In the county town, Su Qiuya and Liu Yanbo felt that this New Year was not so comfortable. They originally thought that no one from the eldest branch of the Liu family would come.
After all, they are just some rumors. Su Qiuya believes that when faced with rumors, many people either choose to remain silent and let the truth be revealed, or send people out to suppress the rumors.
Liu Yanjing actually ran to the second house to talk about them, which made Su Qiuya very unhappy. The people in the first house were too much.
Qing Yi Niang didn't stand up at the time, and Su Qiuya didn't expect Qing Yi Niang to stand up. Qing Yi Niang was a concubine, and concubines couldn't show off in front of the legitimate son. Not to mention that Qing Yi Niang had been separated, even if Qing Yi Niang was still in the main house, she would be useless.
"Don't be unhappy." Aunt Qing knew that her son and daughter-in-law were unhappy. "Their eldest wife has always been like this. Only when you become stronger will we not be bullied."
Aunt Qing didn't think there was anything wrong with the way she educated her children. They just had to climb up and become the superior people, and couldn't be stepped on by those people.
"After the New Year, when you can go to the provincial capital to take the exam, go early." Aunt Qing looked at Liu Yanbo, "We used to hold you back from going because we were afraid your stepmother would be unhappy. Now, we don't have to worry."
Aunt Qing believed that her son would easily pass the examination and even become the top scholar. As for the fact that he had not performed so well in the previous examination, it was because they had been exiled and had experienced many things in the process.
Liu Yanbo believed what Aunt Qing said and didn't think there was anything wrong with him. Su Qiuya naturally chose to believe Liu Yanbo and didn't doubt whether there was anything wrong with this matter.
"Don't worry, my husband." Su Qiuya said, "I and mother are at home and will definitely help you prepare the money for your trip."
Su Qiuya couldn't just give Liu Yanbo a small amount of money. Going to the provincial capital to take the exam was very arduous, so she had to prepare more money for Liu Yanbo. After Liu Yanbo arrived at the provincial capital, he had to make some friends, and to make friends, he couldn't do without money.
Since this year has not been so easy, they talk about the future and their mood will be better.
"The provincial capital is not far from here. If possible, we can go there earlier and rent a house." Su Qiuya felt sick whenever she thought about her eldest daughter coming to the county town at will and talking about them at will, and she wanted to stay away from here.
Su Qiuya had some money, plus some things her grandfather had given her. They could sell the shop in the county town and buy another one in the provincial capital.
"Let's buy it," said Aunt Qing. "I still have some money here, in case the eldest wife plays tricks and I can't continue my business."
Aunt Qing said this on purpose to make Su Qiuya and Liu Yanbo feel that the eldest wife was not good. She had said this to Liu Yanbo before, and now she was saying this to Su Qiuya.
Su Qiuya listened to Aunt Qing and did not doubt the truthfulness of her words. That was because Su Qiuya believed that Aunt Qing was doing it for Liu Yanbo's own good.
Liu Yanqing rode his bicycle to the town and walked around, looking here and there. He wondered what he could buy with only a few coins.
When Liu Yanqing was thinking about buying some meat, he thought, forget it, Lin Xiaowan would buy the meat, so he decided to buy some pastries.
Just then, Liu Yanqing saw Liu Yulian coming out of the bookstore. The bookstore was still open the day before the New Year, but it might be closed tomorrow.
Liu Yulian and He Xiyuan were just out buying some paper, so they happened to be out for a walk. Liu Yulian was accompanied by a maid and servants who helped carry the things.
"Little sister." Liu Yanqing pushed the cart forward.
Liu Yanqing saw Liu Yulian but not He Xiyuan because He Xiyuan was inside the bookstore and had not come out yet. When Liu Yanqing passed by, He Xiyuan came out of the bookstore.
"Hey, come out and play together. I won't disturb you." As soon as Liu Yanqing saw He Xiyuan, he knew he shouldn't have come over.
"..." Liu Yulian was helpless. She hadn't even responded yet, and this fourth brother was like this, "Are you here to buy something?"
"I'm a bit greedy." Liu Yanqing was a little embarrassed. When he was in the Marquis' Mansion in the capital, they always had all kinds of snacks to eat. He was a dandy boy, with no talent at all, but he had no shortage of food.
