Yang Haiyan first mentioned Qin Fang's promotion to the captain of a thousand men, and then mentioned that the second and third wives would also be happy, mainly because she wanted to see what Qin's mother thought about this matter. Through Qin Fang's experience, and through getting along with Qin's grandmother and Qin's mother, she had some understanding of the Qin family. Generally, it was Qin's grandmother who made the decision, but Qin's grandmother would not make the decision for Qin's mother. In front of Qin's second and third aunts, Qin's grandmother had the final say.
This is actually very easy to understand. Mother Qin is the successor trained by Grandma Qin, so Grandma Qin gives the most face to Mother Qin. In ancient times, the eldest son and grandson were of great significance.
She wanted to hear what Qin's mother thought about the second and third rooms, because the Qin family would definitely tell about Qin Fang's promotion. But in ancient times, there was no division of the family, and some money had to be handed over. Or, if Qin Fang got promoted, would the Qin family ask Qin Fang to support the whole family, etc. She told Qin's mother in advance so that she could have a rough idea. But she didn't expect to hear some gossip.
She didn't have much impression of Uncle Qin San, after all, they had only met once. She had the deepest impression of Aunt Qin Er, and with Niu Dan's reasons, this Aunt Qin Er was probably the most extraordinary person in the novel.
Yang Haiyan asked curiously: "Mother, what does it mean that Third Uncle has other plans?"
Mother Qin had no reservations about Yang Haiyan. The eldest son had made progress. In the future, the children in their family would rely on him. There was no difference between relying on the eldest son and relying on the eldest daughter-in-law. Of course, the eldest daughter-in-law was a smart person. In the eyes of Mother Qin, Yang Haiyan was naturally smart. So she told her everything she knew: "In the past two years, Afang has brought three taels of silver every year. Not to mention whether he brought all of it, but most people can't save three taels of silver after eating and drinking for a year, so in everyone's eyes, Afang has made progress.
If his uncle adopted Shoucheng, and Afang became successful, would he still not take care of his younger brother? Shoucheng is old, and it doesn't matter if he knows about it. He is not his real son. At least in name, Shoucheng is his son after being adopted, and they are still uncle and nephew. "
Yang Haiyan understood: "He is not adopting a son, but bringing in the husband's relationship. To put it bluntly, he is using the first wife's money to raise his son."
Mother Qin: "That's the truth."
Yang Haiyan: "But there is no need for that. Not to mention whether Third Uncle's daughter will be filial to them and see them off to the end of their lives in the future. But even if not, my husband will not stand idly by. After all, he is his own uncle. If we have food to eat, they will have food to eat in the end." With Qin Fang's character, he will definitely take care of them in their old age.
Besides, Uncle Qin and his family had no one to take care of them in their old age, so it was only natural for their nephew Qin Fang to take care of them until the end of their lives. So there was no need to adopt them.
Mother Qin: "That's what I said, but your uncle doesn't believe it."
Yang Haiyan: "If you, my father and mother, don't agree, can your family force you to do it?"
Mother Qin: "No one is forcing me to do this, but it won't look good if it gets out. Although your father doesn't agree, as a brother, he is the eldest and can't be too strict, so I have to hold my ground and disagree."
Yang Haiyan knew that if Qin's father disagreed, others would say he didn't care about his brothers' lives. But Qin's mother was just a sister-in-law, so she didn't have to worry about it. "What did grandpa and grandma say?"
Qin's mother: "They neither agreed nor disagreed. They just told us to make the decision ourselves." She also understood her father-in-law and mother-in-law. After all, the child was a son on both sides, and whether he was adopted or not, he was still their grandson.
Yang Haiyan naturally thought of what Qin's mother could think of, but: "Mother, now that my husband is back, what if my third uncle mentions this to my husband?"
Mother Qin snorted, "He dares. Your father and I are still alive. If his third uncle dares to embarrass Fang, how can I deal with him? Since ancient times, there has never been a case where the eldest son decided to adopt his younger brother while his parents were still alive."
