Zhulan could hardly recognize Yu. She was so thin that her clothes could not support her appearance. She looked bad due to illness. She also knew that being sick was unpleasant, so she put on thick rouge and powder, trying to make herself look better. She also sat some distance away from the main seat.
Zhulan didn't have so many taboos. "I heard Ning Ming say that you have a poor appetite. Here is some juice. Have some to sweeten your mouth."
Yu's tense heartstrings relaxed, and she said gratefully, "Thank you, old lady."
Zhulan saw that after Yu took a sip, she drank the whole glass directly, which showed that she really liked it. She signaled the maid to pour another glass, "Drink more if you like it."
“It’s really delicious.”
Yu felt a little embarrassed and stopped drinking after the second cup, but she made a note of the juice and decided to make it herself when she got home.
Zhulan didn't beat around the bush with Yu and asked directly, "You're here for something, right?"
Yu clenched her hands tightly. She was about to say something nice, but in the end, she couldn't utter a word. But when she thought of her son, she would not be able to close her eyes if she didn't make arrangements before she died. "I won't live long."
Zhulan was stunned for a moment, "Don't be pessimistic."
"The imperial physician has told me that it will take at most half a year."
She wanted to hold on, at least until her son took the imperial examination, but she couldn't, so she cared more about her son's marriage. Thinking of what her sister-in-law said, Yu was filled with anger. Her sister-in-law wanted to strengthen the relationship, but she also wanted to take advantage of the situation. How could she allow that
Zhulan saw that Yu was calm and had obviously given up. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Ning Ming is someone you have watched grow up. This child is not like me. I know you don't like me, but Ning Ming is a good person."
Zhulan admitted that Ning Ming was indeed a good kid.
Seeing that the old lady was still patiently listening, Yu continued, "Old lady, I am going to die soon. My husband has always been in poor health. He has not taken care of things for many years. Because of his illness, his health has also deteriorated. If I die, I don't know how many years my husband can live."
This is what she worries most about her son. She has been married to her husband for many years, and he knows his health best. Since her son was seven years old, she and her husband have only slept together at night. She is afraid that she will die and her husband will not live for many years, and her son will be left without anyone to take care of him for several years.
As for the Ninghou Mansion, she had planned on it before, but all in vain. Her eldest brother had many children, so how could she allocate resources to his son? Her third uncle already had an heir, so she could only plan for her son.
Zhulan already understood Yu's plan, "Does Ning Ming know about your plan?"
Yu's thoughts were exposed directly. She gritted her teeth. If she couldn't say it today, she wouldn't dare to visit him in the future. "He knows."
Zhulan thought that this was Ning Ming's disapproval. He had a purpose when he sent shrimp last time, but the child didn't show any reaction. She sighed and said, "Marriage is also about fate."
Yu's tone was a little excited, "Madam, I am going to die soon. Your granddaughter will not have a mother-in-law to look after her when she marries. Her father-in-law will not be in charge of the family affairs. She will be the head of the family. My son is a responsible person. His temperament is not like mine at all. The son of the Marquis' Mansion is in the same academy with my son. They know each other well. My son has good character."
Yu regretted it very much. If she had known earlier, she would still fight and plan for her son. Her only regret was that the old lady did not have a good impression of her.
Zhulan: "I can trust Ning Ming's character."
Yu was relieved. As long as she didn't affect her son, it would be fine. "We got a lot of property when we divided the family. We don't lack money."
"My family is not short of money."
Even though the second branch became wealthy later, the fourth branch is still the richest in the family. The fourth daughter-in-law brought the entire Su family with her when she married in. The dowry at the time was just for show. Among the granddaughters, Yuwen had the largest dowry.
Because of this, the fourth brother and his wife are very concerned about the marriage of their only daughter.
Yu, "..."
Indeed, their own property could not impress the Zhou Hou Mansion. The reason why no one was plotting against their family was because they had the support of the Ning family.
In the end, Yu still left without getting any answer, but Zhulan brought back a lot of fruits. These fruits were from abroad and were brought back by Changyi.
Zhulan told Yu's thoughts, "She is indeed sincere."
Saying that she was going to die and that her husband wouldn't live long either, and that he would be the head of the family, etc., showed great sincerity.
Su Xuan was stunned when she heard this, "She's going to die?"
"It shouldn't be a lie. Lying to us won't do any good to their family."
Su Xuan felt that she needed to digest the news for a while. This news was too shocking. After a while, she calmed down and said, "I admire your love for your son."
Before dying, he had to pave the way for his son. Ning Ming wanted to make a name for himself, but he couldn't occupy the resources of the Ninghou Mansion. The Ninghou Mansion didn't provide much help, so if he wanted to make a name for himself, he really needed a good in-law family.
Zhulan asked, "Have you two decided not to have children in the future?"
"Mom, we have agreed that we will not have any more children, unless there is an accident."
My sister-in-law said she didn't want children, but Mingjing was born in an accident. She and Changzhi really didn't want children. Having two children was enough for them to worry about.
Zhulan said: "Just be sure you don't regret it in the future."
Among the several rooms, the fourth room had the fewest children, followed by the third room. Dong corresponded with her a lot, and she often talked about her infertility for several years. Many people said bad things about Dong.
Su Xuan did not regret it. Just like her husband said, their fourth branch had nothing to inherit except some money. Two children were just right and she would have less worries.
Zhangzhou, Changzhong followed his nephew-in-law to the manor. Changzhong watched the teenagers prepare medicinal herbs, "Is this how you prepare medicinal herbs?"
Liu Feng nodded, "The herbs prepared by the children are pretty good."
Ming Teng asked how long it would take to prepare the medicine and how much money the herbs could be sold for, then asked, "Have you found the medicine dealer early?"
Liu Feng said: "Someone from the Liu family has come. They will be responsible for collecting all the medicinal materials."
Ming Teng had heard his uncle say this a few times, and now he nodded when he remembered it, "That's good, it saves you a lot of trouble."
Liu Feng was naturally happy that Young Master Liu came to Zhangzhou, so that he could do everything more conveniently. "Well, the Liu family gives fair prices. After selling this batch of herbs, each family can get 300 coins. After the last batch of more expensive herbs in autumn is processed, we can earn a bonus of one or two taels of silver a year."
For the people of Zhangzhou, this is a considerable income. Not many families in Zhangzhou can afford one or two taels of silver because they are too poor.
Chang Zhong said: "The production is not high at the beginning, but when the production increases, the money will be more. Not bad, not bad."
If the people have money in their hands, the county will not be like stagnant water.
In the capital, Zhulan received a letter from Zhao Bo, saying that Zhao Bo's wife had arrived in the capital with her daughter and youngest son, and wanted to visit their house tomorrow.
Zhulan replied to the post. She had to meet the girl. She also wanted to see what the daughter of the Zhao family looked like, which made Zhao Bo and his wife so confident to bring her to the capital.