Unlike the eldest Huo family, the fourth branch of the Liu family had already prepared a large amount of firewood and other supplies. It was impossible for them not to do so. It was rare for someone like the eldest Huo family to not prepare. She was simply used to having a comfortable life and didn't have to deal with such matters.
This is what led to Mrs. Huo being so ignorant. She still thought that others were treating her badly, but did not think about what she had done.
Lin Xiaowan knew that the Da Huo family didn't have that much firewood. She couldn't lend it to them, nor could she send it directly. People like the Da Huo family simply didn't understand gratitude. If they gave anything to the Da Huo family, they might even think they were afraid of the Bo Mansion.
"Be careful, it's freezing, don't let the child slip." Lin Xiaowan was worried that something might happen to the child. Liu Yanqing was a young master of a marquis's mansion, and such a person might not be able to take good care of the child.
"I'm watching her." Liu Yanqing knew that Lin Xiaowan was even more worried about the child. "Don't worry, it's not like I don't know how to look after a child. I even don't let my eldest sister go out, for fear that I won't be watching her."
"You have to go out." Lin Xiaowan said.
"We have to go out, but it's so cold, and there's ice on the ground outside. Who knows where the ice is? If my daughter slips, I'll be heartbroken." Liu Yanqing said, "I feel bad for my own daughter."
"That's good to know." Lin Xiaowan brought over a few pieces of cake.
"Come, have some cakes." Liu Yanqing handed the cakes to his daughter.
The weather in the northwest is much colder than in Hainan, so Liu Yanqing's family rarely goes out. In the depths of winter, they should rest at home more to avoid catching a cold.
In Hainan, Jiang heard that her brother had been beaten. She went to see him, bringing some medicine. He had to do forced labor and could not leave the village he was staying in. If he ran away and was caught, his sentence would be more than just forced labor.
Young Master Jiang's hands had become much rougher, and he looked less energetic. He was used to enjoying himself and had never done such rough work.
Now, Young Master Jiang has done so much rough work, and he can still persevere, which is already very good.
"Why did we have a conflict with them?" Jiang asked. In order to prevent their brother from having a hard time, they also took care of the local officials so that they would not whip Young Master Jiang too much.
Young Master Jiang was mainly beaten by the people who worked with him and were exiled here. Young Master Jiang was not that big and could not resist.
"Nothing, just a few words and I got beaten." Young Master Jiang said, "I got beaten this time, but it's over now."
"You said it was over, so it's over?" Jiang said, "Don't let mother worry."
Jiang personally applied medicine to Young Master Jiang. Her brother always made people worry about him. Jiang didn't want to come over too often. When she came over, it was usually when Young Master Jiang was in trouble.
"It's okay." Young Master Jiang understood that his family cared about him, but he had no other choice. Those people wanted to beat him, but he couldn't beat them. If he could beat them, he would have beaten them. "This time, the people I know have gone somewhere else. I'll just have to wait a few days."
Young Master Jiang would sometimes give those people something, and they would protect him more. Those exiled people also had factions, and they didn't dare to offend those who had many people around them.
The Jiang family was wealthy, and the Jiang family would sometimes give Young Master Jiang some money to help him. Even though the Jiang family had spent a lot of money on Young Master Jiang's affairs, as the saying goes, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, the Jiang family still had some assets.
"I hope so." Jiang said, "Just pay more attention. In a few years, you won't have to continue doing these hard things, and you'll be able to relax a little."
Jiang knew that Madam Jiang was still thinking about finding a wife for Young Master Jiang, but it was just that no girl from an ordinary family would be willing to marry him. However, it wasn't that there weren't any girls willing to marry him. As long as they offered more betrothal gifts, there would always be people who would marry for the betrothal gifts, and there were also girls who would marry for the sake of their families.
A family like that wouldn't be very good, so Jiang Shi still hoped to find someone who could support Young Master Jiang. Jiang Shi couldn't always look after the Jiang family, as she had her own things to do.
