Why could adults have two bunches of candied grapes while she only had one? Little Liujia couldn't understand.
"Here you go." Liu Yulian gave her niece another bunch of candied grapes, making it two bunches in total, needless to say.
There's nothing wrong with a child eating two bunches of candied grapes, but who knows, my niece might stop liking them after a few. Some things lose their flavor when you eat too much, but once or twice, they taste incredibly good.
"Thank you, auntie." Xiao Liujia was satisfied. She looked at He Xiyuan proudly: Auntie loves me the most, and I have two bunches of candied grapes.
He Xiyuan did not argue with Xiao Liujia. Such a young child just likes to eat.
"Give these to Mom and Dad." Liu Yulian made a lot of candied grapes and sent some to her parents. This kind of thing can't be kept for too long, so it's best to eat it up quickly. "Put the rest on the plate, you can eat it whenever you want."
Liu Yulian didn't take all the candied grapes away because she still had to take care of her little niece.
"Let's go to the yard." Liu Yulian said.
"I'll take it." He Xiyuan reached out and took the plate.
In Shiyuan Village, the widow who had nearly gotten together with Liu Yanqing had her period. Her husband had died long ago, so there was no way she could have gotten pregnant out of nowhere. Before, at most, people would just make rumors about her, but now, with her miscarriage, everyone knew she was having an affair with another man.
Lin Xiaowan was still worried that the child was Liu Yanqing's, so she grabbed Liu Yanqing's ear and asked.
"How could I not know whether we slept together or not?" Liu Yanqing said, "I haven't even held her hand."
Liu Yanqing was afraid of having his legs broken by Lin Xiaowan, so he didn't dare to have much contact with the widow. The widow originally wanted to seduce Liu Yanqing, but Lin Xiaowan directly asked her to sell herself as a concubine, which made it impossible for her to agree.
The widow just wanted to live a good life by clinging to a man, so there was no way she would let the mistress of the house hold her indentures, for fear that she would be sold accidentally.
Look, the widow didn't just want to hook up with Liu Yanqing, she was already hooking up with other men.
Now that the widow is pregnant, her in-laws feel ashamed. They want to put the widow in a pig cage. They don't care whether the widow has slept with others. If the widow is caught in an affair and there is evidence, then they will think about punishing the widow.
However, before a day had passed, someone in the village stepped forward. The man who had gotten the widow pregnant was her husband's cousin. A widow's status was difficult, and her husband's family would sometimes lend a hand. Over time, they developed some feelings for each other and got together.
The cousin was originally engaged and was about to get married, but because of this widow's incident, the engagement might not go ahead.
It happened within a day. When Lin Xiaowan heard the news outside, she almost dropped her jaw in shock.
"Right? It's not mine." Liu Yanqing said, "I haven't slept with it yet, so you can't just say it's mine."
Liu Yanqing couldn't help but feel lucky that he had never slept with that widow. Otherwise, the widow would frame him and he wouldn't know if the child was his. He didn't know how many men the widow had been with, but the thought of being cuckolded was terrifying.
"That's because you have no money and can't work." Lin Xiaowan rolled her eyes. She was the one who avoided Liu Yanqing to work.
That widow wouldn't let anyone sleep with her for free; she would either pay someone or do some work for them. Since Liu Yanqing had no money and couldn't help with the work, the widow certainly couldn't keep an eye on him.
Lin Xiaowan didn't care whose child the widow's belly was, as long as the child was not hers.
"But I'm good-looking." Liu Yanqing thought he was much more handsome than the men in the village, with rosy lips and white teeth.
"What's the use of being good-looking? Can you support the family?" Lin Xiaowan asked.
“…” Liu Yanqing was silent.
"If you have the ability, go out and see if there is anyone willing to spend more money on you so that you can come back with the money to support the family." Lin Xiaowan said, and good-looking. It doesn't matter whether a grown man looks good or not. What matters is whether this man can support the family.
"I'm not from a brothel." Liu Yanqing didn't want to do that, mainly because no woman would do that.
People in the world pay attention to women's reputation and are extremely strict with them. It is impossible for those women to do anything for a man.
