She's revealing it now because the fact that Sanwa and Siwa went to join the army can't be kept secret anymore. The children in the village already knew, and if she doesn't tell them, when Sanwa and Siwa go, the other children in the clan will follow, and then how will they find them?
Now that we've brought this up, the adults in the family will advise their children not to go.
The third and fourth sons sat to one side, their faces beaming with smiles. Their mother had finally remembered that she was going to send them to join the army. These past few days, she had been so busy that she seemed to have forgotten about it, but they didn't dare to ask. Thankfully, their mother hadn't forgotten.
The eldest brothers had heard the third and fourth brothers say more than once that they wanted to join the army, so they weren't too surprised to hear it now. They had tried to persuade them a few times before, but the third and fourth brothers wouldn't listen, so they didn't say anything more.
After finishing their meal, An Shuyi asked the third brother to prepare the carriage. They needed to find the prefect and ask him if he knew anyone in the military camp.
Before the carriage was even ready, they heard the village headman run up and say, "The prefect has arrived."
An Shuyi and Xia Hua exchanged a glance. They thought he wouldn't come, but he arrived after only one night.
The two headed towards the workshop and soon saw the prefect, his wife, his son, and his daughter.
Why would the prefect's wife come here? She can't be here to buy things, after all, she gave me four sets of skincare products last time. These are not like modern skincare products, which come in big bottles. The jars here are only the size of a fist, and a set won't last long.
They also released many new dresses and skirts. If nothing unexpected happens, someone should be wearing one of these new dresses to show off at the prefect's residence.
An Shuyi's guess was correct. That day, the prefect took the items back and gave them to his wife and daughter. The braised meat was taken to the kitchen by the servants. After receiving the skincare products and clothes, the two of them were somewhat disgusted, but they couldn't resist their curiosity and opened them to take a look.
The first thing they saw was the dress. As soon as it was taken out, it caught their eye. The dress was really beautiful, and the colors were ones they had never seen before. With the help of the maids, they changed into the dress and it fit them perfectly.
After trying on the dresses, the two looked at another box, assuming it also contained dresses. However, upon opening it, they found several small boxes containing small jars and a faint fragrance. Moreover, the fragrance of the contents in each box was different.
Inside the box was a piece of paper explaining what the contents were and how to use them. Because of their clothes, they were very interested in skincare products. They then asked a servant to bring water and used the facial cleanser inside to wash their faces. To their surprise, their faces were exceptionally smooth after washing.
The two then applied the skincare products to their faces as instructed on the note, followed by lip rouge, and unexpectedly looked even better than before.
In the following days, the prefect's wife held tea parties at her residence, inviting the wives of the officials below to come and enjoy tea. She would wear her newly acquired dresses and apply skincare products, showing them off.
But within a few days, many beautifully colored dresses appeared in Jinnan City, followed by skincare products. Seeing others showing them off, the prefect's wife and daughter also wanted to buy them, but they were too embarrassed to do so.
The two of them originally wanted to come along when the prefect came yesterday, but the prefect disagreed. Now that they finally had time today, they naturally came along.
When Prefect Xiao saw An Shuyi and her wife and children approaching, he said, "Madam An, Madam Xia, we're bothering you again today." He had finished dealing with matters at the prefectural office and wanted to have a meal in Taoyuan Village.
As for his wife and children, he was just curious about what the two ladies were like, so he wanted to come and see for himself.
He never imagined that his wife and daughter had come to Peach Blossom Village to buy things, and not to see any lady.
An Shuyi said, "No disturbance. Prefect, would you like to look around the area or come sit in the village for a while? Our house is already built, and there is a place to sit there."
Upon hearing this, Prefect Xiao knew that the two had something to discuss, otherwise, since there was a place to sit at the restaurant earlier, but they hadn't suggested going there.
"Then let's go to the village and take a look. By the way, Madam An, our family will be inconvenient tonight. This is my wife, Li Shi, my son, Xiao Luobei, and my daughter Wan Ning."
Xia Hua turned to look at him, "Stay for dinner?" Impossible, surely the prefect's residence has a good cook.
"Yes, I wonder if that's convenient for you?"
"It's convenient, there's nothing inconvenient about it, it's just a matter of adding a few more pairs of chopsticks." An Shuyi tugged at Xia Hua's sleeve, "Don't glare at her, her wife is standing right next to us, and besides, we'll need to ask for help later."
"Hua Meizi, cook dinner earlier tonight. Make the dishes from last night again, and also prepare the fruit wine."
Hua came out and said, "I know, sister-in-law." Then she turned and went back into the house to talk to others.
The prefect's wife stood to one side, looking at her husband. If he hadn't been the same person, she would have doubted whether this was her husband. He offered to stay for dinner even though no one else had invited him.
If she wasn't mistaken, that woman was glaring at her husband. What was their relationship? Why was she glaring at him? And why wasn't he angry? On the contrary, he was happy to stay for dinner. And the villagers here, looking at the prefect, didn't even bow.
Judging from her husband's appearance, this wasn't the first or second time he'd been here. Those people couldn't possibly be unaware of his identity. Could it really be what she was thinking?
"Your Excellency, Your Majesty, Your Highness, Your Highness, and Your Highnesses, this way please." An Shuyi stood to the side, letting Prefect Xiao walk in front.
Prefect Xiao, who was being treated as a guest for the first time, walked ahead with a clear conscience.
“Madam An, when I entered the village just now, I saw red fruits in the field. What are they? And there’s a green stalk with green things growing on it.”
An Shuyi and Xia Hua walked behind him. When he asked, they explained, "The red ones are tomatoes. They were seeds we got by accident. You can eat them directly, stir-fry them, or make a cold salad."
"The green ones are corn. When they're young, you can boil or roast them. When they're older, they can be eaten as a staple food." As for the yield, she didn't say, saying it wasn't the right time yet.
"You two ladies are truly remarkable; you managed to find something like this. May I pick one of those red tomatoes and eat it?"
"There are some in the field next to him," An Shuyi nodded. "Go pick them yourself. Only the red ones are okay; the green ones aren't ripe yet."
After hearing her consent, Prefect Xiao stood by the roadside, picked a red tomato, wiped it casually on his clothes, and ate it.
"Husband..." The prefect's wife wanted to stop him, but he was too quick. What was wrong with her husband today? He dared to eat such unknown things.
"The taste is a bit strange, but it's quite delicious after a few chews." Prefect Xiao, seemingly oblivious to his wife's worry, ate the tomato bite by bite.
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