"Don't worry." Young Master Jiang said, "I can still bear it."
Young Master Jiang said that he couldn't bear it, but it was useless. The officials couldn't just stop him from doing his work. At most, they could let him be lazy.
While Liu Yulian was strolling around town, she discovered a women's college. She didn't specifically inquire about it, but she heard about the Jiang family. The people there were quite grateful to the Jiang family for giving those women a chance.
Liu Yulian immediately thought of the concubine of the Second Young Master Mei. She didn't remember what Jiang looked like, and she didn't think she had ever seen her. She knew that the eldest young master Jiang was exiled to Hainan, and the Jiang family had spent a lot of money to pay for it. Many people in the capital knew this.
"As long as there's an academy," Liu Yulian said, "Women should study too."
"Do you want to go in and take a look?" He Xiyuan asked.
"No." Liu Yulian said, "Why would we go there? The academy has a principal."
"I'm not asking you to inspect, I'm just asking you to take a look." He Xiyuan said, "Aren't you curious about what the academy is like?"
"..." Liu Yulian was actually a little curious when she heard He Xiyuan say that. "That's a women's college, and you're a man, so forget it."
"I'll wait for you outside." He Xiyuan said.
"No, I won't go." Liu Yulian shook her head. "Just look outside the door. We went in and saw that it was just like that."
Liu Yulian was thinking about the school in the research institute. Actually, she was not visiting the school, but mainly looking at the scenery.
In later generations, those schools are beautiful, and their beauty is the result of money. There are also rankings of the most beautiful schools, and many people like to go to these schools.
"If I go in, will others think I'm going there to study?" Liu Yulian chuckled. "I'll be leaving in a few days. I can just take a look around. I have to buy everything I need."
The servants around the two people went to buy local specialties and other items, so there was no need for Liu Yulian to go in person.
Liu Yulian just wanted to take a look, maybe there was something to add.
"Okay." He Xiyuan had no objection.
"There are many different medicinal herbs here that you can take back." Liu Yulian said, "Take the seeds back."
Liu Yulian's other purpose in coming to Hainan this time was to bring the seeds back to Beijing and try to plant them there. Some things can be grown in greenhouses, but some are not.
Second Miss Xue was more familiar with the area, and she helped Liu Yulian collect seeds. She planned to stay here longer, not considering returning to Beijing during her suspension. If she did, others might think she couldn't endure the hardship and wouldn't come next year.
How can that be possible?
Second Miss Xue was going to stay here, and she had no intention of sending the child to the capital. She and her husband planned to let the child stay with them, so that her husband could teach the child himself, and Second Miss Xue also hoped that her child would have some ability in the future.
When Liu Yulian and He Xiyuan returned to the house, Second Miss Xue came over. Second Miss Xue had collected a lot of seeds, which were placed in different categories.
"Be careful on the way back." Miss Xue Er held Liu Yulian's hand. "The way back is long and not very safe."
"We have guards, and we don't bring much back." Liu Yulian said, "Don't worry. By the way, do you want to bring anything for my uncle and the others?"
"Just take your things with you." Miss Xue Er had no intention of letting Liu Yulian take things back. If she let Liu Yulian take things to her parents' home, then what about her in-laws' home?
Miss Xue Er thought it would be better to let others help carry the things back, as they also had to send New Year gifts. Liu Yulian and the others traveled light, so they could return quickly.
"Okay." Liu Yulian said, "If you don't have anything for me to take, then I'll have them pack it up. It's almost time to pack up."
Liu Yulian thought that transportation in ancient times was not so convenient. It was not easy for them to go back and forth, and they would have to spend a lot of time on the road.
"Yes." Miss Xue nodded. "If you need anything, just tell me. I've been here for a while, and I've seen it get better little by little. There weren't that many people here originally, but this year there are even more people coming."
"It's good to have more people. We can develop quickly." Liu Yulian said, "Cousin, you stay here and don't worry too much. As long as you have the ability, you will have your chance to shine sooner or later."