"Why, you look down on the girls in brothels? Do you think they are thinking of going into brothels? They are either sold there by their families, or sold there by beggars, or they are from the families of criminals." When Lin Xiaowan learned that something happened to the Liu family, she was worried that the girls in her family would be sent to brothels to be official prostitutes.
Official prostitutes are basically the daughters and wives of officials. They were originally high and mighty people, but now they have become the lowest class.
Fortunately, Liu's father himself did not make a big mistake. His main mistake was not to manage the family well, allowing other brothers to accept bribes. In addition to accepting bribes, some people also lent money at high interest. The court had long since clearly stipulated that high interest rates were prohibited, but some wives of officials would still do it.
Some people think that if others do it, then so can I. Since others haven't been caught, then I won't necessarily be caught. Some people simply believe that loan sharking is profitable, and the worst that can happen is that they'll just lend money for a few years and then stop lending.
But how many people who have been involved in usury finally stop? They just think that lending money is profitable, so they continue to lend money.
"They have to live too." Lin Xiaowan looked down on the girls in brothels, but life was not easy for them either.
"..." Liu Yanqing chose to keep quiet. It was impossible for him to make money by selling his body. He was just afraid that even if he sold his body, he would not make any money.
Since the second wife moved to the county town, the third wife bought the second wife's original shop. The third wife's cooking skills were not as good as Su Qiuya's, and she did not know how to innovate and make more kinds of food, so she did not make as much money as Su Qiuya.
The third wife’s cooking skills are average, but with the help of Su Qiuya’s teachings on some dishes and pastries, she can still make some money.
"Why do we make so little?" Aunt Chai originally thought that she could make a lot of money by opening a shop, but who would have thought that she couldn't make that much money at all, and they still had to work hard.
"And I can make money." Liu Yanyuan said, "It's more than what I earned from working in the second house."
"Buying a shop still requires money," Aunt Chai said. This couldn't just be calculated based on labor costs; she simply felt the money was too little. "When I saw the people from the second house selling things here, so many people came and they made a lot of money. Why is it so little when it comes to ours?"
Aunt Chai couldn't help but wonder if they shouldn't have bought the shop, but as Liu Yanyuan said, at least they could still make some money. If they didn't buy the shop, the money would just sit there and eventually run out.
"When you have time, go to the county town and see if the second house has made any new dishes and learn from them." Aunt Chai thought that since the second house did not do business in the town, it would be okay for the third house to learn some cooking skills from the second house.
"We have to look after the store, so we can't go there all the time." Liu Yanyuan understood what Aunt Chai meant. They couldn't always go to the Second House to learn cooking, or the Second House would be dissatisfied. At most, they could go once a month to see if they could learn something. "Don't worry about it, we'll make the arrangements."
"I'll wait for you to arrange it, but I don't know when it will be." Aunt Chai said, "I still have to help you with some things. Three of us work, and we only earn this little money."
Aunt Chai thought about how she had lived a life of luxury in the Marquis's mansion before, but now, for such a small amount of money, she had to smile at customers and dared not put on a stern face. If she did, those customers would not even want to enter the shop.
"The Second House also earned their money through hard work." Liu Yanyuan said, "Mrs. Qing also helped with things. They hired us in the beginning."
"Stop talking, if she works, I have to work too?" Aunt Chai came to live in the town, originally wanting to enjoy herself and not do too much work. But after coming to the town, she still had to do all kinds of things, mainly because sometimes the shop was too busy and someone had to work.
If the shop hired someone, they would earn less money and it would be better for Aunt Chai to do the work.
Aunt Chai wanted maids and servants to serve her, but there were none, so she still had to work.
"Sister Fang's dowry is quite large, so she doesn't have to do these things." Liu Yanyuan's wife said these words deliberately.
Liu Fang's dowry was not as large as her other sisters', but it was much larger than those of the girls in Shiyuan Village. Liu's father also gave Liu Fang fifty taels of silver to prepare for her dowry. They had not received that much silver when they first divided the family property.
Liu Yanyuan's wife couldn't help but think that Liu Fang shouldn't have taken so much money when she got married. Other sisters would be more considerate of their brothers, but Liu Fang didn't, and she even wanted to take more from her parents' home. Liu Fang had also harmed her unborn child, something Liu Yanyuan and his wife could never forget.
