Tao Wanniang's suggestion was relayed by Lu Neng to the steward of the Prince Rui's residence. Xiao Yi was also present when the steward reported back to the Princess.
“Mother, I’ve looked at the accounts, and the profits from Zhaixing Tower are quite good. Why don’t we give Sister Tao’s method a try?” Xiao Yi suggested.
“I don’t know anything about these things, you can handle it. Yi’er, you should be able to rest for a while now that you’re back. Tell your mother if you’ve met any suitable girls.” Princess Rui replied to the steward and chatted with Xiao Yi eagerly. “I heard from Cheng Feng that several women have feelings for you.”
"Mother, don't listen to Cheng Feng's nonsense. If they knew about my situation, how many women would truly be devoted to me?" Xiao Yi said with a bitter smile. "Mother, you surely don't want my fate to come true again!"
Princess Rui was stunned. Her eyes were full of heartache as she looked at her son. This damned fate! She had prayed to Buddha countless times over the years, but why was there no way to break this fate?
"Yi'er, you've suffered so much?" Princess Rui held Xiao Yi's hand and said with a wry smile.
"Mother, let's not talk about that. I'd like to take care of this dragon boat naming issue that Sister Tao mentioned. I'm just killing time anyway," Xiao Yi changed the subject.
Princess Rui agreed without hesitation, as long as her son had something to do.
Once outside Princess Rui's presence, Xiao Yi began to criticize Cheng Feng, saying he talked nonsense about everything.
“Your Highness, I’m not making this up, but that Miss Hong has really said it: either she marries you, or you marry him,” Cheng Feng replied. “Besides, the Princess Consort begged me, how could I refuse!”
Xiao Yi knew that his mother was concerned about him, so he couldn't really scold Cheng Feng. The woman he mentioned was very shrewish, but now that he had returned to the capital, he probably wouldn't see her again in this life.
"Let's go see a few people." Xiao Yi ignored the matter. Dragon boat naming rights—how did Sister Tao even come up with such an idea!
Ling Dapeng, who was on the farm, looked at the uneven rice in the field and sighed heavily. How could the harvest be good like this? How could he possibly return to the capital?
"Brother Dapeng, don't you think your father and mother are deliberately making things difficult for you?" Shishi, who was sitting next to Ling Dapeng, said softly. "This is General Ling's estate. The harvests have been bad in previous years. How can things improve just because you've come here?"
“So what if it’s difficult? I have no other skills, but I’m not afraid of hardship in farming. Shishi, it’s just that I’m making you suffer with me.” Ling Dapeng replied, “Xiaoyun has been crying to me these days, saying she’s worried that Zhi’er misses his parents in the capital. I feel so depressed. Shishi, I miss my son too!”
That woman was as fat as a pig, and she was always crying and whining. Shishi really looked down on Zhou Xiaoyun, who was so unreasonable just because she was pregnant.
"My sister is pregnant, and her thoughts have become more complicated. Brother Dapeng, you need to spend more time with her. Or, you could be a little colder towards me. That would make her feel better!" Shishi said weakly.
Ling Dapeng felt more and more that Shishi was a rare gem. She endured hardships with him without complaint and tolerated Xiaoyun's bad temper. He held Shishi's hand and said sincerely, "Shishi, I don't regret marrying you."
"Brother Dapeng, I don't regret it either," Shishi said firmly. It doesn't matter if she suffers a little now, as long as she is pregnant, what's there to be afraid of in the future? This is the child of the General's Mansion.
Zhou Xiaoyun rarely goes out. With her big pregnant belly, she walked along the country path and saw Ling Dapeng and Shishi sitting on the edge of the field, looking at each other. She was so angry that she picked up a piece of mud from the ground and threw it at Ling Dapeng.
"Ling Dapeng, you heartless man! Can't you two even be separated for a moment?" Zhou Xiaoyun's eyes reddened as she angrily shouted, "I want to go back to Beijing! I don't want to see you two shameless people like this! I want my son! I'll spend the rest of my life with my son!"
Zhou Xiaoyun continued to throw mud while cursing, and soon Ling Dapeng and Shishi were both in a mess.
"Xiaoyun, what nonsense are you talking about? Stop right now! The road in the fields is slippery, be careful!" Ling Dahu shouted to Zhou Xiaoyu while protecting Shishi.
Seeing this, Zhou Xiaoyun became even angrier. "You'd love for me to get into trouble, wouldn't you? Then you two could be inseparable. I'm not going to get in your way anymore, I'm going back to Beijing!"
"Xiaoyun, calm down. I was just worried about you!" Ling Dapeng stepped forward as soon as he saw Zhou Xiaoyun stop.
"Don't come any closer! I feel disgusted just looking at you, Ling Dapeng! Have you no conscience? When I was little, your family was always short of food, and I even asked my mother to share some of her own rice with you. My mother was a widow raising me; it was so hard for her!"
"What did you say back then? And now? You have no conscience! May you be struck by lightning!" Zhou Xiaoyun said all sorts of angry things.
"Sister, it's all my fault, but Brother Dapeng really didn't abandon you," Shishi called out from behind Ling Dapeng. "Sister, be careful, don't fall!"
Hearing Shishi's words, Zhou Xiaoyun turned around angrily to leave, but the path in the field was already wet, and she stepped on a stone. Her already plump body was heavy, and with this one stumble, she fell directly into the field.
"Xiaoyun!" Ling Dapeng exclaimed, immediately stepped forward, helped Zhou Xiaoyun, who was covered in mud, to her feet, and asked with concern, "Xiaoyun, how are you? Is anything bothering you?"
"Ouch, my back hurts so much, my stomach..." Zhou Xiaoyun cried out in pain, holding her lower back with one hand and her stomach with the other.
"Sister, let me help you!" Shishi stepped forward with her small body, wanting to help Zhou Xiaoyun.
"You vixen, it's all your fault, it's all your fault!" Zhou Xiaoyun kicked Shishi, but she was already unsteady on her feet, and this kick sent her flying. Ling Dapeng, who was holding her arm, was also pulled down and fell face-first into the mud.
"My back!" Zhou Xiaoyun cried out in pain; she had strained her back!
The tenants working in the fields, seeing this scene, all came to help.
Ling Dapeng managed to get up on his own, but Zhou Xiaoyun, who had strained her back, needed two strong men to pull her up. Hearing Zhou Xiaoyun's painful cries, Ling Dapeng was extremely worried.
"Xiaoyun, don't be afraid. We'll go back right away and get a doctor to take a look. Don't panic!"
"Yes, sister, you must not be afraid now, the baby in your belly is the most important thing," Shishi said with concern.
"Ling Dapeng, you bitch, if anything happens to my belly, I will never let you go in this lifetime, and I will haunt you even as a ghost!" Zhou Xiaoyun cursed viciously, walking all the way with her belly sticking out and her back supported, her body somewhat stiff.
The village doctor arrived quickly and, after examining Zhou Xiaoyun, discovered that she had strained her back. While others could lie down, she was heavily pregnant and couldn't lie down at all.
"You're going to suffer quite a bit, but thankfully the pregnancy hasn't been threatened," the doctor sighed. "I can give you acupuncture, but you'll need someone to take care of you closely."
Zhou Xiaoyun twisted her back, and to put it bluntly, she couldn't even get up from a squatting position!
"Ling Dapeng, bring that bitch over here. I hurt my back. Make her serve me. She has to do everything for me, from using the toilet to taking a bath!" Zhou Xiaoyun said viciously, blaming all her suffering on Shishi.
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