Tingfeng Yuan ordered Zhao Liniang to wait at night, and sent her out less than half an hour later. The news spread throughout the Zhou residence before dawn the next day.
Old Mrs. Zhou was being served breakfast by several daughters-in-law.
Hearing this, the jade chopsticks in his hand paused.
He glanced at the uncomfortable unmarried ladies at the table and did not ask any questions.
After Wu Jiao, Lin Biyu and others left the outside room, they asked the eldest lady for details.
The eldest lady looked troubled.
Not to mention that she was co-managing Zhongkui, so she could not discuss her brother-in-law's affairs in the house. Besides, her husband-in-law and the sixth master were born from the same mother, so she did not dare to offend the old lady in front of her who favored her youngest son.
A few concubines and daughters-in-law have nothing to worry about.
When my mother-in-law asks about something, she will always answer her questions without fail.
And they didn't intend to make fun of Mr. Liu. It was Liniang who sent her back overnight because he didn't like Mr. Liu. Otherwise, why would Mr. Liu, a hot-blooded man with strong blood, not keep her for a good night, but send her away overnight?
And not even half an hour?
After Mrs. Zhou listened to several concubines and daughters-in-law talk about it in a variety of voices, as if they were immersed in the scene, she felt thoughtful.
Then he called some ladies and girls who had been on duty at Tingfeng Yuan last night and asked him carefully.
Of course, what she most wanted to ask was Shi Shi, who was waiting nearby.
But I heard that Mr. Liu went out with the stone early in the morning. The master and the servant didn't even have breakfast.
Old Mrs. Zhou quietly summoned the two maids from Yanyu Pavilion who had served Zhao Liniang last night to ask about the situation...
After some questioning, he waved his hand and let him go.
"Qiu Ying. What do you think is going on?"
When only the old lady and Mother Lin, who had been serving her since childhood, were left in the main room, she asked softly.
Qiuying is Lin's mother's maiden name. She was given the surname Lin after serving the eldest lady of the Lin family, Mrs. Zhou, since she was a child.
After being married to the Zhou family, she never married and stayed loyally by Mrs. Zhou's side.
"Old lady, do you think Mr. Six is..."
No matter how close she was to Mrs. Zhou, she didn't dare to say that Mr. Liu had a hidden illness. But she had to remind him.
Whether Mother Lin said it or not, Mrs. Zhou knew what she wanted to express.
The tacit understanding between master and servant over the past few decades is not fake.
"Didn't you ask someone to check it out for Qing'er last time? The doctor also said there was nothing wrong with it."
Mrs. Zhou also looked puzzled.
Mother Lin thought about it for a while and said, "Do you want to see another doctor? Mr. Liu is now in his twenties. Among the other gentlemen in the house, only Mr. Liu has no heirs. Do you think you should hurry up and give Liu a child?"
I'm talking about marriage, maybe. It will be fine once we get married."
Mrs. Zhou nodded slowly.
Although she didn't want to admit that there was something wrong with the son she gave birth to, it was good to be more prepared.
"Then find another doctor. If that doesn't work, ask someone to hire one from the state capital."
After a while, he said again: "Qiu Ying, do you think it's because he doesn't like everyone in the family?"
After pondering for a moment, he added, "Why don't you let his uncle from another clan in Jingli choose a suitable one for him?"
When the words came out, even she herself was stunned.
The more I thought about it, the more I thought it was good. Then he said to Lin's mother who was standing next to him: "Liniang was also given by his uncle. You see, Qing'er has kept her for so many years. Now the whole Tingfeng Courtyard matter has been handed over.
Let her handle it. His clan uncle knows many people in Beijing. Qing'er will have to rely on his clan uncle more in the future. Marriage in the capital is not limited to legitimate daughters and concubines. As long as the Yue family is a Beijing official, it will be done in the future.
It will also be a great help to Qing'er in our house."
After speaking, he pointed his finger at the armrest of the chair, feeling more and more that this was a good idea.
Then he said hurriedly: "I will personally write a letter to his uncle later and solemnly entrust him with Qing'er's marriage."
Mother Lin also nodded in agreement.
After thinking for a while, he said: "Why don't we also find a matchmaker in Qingchuan City? Maybe Master Six is not interested in the one in the mansion, but which one in the city is he interested in?"
Mrs. Zhou tilted her head. After thinking for a while, she said: "Every day from now on, you have to find a stone to ask about Qing'er's whereabouts. See where Qing'er went and who she met. I want to know all these. These years
I don’t restrain Qing’er, but I can’t indulge him either.”
"Yes." Mother Lin nodded in agreement.
Qiao Mingjin didn't know what tricks Zhou Mansion had.
Her life was ordinary and warm.
Although Ming Qi returned to Yunjia Village and one person was missing from her family, it did not seem to have any impact on her and Wan'er.
The little thing will have fun on her own when she is busy.
Either he was playing with Sister Xiu's two children, or he was running around the village with the children of newly recruited workers in the workshop.
The newly recruited workers all have sons and daughters. When the father comes to work in the workshop, the children often follow him and come to the workshop to play.
Since the most important places were not allowed to be entered, a group of children played in a tangle at the gate.
Because everyone regarded Qiao Mingjin as someone who was in charge of others and had great power, both adults and children were in awe of Qiao Mingjin.
Xiao Wan'er's willingness to integrate into their circle was naturally welcomed, so no one dared to bully her.
Otherwise, go home and wait for the adults to beat you up.
My parents at home gave me countless warnings, but no one dared to offend my mother-in-law and lose this rare job.
After Qiao Mingjin's family got better, she felt guilty and distressed for Wan'er, and she was always willing to give up on little things.
In addition, Zhou Yanqing would bring a lot of food and snacks to the little thing every time he came back. Sometimes Manager Zhou and Yun Jin would buy them for her when they went to the city.