"Her dowry was bought with her father's money. If a girl gets married without a big enough dowry, she will be laughed at." Aunt Chai frowned after hearing what her daughter-in-law said.
Concubine Chai didn't withhold more money from her daughter's dowry because she was worried that her daughter would have a hard time after getting married. Also, she still had some money on hand, so she didn't think of deducting more from Liu Fang's dowry and betrothal gifts. She wasn't selling her daughter.
The son-in-law's family is quite well-off, but that's no reason for them not to give more dowry.
"Sister Fang is already married, there's no need to talk about it anymore." Liu Yanyuan was afraid that his wife would argue with his mother, so he simply said, "At least we still have this shop, and we can still make some money."
"Get to work." Liu Yanyuan's wife was too lazy to say more, and it was useless to say it.
Liu Yanjing and He Xiyuan, the eldest son of the Liu family, were going back to the military camp in a day. Liu Yulian asked them to pick some watermelons and grapes from the fields so that Liu Yanjing and his friends could take them with them.
"I prepare so many things every time." He Xiyuan thought that no one else had so many things.
"It's not something valuable." Liu Yulian said, "And take the gloves. The weather is getting cold. I'll send you something another day, but I don't know when that will be."
"It's not that cold." He Xiyuan looked at the woolen sweaters and gloves Liu Yulian brought him, and his heart felt warm. "Other people can't dress so warmly."
"Other people haven't been dressed this warmly since they were young," Liu Yulian said. "You and big brother both come from wealthy families, and you've been dressed warmly since you were young. Even if big brother suffered for a while, it was only for a short period of time. Your health isn't necessarily better than those from poor families."
"Yes, people from the capital are prone to illness." He Xiyuan nodded. "It's okay if they get sick, but I'm afraid they'll die of illness before they even go to the battlefield."
Those sons of powerful families who were not good at studying wanted to come to the battlefield to see if they could get some military merit. Some just came here for the formalities, and many sons of powerful families did the same.
These people cannot compare to those who have risen from the bottom, but they have strong networks of contacts and may not necessarily do worse than those who have risen through the ranks through their own strength.
The world has never been so fair.
It's just that a powerful and noble young man can't stand a little hardship and may not adapt to the climate there. This is why some powerful and noble young men have problems before they even achieve any achievements.
"So, you and Big Brother have to be careful," Liu Yulian said. "You have to keep the medicine well. If you keep it for too long, it will go bad, okay?"
"I know. I'll remember it all." He Xiyuan remembered Liu Yulian's words and didn't dare to use the medicine casually. If he did, these medicines were prepared by Sister Lian herself. "Put them all away. I dare not use them casually."
"Okay." Liu Yulian said, "If you leave it there casually, I won't prepare it for you."
"I dare not, I dare not." He Xiyuan said quickly, "The medicine Sister Lian gave me is good, and there are people who want to take it for free."
"We've given you a lot of medicine, so it's okay to give others some occasionally." Liu Yulian said, "You also have military doctors, and they can also make these simple medicines."
"Sister Lian's medicine is good." He Xiyuan said, "Some people like it."
"Who likes medicine? Everyone wants to stay healthy." Liu Yulian was amused by He Xiyuan's words. "They sell it in shops outside."
"Sister Lian is so nice." He Xiyuan said.
"It's not that I'm good, but these are simple medicines that can save more people. How wonderful!" Liu Yulian never thought of using those things as her own family heirlooms. The true good is when everyone is well. "Some things can be manipulated by yourself, but some things cannot be manipulated."
"Yeah." He Xiyuan watched Liu Yulian take out those things. After telling him, Sister Lian put them back one by one. "Remember everything. There are words on those medicine bottles. You won't make a mistake. As for clothes, just wear them directly. You know how to dress."
He Xiyuan looked at the sweaters, thinking he had several so he could change into different clothes. Sister Lian also prepared a cotton-padded jacket for him, just in case he got cold. He also received gifts from the Duke of Chengguo's Mansion, and he still thought Sister Lian's gifts were better.
