Zhulan read the post and put it down, signaling Qingxue to prepare gifts for the children tomorrow. Song Lan already has two children, the eldest son is eight years old and the second son is four years old. In the ancient environment where sons are valued, Song Lan is lucky.
Li's hand that was eating the fruit suddenly stopped, "Mother, I remember Wu Ming had a concubine, right?"
Zhulan: "Yes, there are two concubines."
Li's eyes widened, "Two? Why do I remember only one?"
"Before Changzhong came back, he took another concubine. Now he has two concubines."
Li put the grapes in her hand into her mouth. She didn't even spit out the skin and swallowed them directly into her stomach. By the time she realized what was happening, she had already eaten two.
Zhu Lan shook her head helplessly, "Are you so surprised that Wu Ming took a concubine?"
Li wiped her hands and supported the table with her fat hands. "Mother, Wu Ming is also half a member of the Zhou family. He is your and father's godson. I think Wu Ming will not take a concubine."
"Wu Ming's surname is Wu, not Zhou, and Wu Ming did not take his concubine on his own initiative. He is a man with great ambitions."
Li thought of her husband's comments on Wu Ming and sighed. It wasn't easy for Song Lan either.
The next day, Song Lan brought his two sons to the Marquis' Mansion. After Zhu Lan waited for the two children to greet her, she reached out and hugged the four-year-old, smiling and saying, "This little one looks like you, as if you were made from the same mold."
Song Lan also favored the younger son. There was nothing he could do. The older son had always been taught by his husband and was becoming more and more like him. "Don't hold him. He's very heavy."
"It's okay. I can carry it."
Seeing that his youngest son was well-behaved, Song Lan said, "I've been missing the old lady while I was away. How has the old lady been doing in the past two years?"
"Well, the mansion is very good. Look, it has become a marquis' mansion now. As for you, I haven't seen you for a long time. You have changed a lot."
Song Lan smiled and said, "I have to rely on myself since I left Beijing. I have grown a lot in the past two years."
Zhulan thought to herself that Song Lan had grown a lot. Before she left the capital, Song Lan had the support of her family and was confident, but she also had a bit of a temper. Now, she only saw the aura and composure of the mistress of the house in Song Lan.
Zhulan added: "Changzhong is very lucky to be taken care of by you two. He told me many times that you two love him very much and raise him as your son."
Song Lan, "You and the Marquis took care of my husband back then, so now we should do whatever we want. Besides, Changzhong was raised by my husband and me, so who else should we love if not him?"
Song Lan is very smart. When she married her husband, she knew that he chose her because she was suitable. He was not a sentimental person, so she would do her duty well. The Zhou and Wu families were godparents, and if she took care of Chang Zhong, her husband would be happy and the Zhou family would identify with her more.
She understood that her husband had no elder relatives and the Zhou family could influence him, so she treated the Zhou family as her husband's family.
Teahouse, Zhou Shuren arrived at the teahouse Liu Jing had arranged with. Liu Jing had been sitting there for a while. Shuren said, "The Ministry of Revenue had something to do just now and couldn't leave. Sorry to have kept you waiting."
"I am sorry to bother you, sir. There is no need to wait for long. Please take a seat, sir."
Zhou Shuren motioned for Jinyan to close the window, "It's raining outside, and the weather is a bit cold."
Liu Jing was preoccupied with his own affairs and really didn't notice whether it was cold or not. "In the past two years, the temperature dropped very quickly as soon as it rained in autumn. I don't know how the grain harvest will be this year."
Zhou Shuren was also concerned. The yield was certainly going to decrease, but it was better than last year. The rain and temperature were both good this summer. "We'll know when we harvest the grain. Where did you decide to go?"
Liu Jing said in a heavy tone, "Yes, I thought about all the possible positions, but sadly I found that they were all sinecures."
"The important positions in the capital are all filled to the hilt. Everyone is occupying a position and no one wants to leave. You have stayed in the Dali Temple for too long."
When the Liu family married the Ninghou Mansion, they should have found a way to change positions, with Liu Jia marrying Ming Teng, and Liu Jing should have taken the opportunity to climb up the ladder, but Liu Jing didn't!
He was very busy and couldn't pay attention to everything, not to mention that they were just in-laws, not his sons or grandsons. He only noticed it when the Wang family took action this time. Since he knew about it, he naturally had to give a few reminders.
Liu Jing lowered his head and said, "I used to only think about protecting myself, but later I became too comfortable and didn't want to move."
Zhou Shuren didn't have time to listen to Liu Jing's self-analysis, so he asked, "Where do you want to go?"
She invited him so urgently, obviously she had somewhere she wanted to go and hoped to get his approval.
Liu Jing raised his head and said, "I heard that Lord Wu went to the grassland. After much thought, I realized that I am not too old yet. My children have already started their own families. I don't want to stay in an idle position until I retire. After much thought, I decided to go to the grassland and give it a try."
Zhou Shuren, "You really surprise me."
This span is a bit big.
Liu Jing: "I really can't accept this."
"It's a little late for you to be unwilling."
Liu Jing, "... "
The Zhou family, the Li family, and the others sighed after Song Lan left. Wu Ming's concubine actually suspected, "So Wu Ming is going to have a concubine's son or daughter?"
"After listening for so long, you only remember bastards and concubines?"
Li laughed dryly, "Mom, I remember clearly that Song Lan said she would keep a low profile and live a semi-closed life after returning to Beijing."
Zhulan hummed with satisfaction, "You and Qingxue distribute the gifts Song Lan brought to each room."
Li was still very sad. There were no illegitimate sons and daughters in the Zhou Marquis Mansion. She saw that Song Lan didn't care. She didn't have such magnanimity.
When Zhou Shuren came back from the government office, he saw the box on the table and asked, "Was it sent by Wu Ming's wife?"
"No, the Wang family sent it this afternoon. These are the Ganoderma lucidum that your grandson-in-law bought in the Northeast. They sent some good-looking ones."
Zhou Shuren clicked his tongue twice, "Wang Wei got a lot of goodies when he went to the Northeast. If I remember correctly, he even sent back deer antlers and ginseng a few days ago."
"He is not a rigid person. And his wife is pregnant, so he has been looking for good things. He said he would select some good leather and send it back when winter comes."
Zhou Shuren heard this and said, "We have a lot of good leather in our house. My eldest and second brothers send some to us every year."
"I have saved quite a bit. I think this year will be another cold winter, so I was thinking of picking some out to make you a thick cape and waistcoat."
Zhou Shuren felt uncomfortable when he thought about the early morning court session in winter. "Okay."
After the couple finished their meal, Rong Yuyun came over with a piece of paper in his hand. "Shuren, come over and take a look. This is the name I asked the master of Huguo Temple to choose. Which one do you think is good?"
Zhou Shuren and Zhulan saw a full page of names. There were too many of them. The master of Huguo Temple really gave face to their uncle and did not chase him away despite having so many names.
Zhou Shuren said: "The child has just been diagnosed. Is it too early to choose a name now?"
Rong Yuyun sighed, "I am happy too. The Rong family finally has a successor."
Zhulan listened, Rong Enqing's branch was still not counted. In Fourth Uncle's mind, children with Yao Yao's blood were not descendants of the Rong family.