"Come to think of it, there's a Rongning Temple here," said Miss Xue Er, "it was built by the common people."
Miss Xue Er said that she didn't ask those people to build it, nor did the researchers at the institute ask them to build it. The people knew the use of the culture medium and other things, and they were all very grateful to Liu Yulian, so they built the Rongning Temple.
"No." Liu Yulian didn't think about the Rongning Temple here. "I have to go back in two days. I don't have so much time to do this. I still have to make arrangements for the head of the manor."
"Find someone reliable." said Miss Xue Er.
"We're just looking for a few people here," Liu Yulian said. "We brought few people from the capital, and we didn't intend to keep them here."
"That's fine. There are quite a few good people here." Miss Xue Er said, "Ask your brother-in-law to find them for you."
"Sure." Liu Yulian chuckled, "Then I'll relax a bit."
Zhuangzi's affairs were quickly arranged, and Liu Yulian and He Xiyuan bought some more things, and that was it.
On the day they returned, a few people came over. They knew Liu Yulian's identity, that she was Princess Rongning, and some of them came over to give her some gifts.
"The road is too far, so I won't take it with me." Liu Yulian said.
Liu Yulian didn't expect that someone would send them gifts when they returned. They really couldn't carry so many things. Liu Yulian hadn't expected these people to send her off, nor did she think about asking for those things.
Fortunately, not many people knew about it, so there weren't that many things. Liu Yulian only took two pumpkins and didn't ask for anything else.
Liu Yulian and her group set off without staying here for long.
In the distance, Jiang looked at Liu Yulian's carriage and watched the group of people gradually go away.
Jiang thought that if a woman could live to the level of Liu Yulian, it would be truly worthwhile. As for herself, Jiang also wanted to be stronger, to make more money, and to do more things.
She opened a women's college and then did business, employing more women.
Jiang didn't want those women to thank her too much, she just hoped that they would have more choices.
"Young lady." The maid saw Jiang's envy of Princess Rongning, "You can do a lot of things, too. Isn't there a saying that every profession has its own top scholar?"
"Yes." Jiang nodded, "That's right."
It’s just that women are subject to more restrictions and there are fewer things they can do outside.
If a woman shows up in public and does things, people will say that she is unruly.
Even with Princess Rongning in front, those people still like to say that other women are not as good as Princess Rongning, and those people think that other women should not do those things.
Princess Rongning mainly does research. Princess Rongning is a noble lady, and there are things she cannot do. Jiang Shi thinks that just because she cannot become Princess Rongning, it does not mean that she cannot do something.
In the capital, Su Qiuya arrived at the Su family.
The Su family is now managed by Bai, and Mrs. Su is still imprisoned.
"Your father went there two days ago." Mrs. Bai felt bad when she thought about Master Su going to Madam Su's place. "She has children. After the children talked about it, your father went to see her."
"What if everyone outside knew what she did?" Su Qiuya understood what Bai wanted to do.
If they wanted to keep Mrs. Su locked up, the best way would be to let people outside know about this.
Mr. Su cares about his reputation, so he will never let Madam Su go.
"I thought so too," Bai said. "We can't just let her go like this. She's the wife of the first wife. If she admits her mistakes and changes for the better, it will be a great help. And since this family is under her control, how will she deal with us?"
There is no way that the Bai family will let Madam Su out, as Madam Su is a nuisance.
"But...if you do this, your reputation might be..." Bai hesitated.
"What's the impact on my reputation? At most, people will say I can't have children." Su Qiuya said, "I'm a victim."
"Since you said so, then so be it." Bai said, "If you need anything, just tell me. You won't be in any trouble."
Bai Shi and Su Qiuya are in a cooperative relationship, and she would never let Su Qiuya suffer any loss. Bai Shi knew that people like Su Qiuya still liked benefits, so if she said that her child could become Su Qiuya's backer in the future, it would be too empty.
Bai thought it would be better to give Su Qiuya something directly, as that was something real, not something illusory.