"The sweater is a bit heavy," Liu Yulian said, "but it keeps me warm."
"It's not that heavy." He Xiyuan thought that the armor they wore on the battlefield was heavy. "We are all very strong."
After he and Sister Lian got married, he could hug her more and let her feel his power. But unfortunately, he couldn't hug Sister Lian freely now because they hadn't gotten married yet and there were maids watching them.
"That's the result of your hard work." Liu Yulian didn't think they had such great strength for no reason.
"Everything will be sweet in the future." He Xiyuan stared at Liu Yulian. They will definitely be very happy when they get married in the future.
Liu Yulian chuckled, and He Xiyuan looked at Liu Yulian and smiled too.
In the county town, Su Qiuya was setting up shop when she saw Miss Xu come in. Miss Xu sat down and ordered a bowl of noodles.
Su Qiuya looked at Miss Xu and saw that she did not make a fuss directly. She could not say anything to Miss Xu, so she could only entertain the guest.
Miss Xu just came to see how Su Qiuya was running the store and whether the store was making a lot of money. Liu Yanbo wanted Su Qiuya because he needed money.
"The noodles are here." Su Qiuya personally placed the noodles in front of Miss Xu.
"Okay." Miss Xu nodded. After eating the noodles, she found that they were indeed better than those sold in ordinary shops, but that was just the taste. They were not amazing to the point of being the best in the world.
Miss Xu ate half a bowl of noodles and didn't eat more. She put a few coins and left. She didn't think of eating the noodles made by Su Qiuya for free. She just came to see her, and she didn't think Su Qiuya was good just because of the noodles.
"Miss Xu." After seeing the money on the table, Su Qiuya quickly picked up the money and chased after Miss Xu, "No need to pay."
Su Qiuya had previously told Xu's family that the Xu family didn't need to pay for meals at the shop, so she couldn't possibly accept money from Miss Xu. The Xu family didn't eat at the shop every day, so Su Qiuya had to be careful not to accept money from Miss Xu at this time.
"Take it, so that no one will say that I'm eating for free." Miss Xu looked at Su Qiuya with disdain. Su Qiuya was just a village woman who knew how to cook.
Seeing that Miss Xu's attitude was so bad, Su Qiuya didn't hand over the money anymore. "Then it's as Miss Xu wishes."
"Heh." Miss Xu turned and left.
Miss Xu thought that Su Qiuya was really no good, and she had to find a way to get Liu Yanbo to divorce her. What good was there in a village woman who was full of the smell of money? Su Qiuya couldn't help Liu Yanbo much more.
Su Qiuya just wondered if there was something wrong with Miss Xu's brain. If not, why did she come here?
"Who is that?" asked Aunt Qing.
"Master Xu's daughter." Su Qiuya said.
"Don't get close to her." Aunt Qing looked at the way Miss Xu walked and felt that Miss Xu was a little different from an ordinary innocent girl.
"Master Xu once asked my husband whether he wanted to get married." When Su Qiuya heard what Aunt Qing said, she wondered why Aunt Qing didn't like Miss Xu the first time she met her. Could it be that Aunt Qing saw something?
"She's probably saying that because she's going to get hurt." Aunt Qing naturally thought her son was a good person, but there was something wrong with that Miss Xu.
Qing Yi Niang had been in the backyard of the Marquis' Mansion for so many years that she knew that women who had lost their virginity walked differently. Also, Miss Xu's face was not looking good. Even though Miss Xu used rouge to cover her pale face, Qing Yi Niang could still see that Miss Xu's face was not looking good.
People like Miss Xu are afraid of being cheated on by men, so they are now thinking about finding an honest man to marry.
It was impossible for Aunt Qing to find such a woman for her son. She would not allow such a woman to be her son's concubine. Such a woman was not self-disciplined. Who knew if she would hook up with other men after getting married.
"Mom." Su Qiuya looked at Aunt Qing. Aunt Qing must have figured out something.
Qing Yi Niang didn't say anything else, Su Qiuya thought it didn't matter if Qing Yi Niang didn't say anything, she could ask someone to investigate, and they would eventually find out about Miss Xu's affairs. She wanted to let those people know that her man was not so easy to underestimate.
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