Yang Haiyan knew that Qin's mother was not just talking, so she thought for a moment and said, "Why not let my third brother go to the border with us?"
Mother Qin was stunned: "What?" Then she said, "No, no, your life is not easy either, how can I cause trouble for you."
Yang Haiyan said, "We are living well at the border. My husband is a captain of the seventh rank, and he can have five private guards. Although he has to pay for the five private guards' monthly wages, they are the confidants that my husband wants to cultivate. I used the money from my dowry to open a shop in the town, and I also bought a few servants for my family. I didn't bring servants with me this time because I was afraid that my family would not be used to it, and I was afraid that someone would think too much. But my mother is my own, and I absolutely cannot hide it from her." This kind of thing cannot be hidden. Otherwise, if Qin's mother knew, she would think that her son and daughter-in-law were on guard against her, and she would be sad.
Of course, Yang Haiyan revealed it because she looked at the person. Mother Qin was a reliable mother-in-law, so there was no problem. If it was a mother-in-law like Aunt Qin, she would naturally not say everything.
Mother Qin opened her mouth wide, not daring to imagine. Her son had a guard, and her daughter-in-law opened a shop and bought servants. This... But then she thought, this is also right. Her son is an official, how can there be no servants at home? How can he not dare to be an official
Mother Qin: "Forget it, Shoucheng should not bother you anymore."
Yang Haiyan: "What's the trouble?" She saw that the children of the Qin family were all skinny, and knew that the family was not living a good life. "We often have fish and meat to eat over there. The meat is hunted by the soldiers in the mountains, and the fish is caught in the river. It doesn't cost money, so if the third brother goes with us, we will definitely be able to raise him well." She couldn't say that she bought the fish and meat herself, otherwise Qin's mother would definitely not let the child go. "Besides, when he gets there, my husband can still teach him kung fu. He is still young, and learning more skills will give him a better future. Or, mother, are you worried that I will bully the child?"
Mother Qin was really at a loss for words, but she was also touched: "I'll think about it again." Since the eldest son was not around, the second son naturally couldn't leave, so it was okay to let the youngest son go with the eldest son and his wife. On the one hand, it would allow the youngest son to develop a close relationship with the eldest daughter-in-law, and it would be good for the youngest son when he grows up. On the other hand, the youngest son could learn more from the eldest son.
As for what the daughter-in-law said, that they couldn't eat all the fish and meat, she didn't want to do that. However, since the eldest son was so tall, she thought it might be true. Also, if the youngest son left, what else could the third wife do
Yang Haiyan did not talk about this matter again, she just mentioned it once. It is also a good thing for Qin Fang that his brothers and sisters are well. Otherwise, they will not have a good life here, and Qin Fang, the eldest son, cannot ignore it. He has to take care of everything. It is better to train Qin Fang's brothers and sisters well from the beginning. "By the way, mother, grandma just said that Erya and Sanya went to learn embroidery, why didn't Siya go?"
Mother Qin sighed: "This is a long story. All the income from our Qin family's fields is handed over to the public treasury. After the busy farming season, everyone has free time to go to the town or county to find work. We keep half of the money we earn and give the other half to the public treasury." This is the most reasonable way. After all, the money for building the house at home was paid by the public treasury. If they don't pay, where will the public treasury get the money to build the house
Yang Haiyan listened carefully.
Mother Qin continued, "Later, when Ah Fang sent a letter back that year, he brought three taels of silver and said in the letter that if possible, he hoped that Grandpa would let my younger brother go to school and learn a few more words so that he could find a good job in the future, instead of working hard in the fields all his life and not being able to buy meat buns with the money he earned.
At that time, Afang's grandfather thought that this was the money Afang earned with his life, and it was not Afang's job to serve in the army, so he took one tael of the three taels of silver and gave the remaining two taels to Shouye and Shoucheng for their studies as tuition. But he also said that there was no extra money at home, so how long the money could help them study and how many words they could learn depended on their luck.
