Su Qiuya muttered, still continuing to run the shop. She had no intention of running to the first wife's house. She had made the choice in the past, so she couldn't join them now. How wonderful it was that the second wife was now self-reliant. If she joined them, then their previous self-reliance would become a joke.
Those people will only remember that after the second wife rose to prominence over the first wife, she wanted to cling to the first wife.
Illegitimate children are not valued by legitimate children and cannot inherit as many things.
It would be better for the Second House to focus on making delicious food. Su Qiuya's eyes flickered slightly. When the time comes, her husband will study hard and take the imperial examination. That would be the most practical thing. If Liu Yanbo can pass the examination on his own without relying on the First House, others will still look up to him.
"Don't go there these days." Su Qiuya said to Liu Yanbo, "It should be very lively over there in the big house."
Su Qiuya knew that Aunt Chai from the Third House wanted Liu Fang to go to the First House more often, hoping that Liu Fang could marry into a better family through the First House. This was understandable, as getting married was like a second life for a woman.
"No." Liu Yanbo also has his own pride, and he wants to be better than the first wife.
At the moment, he was afraid that it would be difficult for him to compete with the eldest wife, but he also couldn't go to the eldest wife at this time. Liu Yanbo's thoughts were similar to Su Qiuya's. He didn't think about getting close to the eldest wife at this time.
Liu Yanbo knew without a doubt how the first wife would view him. They would look down on him and think he was worse than pigs and dogs.
I have to say that the second wife has a really strong self-esteem. It’s not that they don’t want to take advantage, but they are mainly worried that the people in the first wife may think they are bad and may insult them.
The people in the Liu family's first branch didn't think about what would happen to the second branch, nor did they think about what would happen to the other branches.
Once the family splits up, it’s a split. There’s no need to worry too much about how the other families are doing.
After the villagers left, Liu's mother asked Mrs. Jiang to close the door. Unfortunately, many of the villagers were illiterate, and it was difficult to write a sign at the door telling them to buy culture medium in a few days.
At most, Liu's mother asked Mrs. Jiang to say a few words to them and let them go back. The Liu family's main house didn't have that much culture medium right now and couldn't supply it. They would have to wait at least a few days.
The eldest branch of the Liu family bought a lot of land some time ago, and those lands also need culture medium.
"You're still sorting these silk threads." Mother Liu watched her daughter take out new silk threads.
"Yes, we still need some more." Liu Yulian nodded.
"I'll get it." He Xiyuan walked over. He would be returning to the military camp tomorrow, and he could still help Liu Yulian with some things today.
"Put them all in the first pot." Liu Yulian had marked the pots early on to avoid confusion.
"Okay." He Xiyuan nodded.
When He Xichen and Prince Su returned, they saw He Xiyuan still fiddling with the silk threads with Liu Yulian. To be more precise, it was He Xiyuan fiddling with the silk threads, and there were medicine jars in a corner of the yard.
He Xichen had someone buy some herbs for making ointments and gave Liu Yulian a few. Liu Yulian simply made these herbs into ointments. The ointment can be kept for a while, and if it is placed in a well-sealed place, it can be kept for half a year.
Another reason why Liu Yulian made the ointment directly was that the ointment made by He Xichen's people might not be as effective. Liu Yulian made some ointment herself so that He Xichen could try it.
However, they should have tried it on dogs or other people first. Fortunately, the herbs needed for these ointments were not expensive. The Duke of Chengguo could afford it, and ordinary people could also bear it if they gritted their teeth.
After all, a person with healthy limbs will always earn more than a person with disabled legs. The ointment is not expensive and it is cost-effective.
The whole yard was filled with the smell of medicine, which even drifted to the next door.
Liu Yulian looked at the herbs in the medicine jar. She had already ground them into powder. Some of the herbs needed to be filtered, which she had done. Now the main thing was to boil them to remove excess water and form the final ointment.
He Xichen watched He Xiyuan and Liu Yulian busy in two corners of the yard, thinking that since they hadn't married yet, their relationship seemed quite good. They were childhood sweethearts, and no matter whether they were in love now, they could always be in love in the future.
"Look, your brother." Prince Su said.
"He is also the prince's cousin." He Xichen said.