Therefore, there is no shortage of delicious snacks at home every day.
Wan'er probably didn't eat good food when she was a child. The one or two times she could get some delicious food, she would be snatched away by her overbearing cousin. So she was a little protective of her food at first, but after there were more delicious food at home, she
He became more generous.
I would play with my friends in the village and be willing to eat them.
Every time she goes out, she wears the small satchel Qiao Mingjin made for her, and fills it with a satchel full of food, slings it across her body, and shares it with other children she sees getting along with her.
She quickly gained a lot of popularity.
More and more children in the village are willing to gather outside the village where the mother and daughter live, and gather near the elegant art workshop to play with her.
Her daughter is becoming more and more cheerful. She no longer clings to her to accompany her, so Qiao Mingjin naturally frees up a lot of time.
She calmed down and thought of doing something else.
I also read a lot of story novels and allusions from historical records.
With the help of the Yao family, every time the Yao family collects old books outside, they will send them to her first. After she has read them, if she wants to keep them, she will keep them. If she doesn't keep them, they will be handed over to the Yao family to take them out.
Selling.
Sometimes when she sees a favorite book or a book that she thinks can be sold at a high price, she will write it down.
I kept the copy for myself, but gave the old books to the Yao family for sale.
After copying the book, I was able to practice calligraphy.
Although Qiao Mingjin had been taught by the Lan family since she was a child, she knew how to read and write, but due to her poor family background, she could not waste pen, ink and paper on practicing calligraphy, so her handwriting could only be considered neat.
And she couldn't do anything with the soft brush.
After my days got better, I got more paper and pen. I took off the charcoal strips and practiced it once or twice when I had free time. I can write the characters in a convincing way.
Qiao Mingjin was very envious of her grandmother Lan's small regular script with hairpin flowers. She had practiced it for so long, but she still hadn't found any of it's essence.
Then I thought that I might have to start this from a young age and practice for ten or eight years. Maybe I could achieve some success. So I purchased a large amount of paper and asked Wan'er and Mingqi to practice calligraphy against the calligraphy stickers.
When Ming Qi was around, Wan'er could feel reassured by having her look at her. Now that Ming Qi was gone, Wan'er's hands became even softer. Sometimes even after practicing with several pieces of paper, Qiao Mingjin couldn't find a single one for her.
The word satisfaction.
So I must have caught my daughter to practice calligraphy at night.
Fortunately, Wan'er didn't resist much.
Sometimes in her free time, when the children playing with Wan'er are willing to learn from her, she will write a few words on the ground and teach them to read and write.
This caused the children in the village to get up and run out of the village excitedly.
Therefore, if it were not for the two sisters-in-law from the Yue family who would say a few sour words from time to time, Qiao Mingjin and Wan'er's life would be even more pleasant.
During this period, Qiao Mingjin also went back to Yunjia Village twice.
Now she has a horse and a car. She doesn't have to report to anyone to get permission. Naturally, she can go back to her parents' home whenever she wants and stay as long as she wants.
Besides, some of the properties she bought are still under the control of her mother-in-law's family. For the survival of mother and daughter, it is necessary to constantly intervene.
Occasionally Mingqi would come over to stay with her mother-in-law for a few days, and then go back again and again.
It's not like I lived in Xiahe Village all the time before.
Anyway, Qiao Mingjin now has someone to help her, and everyone in the Qiao family is somewhat relieved and no longer worries about her as much as before.
Cars and horses are convenient at home, and Yun Jin often goes back, so it is very convenient to pick up Ming Qi and send him back. Nizi sometimes rides a horse back and forth...
It's just that since Zhou Yanqing left in a hurry that day, it's been more than half a month since I saw him again...
Qiao Mingjin didn't have time to ask.
Soon the annual spring plowing will arrive again.
The one hundred acres of fertile land and dozens of acres of secondary farmland and wasteland that Qiao Mingjin bought now also need someone to cultivate it.
Fortunately, she went back to Yunjia Village last time, inspected it, and listened to explanations from her parents' and maternal grandparents' families. She learned that help had been invited, and millet and various crop seeds had been prepared, so she didn't need to worry about it.
So she didn't have as much to worry about as others.
The newly recruited workers in the workshop asked her to take a few days off and said they would go home and work for a few days before coming back, and she agreed.
Fortunately, even if these auxiliary workers take leave, it will not have much impact on the workshop. None of the master craftsmen have asked for leave.
Even a few masters whose families have a lot of land but only a few would rather send money back to their families to spend more money to hire people to plant it, rather than stay in the workshop.
Comparing the money paid by hiring people to work with the money earned in the workshop, everyone can naturally calculate this amount.
He and Yun Jin wanted to go back to Yunjia Village, but Uncle Yun sent someone early to tell them that they didn't need to go back as the family could take care of the food. He only asked the couple to help Qiao Mingjin in the workshop.
Qiao Mingjin was very moved.
Yun Jin packed up most of the car's belongings and sent them back.
As for the He family and his son, the whole family is now here, and the family's land has doubled compared to previous years. However, since it has been farmed by a familiar family, there is no need for Xia and the others to go back and worry about it.
On the contrary, because several people were asked to take leave from the workshop, He and Xia became even busier in the workshop. They even took over the work done by the men in the workshop.
Baking, trimming, polishing, waxing, painting... I was so busy that I didn't even have time to chat.
There are almost no children in front of the workshop, they are all taken home by their families to help with the work.
Qiao Mingjin took Wan'er to live and eat in the workshop, and also helped with some auxiliary work in order to catch up with the customers' urgent needs.
On the first day when the Yue family went to the fields to plant rice, Yue Zhongyao also came back from the city. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations, monthly votes, and your support is my biggest motivation.)
