Liu Yuqin had a purpose in leaving a maid behind. She wanted the maid to serve Liu Yanbo. Regardless of what Su Qiuya thought, Liu Yuqin believed that as an older sister, leaving a maid behind for her younger brother was nothing.
Aunt Qing went to take care of her, which means there is one less person in the shop.
Even if Aunt Qing didn't do anything originally, this is a reason.
"Mom, you just spoil them too much. You are a mother-in-law, so there is no need to be so accommodating to them." Liu Yuqin said.
"I am a concubine. In the eyes of your sister-in-law, maybe I am not her real mother-in-law." Aunt Qing sometimes thought so. Just because she was a concubine, Su Qiuya looked down on her from the bottom of her heart.
If Su Qiuya looked up to her, how could Su Qiuya always contradict her?
This made Concubine Qing feel very uncomfortable. She just talked to Liu Yuqin. It wasn't that Concubine Qing didn't tell Liu Yanbo about it, but Liu Yanbo didn't believe what Concubine Qing said.
Liu Yanbo believed that Qing Yi Niang had paranoid delusions. Before, when they were in the Marquis' Mansion, Liu's mother did not make things difficult for them. Qing Yi Niang felt that Liu's mother was suppressing them. After they came out, she found that Liu Yanbo really did not have that much ability.
Therefore, Liu Yanbo no longer believed Qing Yi Niang's words. He thought he had been foolish to have believed Qing Yi Niang so much. If he had not believed Qing Yi Niang's words and had consulted the teacher earlier, he would not be just a scholar now.
Liu Yanbo thought of the shame he had suffered in the northwest, and how it was because of those events that he separated from the eldest wife and severed his relationship with her. His resentment towards Concubine Qing intensified. If it hadn't been for Concubine Qing, he wouldn't have had such a deep misunderstanding of his mother, and he wouldn't have abandoned the eldest wife at that time.
Aunt Qing also knew that Liu Yanbo had some resentment towards him, but Liu Yanbo just didn't say it out loud.
Under such circumstances, Aunt Qing couldn't always say those words in front of Liu Yanbo.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this." Aunt Qing said, "This is also my own fault. Before, I was too doting on your brother's wife. At that time, I thought our family was raided, and she was willing to be exiled with your brother. I thought she must be a good person. Who would have thought she would be like this."
"Don't think she's good. She's a merchant's daughter," Liu Yuqin said. "She didn't divorce her brother because she thought he could pass the imperial examination and had some hope. She has a stepmother at home, and she was afraid she'd be harassed by her if she went back, so she followed you to the northwest."
In short, Su Qiuya is not a good person.
Liu Yuqin and Aunt Qing were talking about Su Qiuya's faults over there, and the mother and daughter didn't care whether Su Qiuya would hear it or not. They just felt that Su Qiuya was not good, and they wanted to vent their inner dissatisfaction.
Liu Yuqin's voice was loud, and Su Qiuya heard what Liu Yuqin said.
Su Qiuya's face was not very good. This mother and daughter were just ungrateful wolves. During this period of time, she had served Liu Yuqin with good intentions and bought a lot of things for Aunt Qing.
As a result, the mother and daughter started talking bad about her behind her back.
There was no way Su Qiuya would raise Liu Yuqin's daughter just to make her and Aunt Qing happy. It was impossible. Just based on what Liu Yuqin said today, it was even more impossible for her to raise Liu Yuqin's child. Not to mention the child's innocence, who the child's parents were was itself a sin.
When Liu Yanbo came back, Su Qiuya cried to him with red eyes.
"Your second sister said she was leaving, but she still wanted to leave a maid to serve you. She wants that maid to be your concubine, right?" Su Qiuya said, "With her like this, how could I be willing to raise her child?"
"Don't want that maid." Liu Yanbo hurriedly coaxed Su Qiuya, "I told you long ago that I won't take a concubine."
"I'm not pregnant yet, so who knows, they might say I can't have children." Su Qiuya said, "Those people like to say this when they ask men to take concubines, and they like to say that women are jealous. I do so much for this family, do you really want me to support your concubine?"
