The Lucky Farmgirl

Bai Shan said, "The weather is getting colder, and the Astronomical Bureau has announced that the winter wheat planting this year should be advanced by ten days. This was already announced nationwide before the autumn harvest."

"Oh, is that so? How come I didn’t know?"

Bai Shan laughed, "I didn’t know either. It was Brother Zhou who received the notice from the Chief that the government had posted the announcement, so the estate planted winter wheat earlier this year. It’s almost done now."

No wonder her parents were so eager to visit Pu Village; it turns out it’s the perfect time to plant winter wheat.

After carefully pruning a few branches and leaves, Manbao placed them in a vase and asked Bai Shan, "When will they be back?"

If they return only after the flowers wither, would it be considered as spoiling them?

Bai Shan smiled, "I sent someone to Pu Village with the message early this morning. Since they are a large group, they’ll probably return tomorrow."

Bai Shan guessed wrong; they packed up and returned by noon, reaching home within an hour, without waiting for the next day.

Naturally, they brought back many things, mostly fruits, vegetables, poultry, eggs, chickens, and ducks from the estate.

Manbao watched the lively crowd and before she could react, she was hugged by Zhou Lixin.

Manbao exclaimed joyfully, "Daya!"

Zhou Lixin had grown quite plump, her face round like a silver plate, full of smiles, "Aunt, it’s been years since I’ve seen you."

Manbao hugged her, "Yes, indeed, it’s been years."

Standing beside them was a scholarly young man. Manbao released Zhou Lixin and looked at him with approval, "This is the nephew-in-law, right? He’s grown taller over the years."

Guan Yong: "...Hello, Aunt."

He bowed deeply and looked at Zhou Lixin.

Zhou Lixin’s face reddened slightly, shaking Manbao’s hand with a soft voice, "Grandfather said he wasn’t sure when Aunt would leave the palace, so we went to the estate for a bit. Aunt has grown much taller."

Manbao’s eyes lit up, asking modestly, "Really?"

Zhou Lixin nodded repeatedly to confirm, which made Manbao increasingly delighted. She asked, "Which courtyard are you staying in? Is it just the two of you coming, or did you bring the kids..."

Manbao asked a barrage of questions.

Of course, they couldn’t bring the kids; they were still young. Since Zhou ErLang and Zhou Sanlang would be going to the capital, the Guan family didn’t send anyone else to accompany them, allowing only the couple to travel to the capital.

Manbao took Zhou Lixin inside for a private chat, only then learning that the Guan family was originally planning to head to the capital in November, aiming for next year’s Ming Classic examination.

But given Zhou Man was getting married, and the Zhou brothers were heading to the capital, they decided to travel together for safety.

Since they arrived earlier, they might as well try their luck at the imperial exams. What if they succeeded?

Well, the people of Luojiang County do possess such optimistic spirit.

It happened that Guan Yong arrived before the registration deadline; being a County School student, he had qualified for the Ming Classic exam beforehand, so he registered directly.

If he doesn’t pass this year, he’ll take the Ming Classic exam again in spring, similar to the Bai brothers’ plan.

"Why didn’t my elder sister come? She’s never been to the capital for fun, has she?"

"She was supposed to come. My uncle had even taken leave, planning to bring my cousin to see the world. But upon leaving, my aunt discovered she was pregnant. The doctor said the pregnancy is somewhat delicate, and movement in the first three months is not advisable, so they didn’t come."

Manbao gasped in surprise, "She’s pregnant again?"

At her current age, childbirth indeed carries some risks.

Zhou Lixin said, "Grandmother agreed that my aunt being pregnant at this age is not ideal, and she’s discussing with Grandfather about visiting home."

"Do you have the medical records and prescriptions?"

"Yes," Zhou Lixin knew Aunt would ask, so she specially went to Jishi Hall to obtain them.

If anyone else had requested medical records and prescriptions, Jishi Hall wouldn’t provide them; they’re considered confidential. But since it was the Zhou family asking, knowing Zhou Man’s excellent medical skills and good relations with Jishi Hall, they gave them.

Zhou Lixin showed Manbao the medical records and prescriptions.

They wrote the medical records in great detail, and after Manbao looked it over, she let out a sigh of relief.

Actually, over the years, Zhou Xi’s living conditions have improved greatly, so her health has improved significantly. Judging by the pulse, the fetal pulse is somewhat weak, but the mother’s condition is fine, just that age is not favorable for childbirth.

But there are quite a few women of Zhou Xi’s age who are still giving birth.

Not talking about distant examples, she just has to look at her mother to understand.

Therefore, Manbao folded the paper and said, "It’s not a big problem. I’ll write some prescriptions for conditioning later and mail them back to her."

Manbao asked her, "Have you had a chance to explore the capital city? Is it fun?"

Zhou Lixin nodded continuously. She hadn’t even been to Yizhou Prefecture, so one could say the capital is the most prosperous city she’s seen.

She hasn’t seen taller city walls, bigger cities, or more people.

Even the houses they live in are so large, accommodating so many people without feeling crowded. If it weren’t for relatives living on all sides, she would probably be anxious. But even with such surroundings, she felt weightless for two days before coming to grips.

This time Zhou Lijun took them to Liyang to see the newly-built workshop. Actually, it’s not far from the capital city; going there directly is closer than going to Pu Village first and then turning around. They made such a detour to pick some fruits and vegetables from Pu Village and relax.

Manbao knows that the workshop is intended for making ointments and creams. The rented house in the outer city is to be vacated, as boiling too many herbs within the city is somewhat inconvenient.

But Manbao was curious, "Why choose Liyang? I thought they’d choose Pu Village."

Zhou Lijun said, "Initially, we did consider Pu Village, but Uncle said choosing Liyang is better."

She paused and explained, "Uncle says, the land in Pu Village is official land, temporarily belonging to Aunt. Although we can build the workshop like we build the estate by purchasing the land, in the future, whether Aunt changes positions or not, the official land might no longer be in Pu Village. The workshop and estate will still be ours."

"But if the official land is allocated to another official, then that area becomes someone else’s territory. The estate there is fine; we occasionally go there to live and play, impacting little. But if the workshop is there, malicious intent can easily arise."

"Liyang may not have land, but it’s Aunt’s fief," Zhou Lijun laughed, "Uncle says unless the title is stripped, the five hundred households granted to Aunt will always be hers. In the future, regardless of where Aunt is, changing however many county magistrates, they will treat our family’s workshop respectfully."

"Therefore, I bought two plots of land in Aunt’s fief: one is wasteland suitable for building the workshop and houses, another is fertile land for growing fruits and vegetables. Once the workshop is built, having hired staff, they can self-supply vegetables."

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