"Yes." Prince Su nodded with a smile, "It's not bad for them to do this."
How many people can have such pure feelings? He Xiyuan is willing to give up literature and take up martial arts for Liu Yulian, and Liu Yulian is not a person with bad character.
He knew that it was impossible for him to have such pure feelings for someone like Prince Su. He was in the royal family and would ascend to a high position in the future, so it was even more impossible for him to have such pure love.
"You might as well take a look at your legs right now," Prince Su said. "Perhaps those ointments will help. Isn't Liu Yanjing already healed?"
"His injury is not that serious and it hasn't lasted that long." He Xichen himself had been injured for so long and his hopes were not that great.
Liu Yulian couldn't possibly tell He Xichen that the players in the game were repeatedly committing suicide. As long as the drugs in the game worked in the real world, that was fine. The rest wasn't that important; as long as he had the ability, he could support his family.
In the past few days, He Xiyuan has been living in the same house with He Xichen, and no longer living in the Liu family. He Xiyuan wanted to stay in the Liu family shamelessly, but his brother directly asked someone to carry him back.
He Xiyuan did not tell Liu Yulian that his arm was injured, but Liu Yulian still noticed something unusual.
"Is your arm injured?" Liu Yulian had always thought He Xiyuan was a little strange, especially when he was pulling the strings. He Xiyuan would often use scissors to cut the strings to see if they were successful.
"Just a minor injury." He Xiyuan originally thought he could hide it well, but who would have thought that he would be discovered before he was about to return to the barracks.
"What's the matter?" Liu Yulian asked.
"It's okay. I've taken medicine. It happened more than half a month ago." He Xiyuan said, "It's nothing now. I just still feel a little bit when it was pulled. It's okay, don't worry."
"Be careful." Liu Yulian thought it was better to quickly finish the armor. "Don't use too much force until the wound is fully healed."
After dinner in the evening, He Xiyuan helped Liu Yulian organize some silk threads before going back.
When He Xiyuan returned, he saw his brother sitting in the yard.
"Brother." He Xiyuan walked over and looked down at his brother's broken legs. "The ointment made by Sister Lian is really useful. Give it a try."
"Break his legs." He Xichen said.
"Do you want me to break your leg?" He Xiyuan asked.
"Do you trust her so much?" He Xichen raised his eyebrows.
"We should try our best to save the situation," He Xiyuan said. "Sister Lian knows some good ointments and culture medium, and those silk threads are also very good. It shows that she has some skills. It's always good to give it a try."
He Xiyuan could not guarantee that Liu Yulian's ointments could cure his brother, but his brother had been disabled for so many years, and he had consulted so many doctors and used so many prescriptions, but nothing worked.
I've tried so many times, why not try again?
The doctors said that as time goes by, the chances of my brother's legs recovering will decrease.
"Don't worry, even if your leg can't be healed, I won't break my own leg to accompany you." He Xiyuan joked.
"Then break my legs." He Xichen didn't let the dogs try the medicine first after all. When he saw the silk thread made by Liu Yulian and the wheat in the wheat field, he thought he could give it a try.
Even if it failed, He Xichen wouldn't blame Liu Yulian. After all, she had said it might be curable, so he had to give it a try.
Previously, He Xichen only knew that his future sister-in-law, Liu Yulian, was a quiet and fond reader. He Xichen even collected some unusual and bizarre books for her. He hadn't imagined that Liu Yulian could even come up with these kinds of books. It was mainly because the Liu family was in dire straits and Liu Yanjing had injured his legs that Liu Yulian had gone to such lengths to find them.
“…” He Xiyuan winked at his brother.
"The ointment is working, the only thing left is to break the leg." He Xichen said.
"Oh." He Xiyuan walked in front of his brother. He looked at his brother's legs and couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Don't you want me to recover?" He Xichen asked.
"No, it's not." He Xiyuan shook his head. "I just want to break the leg. It shouldn't be a random break. It should be an old injury. Otherwise, we should find a doctor to confirm where it is."
It would be bad if I hit the wrong place.
He Xichen was speechless when he saw his brother like this. But what He Xiyuan said was not wrong. They had to identify the old injury. No one knew where the old injury was better than He Xichen.