"No, we agreed not to take a concubine, so I won't take a concubine." Liu Yanbo said, "I owe you so much, how could I possibly let you down?"
Liu Yanbo sincerely believed that he had let Su Qiuya down. Su Qiuya had been exiled with him, and it was Su Qiuya who supported the family. He was a grown man, but he hadn't done anything useful. How could he say anything wrong about Su Qiuya?
Besides, his second sister's temper is not that good. If he keeps that maid, who knows what will happen in the future.
"Don't worry, I won't keep it." Liu Yanbo emphasized.
"She gave you the maid Liu, but she certainly wouldn't have sold you a body indenture. She just wanted to control us." Su Qiuya said, "I'm not saying this, but you know what kind of personality I have. I always thought the Marquis' wife would harm you, and I also thought she would harm my second sister. My second sister's personality is similar to mine, and I'm afraid..."
"There is indeed a problem." After listening to Su Qiuya's analysis, Liu Yanbo felt more and more that there was something wrong with his biological mother and second sister.
Liu Yanbo just wanted to live a good life and didn't want to think about whether others were trying to harm him. No one was trying to harm him at all. If he kept thinking that way, he would be the one who suffered.
He had finally gotten out of the vortex of trouble he had been in before, and Liu Yanbo didn't want to get into the same dead end again.
The next day, when Liu Yuqin and Liu Yanbo wanted to leave a maid to help them, Liu Yanbo refused.
"Second sister, since you're pregnant, let the maids take care of you." Liu Yanbo said, "We have people in our shop too. We have a maidservant and a maid we bought on the road. That maid is quite sensible and knows how to do a lot of things. We don't need to keep so many people."
"You've been married for so long, and your wife still hasn't gotten pregnant. Don't you want a child?" Liu Yuqin asked. "I gave you a maid, and you don't want her. If you like her, sleep with her. If you don't like her, just send her away."
"Then, second sister, you give me the indenture contract, and then I can sell her and get some money. What do you think?" Liu Yanbo said directly.
"You sold it right away?" Liu Yuqin was shocked.
"Yes." Liu Yanbo nodded. "Maid, the younger ones are more valuable, right?"
Liu Yanbo didn't think about keeping the maid by his side. He didn't want to let Su Qiuya down.
“…” Liu Yuqin thought Liu Yanbo was crazy.
"Second sister, I'm married, and you're divorced, so we're considered two different families now." Liu Yanbo said, "From now on, you should stop worrying about my affairs and focus on your own. You're so noisy... We can't raise your child anymore."
"You..." Liu Yuqin was angry. "Do you think I have to ask you to raise my child? Even if you don't help raise it, I can still afford it."
"That's good." Liu Yanbo said.
"You're a man, how come you don't have any courage at all? You're just letting your wife ride on your head like that." Liu Yuqin said, "Don't you think about our mother? She worked so hard to raise us..."
"We grew up in the Marquis' Mansion and spent the Marquis's money." Liu Yanbo interrupted Liu Yuqin. Don't say that Aunt Qing worked hard to raise them. This didn't exist at all.
Even though Xue Liu had lost her mother, she grew up well in the Marquis's mansion.
Liu Yanbo didn't think he couldn't live without Qing Yi Niang, so he didn't praise Qing Yi Niang as such a great person. He thought Liu's mother had great patience, because she didn't punish Qing Yi Niang and let Qing Yi Niang and Liu Yuqin suffer so much.
"If you have any, don't say it. We are all grown up and not pawns to be manipulated by others." Liu Yanbo could no longer be so foolish as to listen to Aunt Qing's words, nor could he listen to Liu Yuqin's words too much.
Liu Yuqin was angry, but there was nothing he could do as Liu Yanbo simply didn't listen to him.
Two days later, Liu Yuqin moved out of Liu Yanbo and his wife's home.
Liu Yuqin wanted to go to the Jingning Marquis's Mansion. She went there specifically, but Aunt Qing didn't go. She had entered the mansion, and she wanted to stay there. But there was no way Liu's father and the others would let her stay at the Jingning Marquis's Mansion. Of course, they asked her to leave.