Now, they were in the village, and there weren't that many delicious foods in the village. He couldn't buy more food in the village, so he went to the town to have a look.
"It's less than ten cents, and I don't know what I can buy with it." Liu Yanqing sighed, "Your fourth sister-in-law is too strict."
"Maybe your sister-in-law is afraid that you will go gambling." Liu Yulian said.
"Those gambling houses won't let me in!" Liu Yanqing got angry when he said this. Those gambling houses wouldn't let him in, so at most he could only gamble with those small gangsters on the street. Some of the small gangsters might even break into his house if he lost.
There was no way Liu Yanqing would just stand there and get beaten. If he got beaten, he would definitely go find Lin Xiaowan.
Then, those little hooligans stopped playing with him.
"Very good." Liu Yulian nodded, "Gambling is not good."
"So I'll save the money for food." Liu Yanqing said, "Would you like some cakes? I should be able to buy several."
"I'm not eating anymore." Liu Yulian thought that Liu Yanqing only had a few coins, and he might have saved them for a long time. "There are still some cakes in the shop. If you don't mind, I'll take them back and let Fourth Sister-in-law try them."
It was impossible for Liu Yulian to ask Liu Yanqing to take it back for Aunt Zhao to taste, because Aunt Zhao was just a concubine.
This is how the world is, a concubine has no status.
Liu Yulian was from the future, and she didn't think about being too kind to her concubines. The rules of this world were what they were, and without rules, there would be no order. She couldn't make those women powerful, she didn't have that much ability.
If she went out and talked about gender equality and asked the concubines to stand up, she would be attacked by everyone.
Liu Yulian believes that the social situation has not yet developed to the point where she can't act rashly. One person's power can't save so much. In the end, those men may oppress women even more because of the resistance of some women.
She once heard a story about a brave man who rescued a girl in a small town. He then confronted a nobleman for the girl's sake, severely beating him but failing to kill him. Even if the brave man had killed the nobleman, it would have been useless, as the nobleman still had some residual power in the area, and the girl would still have suffered a miserable fate.
"Sure." Liu Yanqing's eyes lit up, and he asked again, "It doesn't cost money, right?"
"No need." Liu Yulian replied.
He Xiyuan looked at Liu Yanqing. Why did this guy come at this time? It made it difficult for him to talk to Sister Lian.
"Okay, let's go," Liu Yanqing said hurriedly, "We have to go back soon. If we don't, your sister-in-law will have something to say. I don't know where she got the whip from, she wants to beat me."
“…” Liu Yulian chuckled.
"She really would do that," Liu Yanqing said. "If I come to get more things, she'll think I'm going to ask you for more. She thinks I'm thick-skinned and a beating won't be a problem. But I'm not thick-skinned at all. I'm obviously very delicate."
"Indeed..." Liu Yulian thought that Liu Yanqing was indeed a little younger than those people in the village.
"She always makes me work hard. She doesn't feel sorry even when her hands are rubbed raw." Liu Yanqing said, "I have to feel sorry for her. If I don't, she won't look at me the right way. I only have a few coins. What kind of women can I find outside? The women outside don't pay me."
Liu Yanqing believed that he was really innocent. He had not done anything wrong outside and could not do anything wrong outside.
"Sister-in-law is doing this for your own good," said Liu Yulian.
"Your sister-in-law is a tigress." Liu Yanqing curled his lips. "Many men with a little money have three wives and four concubines. I just don't have much money now, so I..."
"Ahem." He Xiyuan coughed lightly, unable to let Liu Yanqing continue speaking. "That's you."
"No, you are the second son of the Duke's Mansion, you..."
"I am, but I don't want three wives and four concubines." He Xiyuan emphasized, don't go on.
"Men's mouths are deceiving. Who knows if you will do it in the future?" Liu Yanqing said.
“…” He Xiyuan thought that if this person was not Liu Yulian’s brother, he would have punched him hard a few times.
"As for me, I don't have any money right now, but I have the will but not the courage to do it." Liu Yanqing said, "I still have some thoughts in my mind."