"If you want to do it, do it sooner rather than later." Su Qiuya said.
Su Qiuya was quite satisfied with Bai Shi. At least Bai Shi did not act first and then ask for her consent. Bai Shi also knew how to consult with her. In fact, Bai Shi could have not discussed it with her and did not need to care about her opinion. She could have explained it to Su Qiuya later. However, if she did so, Su Qiuya might have a problem with Bai Shi.
When Su Qiuya returned home, she told Liu Yanbo about this incident.
"I'm afraid of what others will say about you." Liu Yanbo said.
"As for you, maybe someone will send you a woman." Su Qiuya looked at Liu Yanbo.
"No need." Liu Yanbo said, "You are enough."
Liu Yanbo had no intention of taking a concubine, and he would not accept women if others gave them to him. Moreover, he was only a scholar, a teacher in the school, and there were not many people who would give him women.
If he was the son of a marquis, then someone would indeed send him a woman.
"It's fine now." Liu Yanbo said, "I still have to rely on you for support. Without you, how could I live so well? I am just a gigolo. I don't need anyone else."
"Others think you have no status at home and say I'm domineering." Su Qiuya said.
"It's better if you are more assertive. This family depends on you." Liu Yanbo thought this was good. He didn't have to do so many things. Su Qiuya still managed the business in the shop, and he mainly spent money.
When Mr. Su was asked about Mrs. Su by his friends, Mr. Su looked embarrassed.
"A stepmother dares to be so cruel to the original wife's child. What a person."
"My daughter is also a human being. Who knows, she might become very powerful in the future."
"How good can a child born from someone like this be? I don't know if he will be able to continue doing business in the future. I'm afraid he won't be able to stay rich and end up ruining the family."
…
Master Su felt really bad after hearing so much. He hadn't expected his wife's affair to get out, and Master Su couldn't explain much, as the more he explained, the worse it got.
When Mr. Su returned home, he was very angry and asked Bai how this matter had spread.
"There's no such thing as a wall that's impenetrable," Bai said. "There are many maids and servants in the house. Although I manage them, I've only been in charge for a short time, and I can't replace them all. Master, you don't think I did it, do you?"
"I didn't think it was you." Mr. Su was a little annoyed.
"Madam is locked up in the courtyard, and I am the most suspicious person," Bai said. "If you deal with me and let someone else manage this household, maybe someone will laugh at you."
When Mr. Su heard what Bai said, there was nothing he didn't understand.
While the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. Mr. Su thinks this is indeed possible.
"Okay, I didn't say anything about you." Mr. Su didn't care about these things anymore. If Madam Su had done nothing wrong, then no one would say anything about her.
Madam Su's reputation was completely ruined. Mr. Su would never let Madam Su out again, nor would he say anything more about others because of Madam Su who made a mistake.
"You should take care of this family," Master Su said. "Please keep an eye on the maids and servants and don't let them talk too much."
When Mrs. Su learned that some people outside were saying bad things about her, they not only knew what she had done to Su Qiuya, but also knew that she had given the money to her parents' home.
She is a vicious woman!
"How could it be?" Mrs. Su was still thinking that Mr. Su would never let outsiders know about these things. Who on earth had told these things?
In this case, how can she go out?
Mrs. Su wanted to tear the Bai family apart, but she couldn't deal with them even if she left. With the Bai family around, her son probably wouldn't be able to inherit so many things. There was no way the Bai family would give up the Su family's things.
Bai is just a concubine, Madam Su gritted her teeth. She was now locked up in the yard. Even if she sent someone to find those concubines, they would not stand on her side.
"Where is my brother?" Mrs. Su asked the people around her. She was wondering what her brother was doing at this time.
At this time, An Hongkang was enjoying himself in the brothel. He had no intention of rescuing Madam Su. He had received a lot of money from Madam Su because she was his sister. Since his sister Madam Su had food and shelter at the Su family, An Hongkang felt that there was no need for him to do anything else.
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