"Forget it, lest your hand tremble and make me suffer." He Xichen said, "You have only been in the military camp for a short time, and you were just a weak scholar before."
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"I'm not weak," He Xiyuan emphasized. "I also practiced martial arts before."
"Really?" He Xichen looked at He Xiyuan.
"Brother, you should find someone else." He Xiyuan said bluntly, "My arm is injured, and Sister Lian said not to use too much force."
"..." He Xichen waved his hand. He didn't want to waste time talking to his younger brother anymore.
The next morning, He Xiyuan found that his brother had already used the ointments.
"It will take at least four courses of treatment," He Xiyuan said. "One course of treatment lasts seven days."
He Xiyuan asked Liu Yulian, and Liu Yulian told him.
Gamers only need to use it once when they break their legs, but reality is not a game, so you need to use it for a longer period of time. A month is the fastest way to heal. They have ointment, which they change once a day.
"Then the ointment prepared by your fiancée is not enough." He Xichen thought for a while and said this.
"Brother, Sister Lian has given you a recipe, so please don't bother her all the time." He Xiyuan said.
"What if someone else doesn't prepare it well?" He Xichen teased his brother.
"Then... then you have to pay. You can't let Sister Lian make it for nothing." He Xiyuan said. It would cost a lot of silver for Sister Lian to make those silk threads, and there were other places that consumed silver.
"You haven't married yet." He Xichen joked, "Wait a month. Once these four courses of treatment are finished, I'll return to Beijing."
By that time, the Liu family would have restored their title of marquis, and their grandmother would probably not want He Xiyuan and Liu Yulian to cancel their engagement.
"Can the Liu family..." He Xiyuan paused and looked at He Xichen.
"Yes!" He Xichen said, "You don't need to tell them, they already know it."
"No, I just have to go back to the barracks today to tell them." He Xiyuan muttered, "Sister Lian didn't see me and will miss me."
"..." He Xichen thought that it was his younger brother who missed his fiancée, that was the truth.
It would be better for my younger brother not to be the crown prince. If he were to become the crown prince, Liu Yulian would marry him. Their grandmother would definitely want to take a concubine for him. Liu Yulian knows so much, and such a capable woman deserves better, rather than being involved in the struggles of the harem.
When He Xiyuan went to the Liu family, the Liu family prepared a lot of things, some for He Xiyuan and some for Liu Yanjing. Liu Yanjing did not come back, so the Liu family had to ask He Xiyuan to take the things with him.
It is different for children of nobles to join the army, they have more opportunities.
Liu's father thought that if his family could restore their title, then his legitimate son would definitely be the crown prince. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing for Liu Yanjing to continue serving in the army; his son still needed to have real achievements, not just rely on those culture fluids.
The culture medium was created by Liu Yulian, and Liu's father knew this clearly. He was not afraid of others saying that they relied on their daughter and sister to get back on their feet, so he hoped that his son would show some ability.
Originally, some people were thinking about whether to arrange a marriage for Liu Yanjing. Even if Liu Yanjing went to join the army, Liu Yanjing still had children, but the Liu family's eldest wife had a lot of money.
After the news of Liu Yulian being named the County Lord spread, some people gave up their thoughts. Since her sister was the County Lord, she could find a better wife. Even if it was a second marriage, some people were willing to marry their daughters to her.
Liu's father didn't let Liu Yanjing get married so quickly. He thought his son already had a child, so he could wait another year or two. Once Liu Yanjing had some success, he would have more options.
"Take it." Father Liu had the things placed on He Xiyuan's horse. "It's divided into two."
"Thank you, father-in-law." He Xiyuan spoke quickly.
"..." Father Liu was silent. What did this person say?
"Uncle." He Xiyuan said, "I'm leaving first."
He Xiyuan looked at Liu Yulian who was standing behind Liu's father and smiled at her.
"Big brother has quite a bit of money. If he asks you to make ointment, remember to ask him to pay." He Xiyuan said, "Even brothers should settle accounts clearly."
"Okay." Liu Yulian nodded slightly.
Liu Yulian originally thought that He Xichen would prepare the herbs, so she didn't need to prepare them at all. She just wanted to make the ointment. Liu Yulian didn't plan to ask He Xichen for money. It was just a small favor.