Yang Haiyan felt that as the head of the family, Grandpa Qin's arrangement was reasonable. However, she did not say it directly, but continued to listen quietly: "What happened next? How did it get involved with the embroidery?"
Mother Qin was really angry when she talked about this: "It's not his second aunt. His second aunt said that our first wife has many children and eats more, but Ah Fang only hands over one-third of the money he earns, which is unfair to the second and third wives. We can't say anything about this matter, so Ah Fang's grandmother made the decision and let Er Ya from the second wife and San Ya from the third wife go to the embroidery workshop to learn embroidery this year. The tuition fee is 500 wen per person, which is exactly one tael of silver for the two of them. This tael of silver will be paid by the public."
Yang Haiyan didn't know how to comment: "In that case, the family will spend an extra 500 coins and send Si Ya to study as well."
Mother Qin said, "The embroidery workshop only accepts girls over ten years old. Si Ya is not yet old enough. I plan to wait until she turns ten next year and then send her there. Er Ya and San Ya have already gone, so we can't leave Si Ya behind. Besides, the girl has a skill, so even if she can embroider a handkerchief for a few copper coins, it would be good."
Yang Haiyan thought about the time she met Si Ya at the village gate, when the nine-year-old girl came back with a basket on her back, cutting grass for the pigs. Although other families also lived like this, she felt that the girl had the conditions and should be well taken care of. So she said, "Why not let Si Ya and Shou Cheng go with us when we leave."
Mother Qin didn't react again: "This..." Why is the daughter-in-law different from other daughters-in-law? Other daughters-in-law don't like to be with their men and brothers and sisters. So Mother Qin felt that the eldest daughter-in-law was really kind.
Actually, it wasn't. First, Yang Haiyan was bored at the border alone. Second, they were Qin Fang's brothers and sisters, so she would help them if she could. After all, with Qin Fang's personality, how could he watch his brothers and sisters suffer? Third, she usually gave goat milk to the servants every day. She could even take good care of the servants, let alone Qin Fang's brothers and sisters
Yang Haiyan explained: "I was taught needlework by a master in the capital. I dare not compare with the good embroidery masters, but I am more than enough to teach the little girl. Moreover, I can also teach Si Ya to read and write. Although the conditions of a girl are limited and not as good as those of a boy, if there is a way to train her, it is also possible.
Moreover, I have a dowry shop over there, and I sell snacks. If Shoucheng and Si Ya go there, they can help me with the accounting and manage the shop. Servants are never as reassuring as them.
To put it bluntly, my younger brothers and sisters no longer need to be raised in the public house, and my second aunt will have no reason to complain that the eldest wife has too many people in the public house. "She still likes Shoucheng and Si Ya very much. She thinks they are both very well-behaved. Especially Si Ya, she is a cute little girl. When she asked her to get on the carriage, she ran away shyly. Who doesn't like such a girl
Qin Fang was outside, listening to his wife talking to his mother. He thought that he had not been around for five years and felt a little guilty towards his father and mother. Then he thought about his wife's kindness and thought it would be a good idea to take Shoucheng and Si Ya with him. First, it would prevent his wife from being bored on weekdays, and second, his wife knew a lot and could teach Si Ya a lot of things. As for his younger brother... he didn't need his wife to teach him. He took him to the martial arts training ground every day to practice.
However, Qin Fang did not say anything. He wanted to discuss kindness with his wife in private and listen to her opinion.
The carriage arrived at the village gate, and Qin Fang saw a small figure walking back and forth at the village gate. "Si Ya?"
Qin Siya heard her elder brother's call, trotted a few steps, and then stared at the carriage with envy in her eyes.
In the carriage, Qin's mother and Yang Haiyan naturally heard the voice. They opened the carriage curtain and Qin's mother said, "Four girls, why are you here?"
Qin Si Ya smiled carelessly and said, "Mother, I'm here to see brother and sister-in-law's carriage." As she spoke, her eyes revealed a bit of longing.
Not to mention that Qin's mother understood what she meant, even Yang Haiyan and Qin Fang understood it too.