"Let's go after dinner." This was Mr. Liu's attitude.
No matter how the people from the second house treat Liu Yuqin, Liu Yuqin has her own house and she doesn't have to live with those people from the second house.
"I was kicked out by my second brother. Can't you let me stay here for a while?" Liu Yuqin asked.
"No," said Liu's father. "Think about your own personality. If I let you stay here, you'll turn this place upside down. When your sister Liu Fang got married, I only gave her fifty taels of silver. None of the things we have at home now were earned by me, so don't even think about staying here."
"But you are the Marquis of Jingning." Liu Yuqin said.
"It doesn't matter who is the Marquis, it's all the same." Father Liu understood this. "You're already so old, and you've been divorced before, so you should have some common sense. People don't call you Miss anymore, they call you Madam now."
Even if Liu Yuqin is divorced, it is basically impossible for outsiders to call her Miss Liu Yuqin.
Liu Yuqin has grown up a long time ago, and it is impossible for her father to support her for the rest of her life.
"Back then, when we were exiled to the northwest, you didn't even go to see us off," Father Liu said. "We didn't say anything, but we knew it all in our hearts. So, forget about staying here. We're giving you face now, but if you insist on making trouble, then we won't give you any more."
Father Liu said it so bluntly because he hoped Liu Yuqin would not dream of staying.
Liu Yuqin had wanted to cry more in front of her father, crying about how the Mei family had treated her badly, crying about how Liu Yanbo and his wife had kicked her out. Who knew that Liu's father would actually say that he had given Liu Fang fifty taels of silver, so was his own amount still considered much?
This made Liu Yuqin wonder what to say. For the first time, she felt that her father could be so cold-blooded and ruthless.
It’s not that Father Liu is so cold-hearted, but that Liu Yuqin can’t see clearly her own situation.
While Liu Yuqin was talking to Liu's father, Liu Yulian went to Liu's mother's place. She planned to rest for a while before going out.
"Why is my second sister here again?" Liu Yulian asked, "What is she going to do?"
"She just wants to stay," said Mother Liu. "The Second House doesn't buy her story and isn't willing to raise her child, so she wants us to raise it. Didn't she also say that Princess Zhaoyang has no children and asked her to see her child more often?"
Liu's mother thought Liu Yuqin was just crazy. Princess Zhaoyang's first marriage was indeed not very good, and Princess Zhaoyang had not conceived for many years. However, Liu Yuqin was not just saying this. Regardless of whether Princess Zhaoyang had a biological daughter or not, she had step-sons and step-daughters.
Why should Liu Yuqin's child stay in the Marquis' Mansion, and why should Princess Zhaoyang raise him?
Mother Liu thought that if it were her, she would never say such stupid words.
"Forget her, even for you, we can't just help you raise your child," said Mother Liu. "You're not without a place to live or money, so why do you have to rely on your family to raise your child? It's okay for a while, a few months, a year or two, but anything longer is not good. It's not good for the child's growth, and living under someone else's roof isn't easy."
Even though some grandparents say they love their grandchildren, they can't always keep an eye on them. When their grandchildren quarrel, who will they side with? And who will the other servants in the house side with?
This is not an easy task. Children may have to learn to be patient and to read other people's expressions at a young age. This may seem to help children grow up quickly, but it actually causes great harm to them.
"It's impossible for you to raise more children." Liu Yulian thought that if she had children, she would raise them well. She would not read books all the time, but would go home more often to take care of the children.
In later life, Liu Yulian heard of numerous cases of prominent researchers failing to properly care for their children, leading to various problems for their children. She once heard an interview about a prominent academician who neglected to take good care of his child at home due to his research, leading to his son's fall and intellectual impairment.
Who would associate a brilliant academician with a child whose brain is not very good? Most people think that the academician's child must also be very smart and capable. In fact, those researchers have sacrificed a lot.
"We have set up a school at the research institute," Liu Yulian said. "The children of researchers can attend classes there, and the teachers there will teach them all kinds of knowledge. Whether they want to take the scientific examination or apply to the research institute in the future depends on their own choice and ability."