"Let's go, don't dawdle any longer." Father Liu urged, "There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
"Yes." He Xiyuan said.
When Concubine Chai brought Liu Fang here, she happened to see He Xiyuan leaving. Concubine Chai sometimes wished that He Xiyuan was Liu Fang's fiancé, but unfortunately, it was impossible. He Xiyuan was the legitimate son of the Duke of Chengguo, and the Duke of Chengguo would never let He Xiyuan marry a concubine's daughter.
"Master." Aunt Chai walked forward with a smile.
"Dad." Liu Fang said.
"What are you doing here?" Father Liu frowned.
"Come and see Master," Aunt Chai said. "Master, our daughter is old enough to get married. I don't know what kind of family would be best for her, so I wanted you to take a look."
Aunt Chai was afraid she was being too subtle, so she spoke bluntly. She had to make Liu's father understand that Liu Fang's lifelong plans were still unresolved. And since Liu Yulian already had a fiancé, Liu's father had to help Liu Fang.
"Didn't she call you mother? You can handle it yourself." said Father Liu.
The concubines were also of age. After the separation, they all called their biological mothers "mother" instead of "concubine".
Father Liu didn't know if Mother Liu would find it offensive, but he could sense the attitudes of those illegitimate sons. They preferred their biological mother to him as their father. Father Liu reasoned that he truly valued the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and it was unlikely he would treat his illegitimate sons so well, nor would he allow them to live the same life as legitimate sons.
These bastards have grievances!
Forget it, Father Liu thought they had already separated, and he didn't want to bother with it anymore.
"Master." When Aunt Chai heard this, she felt that what Father Liu said was wrong, "Fang Jie'er is your biological daughter."
"When she gets married, prepare a dowry for her." Father Liu said, "She is not from the first house, so it will be separated. Do you understand?"
Liu's father followed the first wife and relied on his daughter's things, so he couldn't care less about Liu Fang. Liu Fang was his daughter, and he could prepare a dowry for her, but he couldn't care less about everything.
Father Liu knew very well who Aunt Chai was and what Liu Fang was planning.
"That's true... We're not greedy for that share of the dowry..." Aunt Chai was unhappy. She thought that even if Father Liu prepared a dowry for Liu Fang, it wouldn't be too much, but something was better than nothing. "It's just... With the way we are, how can we find a good marriage for her? We can't let her marry a peasant."
"Can you find a peasant family for her?" asked Liu's father.
"No, of course not." Aunt Chai said, "But..."
"Dad." Aunt Chai winked at Liu Fang, and Liu Fang quickly said, "My daughter made a dress for you, Dad. Would you like to try it on?"
"No need." Father Liu couldn't be bribed by Liu Fang's piece of clothing. "Just make it for your brother. You'll have to rely on him more in the future."
"Brother is not here." Liu Fang said.
"Your third brother." Father Liu's mouth curled slightly, and he stopped playing dumb. "Okay, go back. I should go get some work done."
"Dad, I'll help you." Liu Fang said.
Then, Liu Fang was locked outside the Liu family's door, and her father did not let her in.
Liu Fang stood outside the main door of the Liu family, feeling very bad. Their father still valued the legitimate children so much. Aren't they, the illegitimate children, his biological children?
"Mother." Liu Fang looked at Aunt Chai, "What should we do?"
"What can I do? I'll come back later." Aunt Chai said, "Do you really want to marry casually? Do you want to stay in this town, or go to the county town, the provincial capital, or even return to the capital?"
"How do you get back to the capital?" Liu Fang asked.
"Prince Su is still in town." Aunt Chai thought that it didn't matter if the eldest wife didn't give her face.
Aunt Chai looked at Liu Fang. Her daughter was quite good-looking. If her daughter could follow Prince Su, then their family would be able to return to the capital sooner or later. Why bother to keep an eye on the Liu family's main branch?
When Liu Fang heard this, she immediately understood. When she was still in the capital, she had thought about marrying the princes, but she was born out of wedlock and was young.
Now, the women in the northwest weren't as gentle and fair-skinned as she was, so Liu Fang thought her chance might have come. If Prince Su became the crown prince and ascended the throne, she could become the emperor's concubine, a promising future.
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