Yang Haiyan said, "Si Ya, do you want to come up and sit for a while?"
Qin Si Ya looked at Qin's mother.
Mother Qin really didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Why don't you come up? You are such a little devil, who do you think doesn't know about your little tricks?"
Qin Si Ya didn't care what her mother said, she climbed up happily. The height of the carriage was not a big deal for a child who was used to being wild in the countryside.
Qin Siya got on the carriage, looked at Yang Haiyan carefully, and then called out softly, "Sister-in-law."
Yang Haiyan: "Hey, Si Ya is so well behaved."
Qin Siya smiled. She was still easily shy in front of the strange sister-in-law.
Soon, they arrived at the Qin family.
Grandpa Qin and others were sitting in the yard, while Grandma Qin and her two daughters-in-law were busy in the kitchen. Niu Dan, Qin Shouye, and Qin Shoucheng were standing by the horse watching. Even though they were bored and standing there, they were happy.
But when the carriage came in, they followed it. Qin Fang got off first, and when Qin Si Ya came out, when Qin Fang was about to pick her up, she had already jumped off the carriage by herself. Then came Qin's mother and Yang Haiyan.
When Niu Dan saw Qin Siya coming down, he pulled her over to ask her how she felt about sitting in the carriage. Qin Siya said she was beaming with joy and looked very proud.
Qin Fang carried the wedding quilt into the house, Yang Haiyan carried the things, and Qin's mother went into the kitchen.
Qin Fang and Yang Haiyan's room was newly built, so the bed, table, and stool inside were all new. Qin Fang put down the quilt, and Yang Haiyan made the bed, and then the couple made the sheets together. When their beds were made, Grandma Qin came over: "A Fang, Yan Yan, are you done? It's time to eat."
Qin Haiyan: "Grandma, we are fine."
Today's food was very good, better than what they had eaten during the Chinese New Year. In the past, the food served at banquets was no better than this. Fish, pork, eggs, Grandma Qin took out everything she could. The first meal for the new bride couldn't be shabby.
The Qin family has two dining tables, one for the men and one for the women, because there are so many people in the Qin family that they can't sit at one table.
But today was different, they got a big round table and put it on the small table, so more than a dozen people could sit together if they squeezed together.
Grandma Qin: "Everyone, please sit down. Don't start eating yet. Your grandpa has something to say."
Even though she usually eats as fast as she farts, Second Aunt Qin didn't even pick up her chopsticks.
Grandpa Qin nodded, hummed, and then took a sip of tea and said, "Today, our family is sitting here in order. Ah Fang is very good. He is filial to his father and uncle. You must remember that five years ago, he did not serve in the army in place of anyone else, but in place of the male in this family."
Qin family: "Yes."
Grandpa Qin continued, "It would be even better if Afang left alone and the two of them came back together. The court would give Afang a wife because of his military merits. This would be the pride of our Qin family."
Qin family: "Yes."
Yang Haiyan looked at everyone's expressions. This was not just a casual response. In the eyes of ordinary people like them, the imperial court granting them a wife was indeed a huge gift.
Grandpa Qin added: "Afang's wife is also very good. She has studied and can read. She also taught Afang these things. So, our family should be united."
Qin family: "Yes."
Grandpa Qin: "That's all I have to say."
Qin Fang suddenly stood up.
Everyone looked at him.
Qin Fang left his seat, walked to Grandpa Qin, and knelt down with a plop: "Grandpa, your unfilial grandson is back."
His kneeling was so loud that Yang Haiyan's knees hurt. However, once Qin Fang knelt down, there was absolutely no reason for her to sit down. She also hurriedly stood up and was about to kneel down when she was stopped by Grandma Qin. Grandma Qin said, "Good child, sit down. This is a matter between the grandfather and grandson."
After Grandma Qin said this, Yang Haiyan did not go.
Grandpa Qin touched his eyes and helped Qin Fang up: "It's good that you're here, it's good that you're here. You've grown up and started a family. Grandpa can't control you anymore. I just hope you can stay well."