"..." He Xiyuan turned to look at Liu Yanqing. This man was simply poisonous. If he couldn't speak, could he shut up? "I'm not you."
"You are, right? You have a lot of money and a high status." Liu Yanqing nodded, indicating that he understood everything.
"Shut up." He Xiyuan didn't want to listen anymore.
"Oh." Liu Yanqing nodded.
Seeing this, Liu Yulian smiled. "I'm right," Liu Yanqing muttered softly.
He Xiyuan was tired, so couldn't Liu Yanqing say a few less words?
When I got to Suixin's shop, they did have some unsold pastries, all made in the past two days. If they didn't have any, I could get them from home, as they made quite a few at home.
"The cakes here are really good." Liu Yanqing took out a few coins he had. "How about I give them to you?"
"No need." Liu Yulian said, "Just take it back."
"Thank you very much." Liu Yanqing didn't bother to be polite with Liu Yulian. He was just short of money and had finally saved up these few coins. "Come visit us when you have time. We don't have much good food over there. We're very poor, that's how it is."
“…” He Xiyuan didn’t say anything. He was afraid that if he spoke, Liu Yanqing would have a lot to say.
"Then I... I'm leaving." Liu Yanqing said.
"Okay." Liu Yulian nodded.
After Liu Yanqing left, He Xiyuan looked at Liu Yulian and said, "He talks a lot."
"It's okay." Liu Yulian said, "People like him can understand what he says."
Liu Yulian was afraid of people who spoke in ways that were incomprehensible to her, because then she wouldn't know what to say. She didn't like people who said things with hidden meanings; it was too tiring.
The people from the fourth room basically just go with the flow. Fortunately, the fourth room doesn't cause too much trouble, and at least they live a quiet life.
"I'm not that kind of person." He Xiyuan emphasized, "I'm not the prince, not my brother."
"What if you are?" Liu Yulian tilted her head.
"I'm not like that either." He Xiyuan said, he really wasn't.
"Well, no." Liu Yulian smiled and nodded. If she continued, He Xiyuan would get anxious. She didn't want to make He Xiyuan too anxious, so the two of them walked side by side.
They bought some paper and continued to organize the books after returning. Within two days, the books could not be organized properly.
Liu Yulian didn't plan to organize the books all the time, so she just did a little bit of sorting first.
"I'll make you some pastries later," said Liu Yulian.
"Don't worry." He Xiyuan said, "It will take a long time to sort out the books, don't get tired."
"Not tired." Liu Yulian said, "You guys only stay a few days, you'll be leaving soon."
"You can't let her get tired." It's inappropriate for He Xiyuan to let Liu Yulian do all kinds of things just because he comes back less often.
The two people walked forward slowly, not very fast.
In Shiyuan Village, Liu Yanqing was in a good mood.
"What benefit did you get that makes you secretly happy?" Lin Xiaowan looked at Liu Yanqing who had returned home.
"I went to town today and met my younger sister and her fiancé," Liu Yanqing said. "I brought back some cakes from their shop. I saw their cakes were selling well, and there weren't many left. They even gave me some extra."
Liu Yanqing didn't think the cakes were bad; they were all worth selling. Ever since he started saving his own money, he'd felt it was hard to make money. The cakes were expensive, and some of the more refined ones were even more expensive.
What can he buy with just a few cents?
Wouldn’t it be better for them to just sell the cakes directly? Why should they give him so many cakes?
So their little sister is still very good, and Liu Yanqing did not dislike those pastries.
"It was a coincidence, a chance encounter, not something I approached to ask for." Liu Yanqing emphasized, "Don't always hold the rolling pin, don't try to hit me."
"Roll noodles." Lin Xiaowan twitched her lips slightly, "Make dumplings."
"Dumplings? Of course I have to eat them." Liu Yanqing said, "The dumplings taste good. Can you put more meat in them? I don't really like radishes."
"Hmm?" Lin Xiaowan raised her eyebrows.
"Radish is good too. It clears away heat and detoxifies, right?" Liu Yanqing didn't dare to say anything else. "Look, I didn't even secretly sell those cakes or save money. So, can I eat even a little bit?"
Liu Yanqing even gestured a little. He just wanted to eat a little better and had no other thoughts.