"That's good." Liu's mother said, "The school at the research institute should be very good too."
"The teachers we hired include both Jinshi and Juren, specializing in various disciplines," Liu Yulian said. "Some also teach hands-on practical skills."
Liu Yulian had only mentioned a few subjects to study; the others were arranged by Princess Zhaoyang and the Crown Princess. The teachers who could teach at the academy were generally quite talented. This was also to allow the researchers to focus on their research, and the academy didn't charge tuition for the researchers' children.
There are also people from outside the institute attending the school, but they have to pay tuition.
After Liu Yuqin returned to her own house, Qing Yi Niang happened to be staying there temporarily to take care of her. She complained to Qing Yi Niang about Liu's father, saying that Liu's father didn't care about her at all.
"My father clearly knew I was pregnant, but he didn't care about me or his grandson. He just asked me to come back as soon as possible." Liu Yuqin said, "He only had a meal and asked me to come back. He didn't say much to me, nor did he give me anything."
Liu Yuqin was very dissatisfied with Liu's father's behavior. She was also Liu's father's daughter. How could Liu's father be so cruel?
"Your father... just treat him as if he's not your father." Aunt Qing said, "Now, only those in the first house are his biological children. He doesn't care about others. He likes to say that those things were earned by Liu Yulian and have nothing to do with him."
When we were in the northwest before, Father Liu had the same attitude.
Aunt Qing didn't like what Liu's father did. She wanted him to give them more things in private. But Liu's father didn't do that. He never thought of compensating the other families.
"It's true..." Liu Yuqin was unhappy.
"Don't be angry. You are still pregnant. Go and rest first." Aunt Qing comforted.
Meanwhile, Feng Guanjing and his wife's shop wasn't doing well. If it weren't for the free rent, they would be losing money. They barely made a profit in a month, and people didn't like coming to their shop much.
Liu Yanyuan knew some people when he was in the Marquis' Mansion, but those people only came to show their support a few times. Moreover, Liu Yanyuan no longer lived in the Marquis' Mansion, so those people came to see how miserable Liu Yanyuan was, and few of them really wanted to help him.
But when they came, they all smiled, so Liu Yanyuan had to let them in. Some people asked why it was only a few coins, saying that he didn't have so many loose coins on him. Others said that he was a bastard from a marquisate and was selling things so cheaply...
After hearing those words, Liu Yanyuan had to face it with a smile even though he was upset.
They have slightly more acquaintances in Beijing, unlike when they were in the northwest, where almost no one knew them.
"This is just how much money the shop makes?" Aunt Chai heard what Liu Yanyuan and his wife said.
Aunt Chai originally wanted Liu Yanyuan to give her money to buy something and send it to Liu Fang, but Liu Yanyuan said that the family didn't make much money.
"Yes." Liu Yanyuan said, "Those people don't really like to come here to eat."
"Then let's not sell food," Aunt Chai said. "Then let's sell cosmetics. Women's cosmetics should be a good business."
"As for cosmetics, we don't make them ourselves. Even if we could make some, it wouldn't be much," Liu Yanyuan said. "The cost is high, and we also have to rely on whether we can import the goods. We're not sure we'll make money then. Doing business isn't that easy."
Liu Yanyuan also knew this: they didn't go to other towns to buy goods, nor did they go on business. Instead, they bought goods that others had brought into the capital, so these goods were expensive. They bought in small quantities, so they were also expensive.
"Just sell the food slowly, maybe it will be good after a while. We have just opened for a short time and don't have that many regular customers." Liu Yanyuan thought that the few dishes their shop had made should still be able to attract some people.
But making big money is not that easy.
"Sister Fang, please wait a while before sending anything." Liu Yanyuan said, "Mother, we are not in the Marquis' Mansion."
Liu Yanyuan wanted to let Chai know that their family didn't have that much money and that they were poor, so she shouldn't spend it so recklessly. Liu Yanyuan hoped that Chai would spend the money on him, his wife, and their children, rather than on Liu Fang.
If it weren't for Liu Fang, his child would have been born already.
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