Qin Fang: "Don't worry, Grandpa."
Grandpa Qin: "Okay, let's eat together."
As soon as Qin Fang sat down, people started to scramble for food at the table. However, only Second Aunt Qin and a few children were fighting for food. The third wife looked at the dishes silently. Mother Qin quickly picked up some meat, but she didn't stuff her mouth with a piece of meat like Second Aunt Qin did, leaving only one piece in the bowl.
Yang Haiyan ate the vegetables silently. She usually had enough meat, so she didn't fight with them for it.
Seeing this, Grandma Qin picked up a piece of meat for Yang Haiyan and said, "Child, eat meat."
Yang Haiyan was not used to others picking food for her, especially using the chopsticks she had used to eat, but she also knew that ordinary people were not so particular. Yang Haiyan smiled, handed the meat to Qin Fang, and explained to Grandma Qin: "Grandma, I can't eat fish these days, I can only eat light food. We arrived at the county town last night, and I couldn't vomit. I asked a doctor, and the doctor said that the bumpy road and the dry food I ate hurt my stomach. I need to drink some porridge to nourish my stomach these days."
After hearing what Yang Haiyan said, Grandma Qin believed it. The main reason was that Yang Haiyan left a good impression on her, so she certainly wouldn't think about it. "Then I'll make you some porridge tonight. You've been working so hard these past few days."
Yang Haiyan smiled and said, "As long as I can come back here and see you all, I will be so happy."
Aunt Qin asked curiously, "Afang's wife, what is your border like? I see Afang is so tall, is he well fed?"
Grandma Qin immediately warned her: "What are you talking about? If you don't know how to say it, don't say it."
Actually, Aunt Qin had no other intentions. She even thought that if the border was so good, she could just send Niu Dan there when she served in the army next time. Five years later, she would send a tall and strong Niu Dan back.
Aunt Qin got scared after being warned by Grandma Qin. But this person gets braver with every setback. She will forget about it after a while. Anyway, she is used to being embarrassed.
Yang Haiyan, on the other hand, answered Aunt Qin's question seriously: "I married to the border in August last year, and have been living in the capital since then, so I don't know what kind of life my husband has lived in the past. But I went there at an unfortunate time, as there was a two-month winter disaster. According to the wives of other scholars there, there is a two-month winter disaster every year at the border.
During the two months of winter disaster, the wind and sand were particularly strong and the weather was particularly cold. There was no one on the streets and all the shops were closed. But my husband would patrol outside no matter what the weather was, even if it was windy or rainy.
Before the Chinese New Year last year, barbarians sneaked into the county town, causing chaos in the county town. The county gates were closed for several days until the barbarians were caught. The barbarians were vicious and treacherous. When they were caught, they took children as hostages. Fortunately, the children were rescued. "These right and wrongs were mixed together, and scared Aunt Qin Er from sending Niu Dan to serve in the army again.
Everyone who heard it felt horrible.
Yang Haiyan added: "After the New Year, our Qi Kingdom went to war with the barbarians. My husband was the vanguard. He led his men to hide in front of the barbarians' gate. For a whole month, they could only eat dry food, sleep on the roadside, and have to endure the wind, sand and rain outside. A month later, although our Qi Kingdom won, my husband also suffered several injuries. Fortunately, none of them were fatal. It's just that I was injured and felt very uncomfortable." As Yang Haiyan spoke, her eyes turned red, and soon, tears came out.
In fact, she originally wanted to tell the Qin family that Qin Fang had a hard time and asked them to stop thinking about it, but as she spoke, she couldn't help it. She also felt that her husband had a hard time. During that month, she was worried every day and was really worried to the point of crying.
Qin Fang could tell at first that his wife said that on purpose, but he had no idea that she would actually cry. He quickly put down his chopsticks and comforted her: "Yan Yan, I'm fine, don't worry. I said I would be careful, you have to believe me." He thought to himself, isn't his wife really good at acting