"Put more meat on it," Lin Xiaowan said. "As long as you work hard, you'll definitely have enough to eat."
"Okay." Liu Yanqing said, "I will definitely work."
As for whether they are lazy while working, that is not certain.
Liu Yanqing still wanted to slack off a little more because doing those jobs was too tiring.
Aunt Zhao looked at the cakes in the bamboo basket, each one neatly wrapped.
"Mother, have some." Seeing Aunt Zhao looking at him like that, Liu Yanqing said, "It tastes pretty good, not bad."
"Eat it." Aunt Zhao didn't expect that Liu Yulian would give Liu Yanqing cakes.
Aunt Zhao thought it was because the Fourth House didn't make a fuss. If they made less noise, they wouldn't say anything bad about the people in the First House. They could just live their own lives and maybe the First House would give them something.
"These cakes are very good." Liu Yanqing said, "Some are made by my younger sister herself. I heard that cakes made by her personally sell for a higher price. This basket of cakes may cost several hundred coins."
As Liu Yanqing rode back, he thought about giving him a few hundred coins. But he didn't dare to think too much. He thought it was good enough that they gave him some cakes. On the way back, he was careful not to spoil the cakes.
Fortunately, there is a small basket in the front of the bicycle, and a rope can be tied to the back seat to store things.
"No need to say, we all know." Aunt Zhao knew how much these things cost, and she didn't say anything bad about the eldest wife.
At least the eldest wife had given some things. Earlier, they had also given two rolls of cotton cloth and some cakes. Overall, they didn't owe anything. They had only given Father Liu so little, and the eldest wife had given back much more.
"Make more dumplings." Aunt Zhao looked at Lin Xiaowan. "It's cold, so they can be kept longer. We don't have to make them every day."
They don't eat dumplings every day, but they can eat more during the Chinese New Year.
Aunt Zhao also went to other people in the village and bought some cabbage. At this time, cabbage had been kept for a long time, and many families ate cabbage.
In the capital, Jiang deliberately went to see Mrs. Mei, the second young master, even though Mrs. Mei said she didn't need to go to pay her respects. But Jiang still went, saying that she was just a concubine and must not let her affect the family.
Jiang Shi understood that Mei Hanlin hadn't received the transfer order and hadn't been appointed to an official position, so he must have blamed her. However, because the Mei family needed her dowry, those people didn't say much openly.
But Jiang could sense the change in Mei Hanlin's attitude, and also knew that Mei Hanlin asked everyone else to be more careful.
"Madam Second Young Master." Jiang behaved very well in front of Madam Second Young Master Mei, without any of her previous arrogance.
When Jiang was a co-wife, she was not like this in front of Mrs. Mei Ershao.
Jiang did not call Madam Mei the Second Young Master "Sister" in a gentle and timid manner, but called her "Madam the Second Young Master" respectfully.
"What are you doing here?" Mrs. Mei asked. "Didn't they forbid you from coming?"
"You are the wife of the principal wife, so I should come and pay my respects to you," said Jiang.
"You don't need to come and pay your respects." Madam Mei Ershao said unhappily. She felt sick just seeing Jiang Shi. Jiang Shi got pregnant so quickly, while she herself was not yet pregnant. "Go back, go back."
"Yes." Jiang responded and she quickly left.
Jiang's personal maid knew her plan, so she supported her. They didn't want to act now, but had to wait a few days.
In the next few days, Jiang must show respect to Mrs. Mei, the second young master, and let her have a good new year.
In the county town, Aunt Qing was looking at the letter from Mrs. Mei Ershao. There was a long distance between the capital and the northwest, and this letter was written more than a month ago. It did not mention that Jiang was pregnant.
"Your second sister's life is not going well." Aunt Qing sighed, the concubine was still staying at home.
Qing Yi Niang had been a concubine before, and she knew that as long as the concubine was around, the wife would never feel comfortable. The Mei family clearly didn't take the Jingning Marquisate seriously, so Qing Yi Niang thought that the letter written by Liu's father was useless.
Perhaps it was because of the letter written by Liu's father that the Mei family was unwilling to compromise and wanted to let the concubine continue to stay at home.
"She has no one to rely on in the capital." Aunt Qing sighed, "We are not here."
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