans to discuss it with her in-laws to see what her future in-laws think.
Fortunately, the family of Miss Xue's future husband was also open-minded. Her fiancé was a juren. Her fiancé was also good at studying. If she worked hard, she would have a chance to pass the imperial examination.
Mr. Xue found a good marriage for Miss Xue. He had not originally expected Miss Xue to enter a research institute or anything like that, nor did he think about how successful his daughter would be.
"You two should go to Hainan." After hearing what Miss Xue Er said, her future mother-in-law made the decision. "You two should go together. You can study rice, and he can teach there."
When Miss Xue Er came to the Jingning Marquis' Mansion and told Liu Yulian that she was going to Hainan, Liu Yulian was still a little surprised.
"Going to Hainan?" Liu Yulian asked again.
"Yes." Miss Xue Er said, "We can go after I get married. I'm getting married in the middle of next month. After the wedding, we can go together."
"Have you discussed it? My cousin-in-law won't continue with the imperial examination?" Liu Yulian asked.
You have to know that this is an era where men are superior to women, and it is far more important for a man to be successful than for a woman to be successful.
Liu Yulian wondered if Miss Xue and her husband went to Hainan, would her cousin-in-law still have to take the imperial examination? Or would he become an official in Hainan after taking the examination?
"Your cousin's husband is several years older than me. He took the imperial examination but failed," said Miss Xue. "It's not that his family didn't want him to try, but they thought it would be better for him to go to Hainan. A juren is already quite good, and he could become a popular teacher in Hainan."
Second Miss Xue understood that her future in-laws had seen Hainan's potential. If they were sending someone to Hainan, it would be perfect for her and her husband. Regardless of whether Second Miss Xue could develop anything, her husband would be able to educate many students there, and his students would spread across the world—a form of personal connection.
Some people were reluctant to go to Hainan because they thought it was a desolate place. But Xue Er's in-laws thought this was a good time to go there. They thought fortune and wealth could be found through risk, so they had to give it a try.
"If you go over there and something really happens, we won't be able to do anything." Liu Yulian said. If Miss Xue stayed in the capital, they could still support her.
When Miss Xue Er arrived in Hainan, she felt that the mountains were high and the emperor was far away.
"It's okay, your cousin-in-law is here." said Miss Xue Er.
"If you want to go, then go ahead." Liu Yulian could still make arrangements. "Pack your things so you don't end up in a rush. But you're getting married, and it might be troublesome if you have to rush over right after you get married."
"It doesn't matter." Miss Xue shook her head, "As long as I can go."
This time, the academy admitted three girls: one was Miss Xue Er, one was from the Duan family, and the other was from a commoner family. These three girls were all so beautiful that some people thought the commoner girl could endure some hardship, while the other two girls couldn't.
Miss Xue Er thought that she could endure hardships and was not that delicate, so she had to give it a try.
When Miss Xue Er left, Liu's mother came. She had not come just now in order not to interrupt their conversation.
"My cousin is going to Hainan." Liu Yulian told her mother, "Originally, there were no plans for women to go to Hainan."
It's not that Liu Yulian doesn't want women to go to Hainan; she certainly wants them to go. She hopes they can shine in important fields. Don't wait until future generations talk about this period of history and praise how accomplished the men were while the women basically just stayed at home embroidering.
Liu Yulian hadn't arranged for the girl from the commoner family to go because the family still needed their daughter. Liu Yulian had to think about it more. She had asked someone to ask the girl before, and she had said she hoped to study greenhouses or something like that, even glass.
Liu Yulian knew that the girl had no intention of going to Hainan. If a girl from an ordinary family went to Hainan, it would be difficult for her to research anything. Those men were unlikely to listen to what a little girl said. In addition, the girl had no backing, so who knows how they would bully her.
This girl is also a down-to-earth person, and she doesn't think about becoming famous in the future.
"If my cousin goes, she'll be the only woman in this research group," Liu Yulian said. "When they get to Hainan, they all have to work in the fields."
"If your cousin wants to go, let her go. They will take care of the rest themselves," said Mother Liu. "No matter what happens in the future, she will definitely not trouble you too much."
If Miss Xue Er wanted to find Liu Yulian whenever she encountered any problems, then she would never have gone to Hainan.
"Yeah." Liu Yulian nodded, "That's it."
Liu Yulian thought this arrangement was not bad. Miss Xue was her cousin, and Liu Yulian had also talked about hybrid rice. If Miss Xue went to Hainan, perhaps those people would listen to her more.
"My aunt and the others should agree too," said Liu Yulian.
"Whether your aunt and uncle agree or not is irrelevant. Your cousin is getting married, and as long as her husband's family agrees, that's all that matters." Mother Liu said with a smile, "After a woman gets married, her parents can't really control her."
"Oh." Liu Yulian said.
"Your uncle and aunt are not stupid. They'd definitely want your cousin to go," said Mother Liu. "They see you're promising, so of course they want your cousin to do the same. Since there's this opportunity, and your cousin's in-laws agree, then it's fine for your cousin to go to Hainan."
Mother Liu thought that if it were her, she would be reluctant to leave her daughter. Even if she was reluctant to leave her daughter, she couldn't stop her if she said she wanted to go to Hainan.
The news that Second Miss Xue was going to Hainan spread quickly, and some people were quite shocked. They originally thought that Princess Rongning wanted to keep Second Miss Xue by her side and cultivate her into a confidant, but they did not expect that Princess Rongning would let Second Miss Xue go to Hainan.
Although hybrid rice is a very important research project, it was also the project that Princess Rongning first mentioned. Princess Rongning mentioned some knowledge that many people knew, and Princess Rongning also developed something as magical as culture medium, so that the people were praising Princess Rongning.
Even if someone really developed hybrid rice, that person's reputation would not surpass that of Princess Rongning.
It was Princess Rongning's culture medium that doubled grain production, which was truly remarkable. Later, when people developed hybrid rice, they would also become famous.
Liu Yulian admired those who did research. She was using a cheat, so she wasn't truly relying on her own strength. It was just that the research institute needed a backbone, and Liu Yulian couldn't be so foolish as to say, "I can't do this, I can't do that."
Anyway, people of this era don’t know so many things. It’s okay for Liu Yulian to know a little bit and use the knowledge of later generations to show off.
At the Duan family, Mrs. Duan didn't expect that Miss Xue would go to Hainan, and those people were willing to let their daughter go.
"It would be great to go to Hainan," said Miss Duan. "It hasn't been developed yet. If they could develop Hainan, it would be a great achievement."
"What great achievement, no matter how great it is, you should just stay quietly in the capital." Madam Duan said. She couldn't bear to let her daughter go to Hainan to suffer.
Hainan is a place with many mosquitoes and other dangers. Mrs. Duan would never let her daughter go there. If her daughter wanted to go, Mrs. Duan would also stop her from going.
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