Shi Qing looked at Zhou Daren’s third son, lowering his eyes. He was truly jealous. Zhou Daren was stern and rarely smiled at his son, but whenever Changlian asked, Zhou Daren would patiently answer, even asking if he understood. If not, Zhou Daren would explain in detail until Changlian comprehended.

Changlian could take any book he wanted without hesitation. He was so jealous, yet also unbearably envious. “It’s better if you don’t know.”

Changlian just wanted to ask; if he got an answer, it would be a gain; if not, he wouldn’t ask. He knew some curiosities shouldn’t be explored too deeply. “Let’s go; Meng Jie is waiting for us!”

Shi Qing nodded, glancing at Changlian out of the corner of his eye. How enviable! A good father, a good teacher—everything he had longed for. Some people are born lucky.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was harvest time. This year was another year of favorable weather and abundant harvest. The Zhou family didn’t own much land, but they still received a considerable income.

After the autumn harvest, Zhulan received a reply from Wu Ming. After reading it, Zhulan learned everything. Zhulan felt even more sorry for Wu Ning. Having just lost an important family member and suffering another heavy blow, Wu Ning was already very strong for not committing suicide.

In ancient times, too many women couldn’t bear such a blow and chose death.

Wu Ning was also reading her brother’s letter. Her brother said he was just glad to know she was alright and told her not to worry about home. He also told her that he had mentioned her situation in his reply to her aunt.

Wu Ning gripped the letter tightly, then loosened her grip. She thought of the feeling of her aunt hugging her and slowly relaxed, telling herself that this was for the best to prevent Xue Han from making wild guesses.

Zhulan, fearing Wu Ning was overthinking things, called Wu Ning over after reading the letter and patted the seat next to her, saying, “Ning Ning, come sit here.”

Wu Ning knew why her aunt had called her over, and her tone became much lighter. “Yes.”

Zhulan didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point: “Auntie knows about what happened to you.”

From this incident, she could see that this girl was still very strong, which reassured Zhulan a lot.

Wu Ning clasped her hands together. “I’m sorry to have worried you, Aunt.”

“You’re a good child.”

Wu Ning smiled gently. “Aunt, I know what you want to say. You taught us to always look forward, and I’ve always kept that in mind.”

Zhulan had a lot to say but couldn’t get it out. She wanted to comfort her, but this girl had already figured things out quite a bit on her own. “I’m glad you remember everything. But I want to add something I hope you’ll remember: you have to cherish yourself first before you can cherish your family and friends. I hope you can cherish yourself.”

Wu Ning responded sincerely, “Yes.”

She had been in the Zhou family for quite some time, and she had been observing carefully. From her eldest sister-in-law, she learned that one must be open-minded to be happier; from her third sister-in-law, she learned how to advance and retreat; from her younger sister Xue Han, she learned how to be a daughter of an official; and most importantly, she learned composure from her aunt.

Moreover, she still remembered the Shi Gongzi who had saved her. From her sister-in-law’s conversation, she learned about Shi Qing’s background: an illegitimate son, the son of a merchant. She was quite shocked. The Shi Gongzi’s journey had not been easy. She had experienced a lot and had a deeper understanding of the gap between scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Shi Gongzi had faced far more ridicule and difficulties, yet he still persevered and fought against fate, overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles from the son of a merchant to a scholar.

She felt that what had happened to her was nothing compared to this; she at least had three older brothers and the Zhou family to protect her.

When Zhou Shuren returned home that evening, Zhulan handed him Wu Ming’s letter. “Take a look!”

Zhou Shuren took it, glanced at it, and put it down. Wu Ming knew what to do and smiled as he asked Zhulan, “Is the baby good?”

Zhulan touched her belly. “This baby is incredibly well-behaved.”

As long as nothing disgusting happened, she didn’t feel nauseous no matter what she ate. It had been almost three months, and she hadn’t had a single bout of morning sickness, and everything tasted delicious.

Zhou Shuren grinned foolishly. “This is my son. He knew how to care for his mother even before he was born.”

Zhulan chuckled softly at this. “He does care for me.”

Zhulan took Zhou Shuren’s hand. “Now that the autumn harvest is over, we’re just waiting for the apples to sell and the money to come in. Then I’ll have the eldest son send the New Year’s gifts back and buy the estate while he’s at it.”

Zhou Shuren agreed. “Okay.”

Zhulan added, “Once the money from the two estates in Jiangnan comes in, I want to buy a house.”

Zhou Shuren became interested. Most of the Zhou family’s current wealth came from Zhulan’s real estate transactions. “Where do you want to buy?”

Zhulan smiled. “I want to buy in Jiangnan. This time, I’ll only buy the most…”

“Buy a house in a prosperous prefecture.”

Zhou Shuren raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Zhulan smiled. “The dynasty has been around for over a decade, and its vitality has recovered considerably. You can see that from the birth rate in Lizhou City these past two years. With a larger population, houses are bound to appreciate in value, especially in prosperous prefectures where prices are steadily rising. Buying a house in a wealthy area not only preserves its value, but it’s also easy to sell quickly if you urgently need money, and you don’t have to worry about the price being driven down.”

Zhou Shuren continued, “Renting out the house won’t require too much worry either.”

Zhou Shuren knew that Zhulan had originally planned to make a big splash, but she became pregnant, and to ensure the safety of herself and the baby, she changed her plans.

Zhulan smiled and nodded. “The little one is here. It’s not good for pregnant women to overthink things. I’ll focus all my energy on him these next few years.”

Zhou Shuren hugged Zhulan, who didn’t want him to worry.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was apple season. This year, there were many worms in the apples, but also many fruits. Some apples with fewer worms could still be sold cheaply for money.

(End of Chapter)

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