Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 717 - 367: Good News_2
Lian Manman just smiled and nodded her head. Liulang wasn’t very old, and he was a bit slow, so the family didn’t really watch what they said around him.
After sending Liulang away, Lian Manman returned to the shop with Xiao Qi, where Lady Zhang was sewing. Lian Manman told Lady Zhang everything Liulang had said.
"Yingzi ran off to Huahua’s place?" Lady Zhang was surprised, "Yingzi and Huahua... their relationship, as I see it, is just ordinary... If they didn’t want to keep Yingzi, just send her away. Why is your aunt being so secretive? Yingzi’s business, she hasn’t told a soul, just your sister-in-law, your aunt and her roundabout ways..."
Speaking of this, Lady Zhang suddenly stopped her sewing.
"How could I forget that? When Huahua broke the Song Family’s engagement Jade Pendant, Yingzi was there. Huahua must be afraid Yingzi would tell the Song Family about that incident, that’s why she wants to drive her away but dare not."
"Who knows?" Lian Manman replied, "Anyhow, there must be some unspeakable matter between the two of them."
"No wonder your aunt hasn’t been looking good these past few days. Despite her smiles, for sure she’s feeling uneasy inside," Lady Zhang remarked.
"Mother, how could you tell?" Manman laughed, "Didn’t you hear my aunt boasting about how well Sister Huahua is favored by the Song Family?"
"She’s just bluffing. If she wasn’t feeling guilty, would she need to brag? With your grandmother nagging me all day long when I first gave birth to Zhizhi, and your father having three older brothers at the time, the family already had several male grandchildren, and it was still like that. Your second aunt wasn’t shy about showing off either, until I gave birth to Wu Lang, then things got a bit better. The Song Family is large with significant assets, but Song Hailong is their only son, which is different from our family," Lady Zhang explained.
"My aunt is bluffing, and even slipped up," Manman thought for a moment, then said, "I remember Old Madam Song having a granddaughter, Sister Huahua’s child isn’t the first granddaughter of the Song family, but my aunt insisted it was, just to elevate the status of Sister Huahua and her daughter."
"...I wonder what the future holds for Huahua? Maybe Old Madam Song is progressive, and since the young couple is still young, they can just slowly keep trying for a son... My aunt left before completing the month-long postpartum care, which she definitely wouldn’t have done if Huahua had given birth to a boy... With the first child, whether it’s a boy or a girl, nobody can guarantee. If it weren’t for my uncle, my aunt wouldn’t be so desperate to rely on the Song Family," Lady Zhang, looking down and continuing her sewing, spoke softly, "In matters of marriage, it’s best to pair equals, like our family with the Wu Family, it’s just so much less worry. Even if Zhizhi’s first child is a girl, the Wu Family can’t say anything."
"Mother, you always have such foresight," Lian Manman laughed.
"What foresight?" Lady Zhang clearly didn’t understand.
"Nothing, I just mean, my sister’s marriage is well settled," Manman laughed without wanting to explain and said.
"That it is," Lady Zhang nodded in satisfaction.
...
The weather was dry, and looking at the small sweet potatoes piled up in the corner, Lian Manman had an idea.
"Mother, let’s cook more sweet potatoes at once, dry them, and keep them as snacks," Manman suggested to Lady Zhang.
"Would that taste any good?" Lady Zhang asked.
"Surely it will," Manman assured.
"You discuss it with your sister, your brother, and Xiao Qi. However you want to deal with it," Lady Zhang said. The sweet potato was a novelty, and since all the children liked it, she, as the mother, let them enjoy it as they wished.
"Okay."
Lian Manman agreed, then went to find Lian Zhizhi, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi. Of course, none of them objected. They picked two baskets full of small sweet potatoes, washed them by the well, then returned to the kitchen. A large iron pot was filled with a basket of sweet potatoes, and once they were cooked, they were spread out on a mat and taken outside to dry in the sun.
After being dried out by the sun, the moisture inside the small sweet potatoes evaporated. These dried sweet potatoes were easy to store, portable, and the texture became chewier, even sweeter than the freshly cooked ones because the sugar concentration increased as water evaporated.
Manman liked to chew on a piece of dried sweet potato when she had some free time. Wu Lang and Xiao Qi often took a couple with them to school. Even Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin would snack on them occasionally. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
As the busiest season of autumn harvest was approaching, Wang Youheng was suddenly called back to the county by Imperial Doctor Wang. Two days later, after returning, Youheng visited Thirty Mile Camp to share that his oldest brother at The Imperial Medical Bureau had been promoted two ranks, and an uncle of his who was a Magistrate had been appointed as Magistrate.
"...It must be thanks to the sweet potatoes," Youheng said. The Shen Family and officials in Liaodong Prefecture had reported the matter of the sweet potatoes to the Imperial Court. After the Imperial Court verified with the Prefecture of Fuzhou and decided to promote the cultivation of sweet potatoes, they mentioned the contributions of the Wang Family in the memorial to the emperor, thus the court rewarded the Wang Family for their merits.
"Brother Youheng, the most credit should go to you. How come these rewards haven’t fallen on you?" Manman said. Some from the Wang Family had risen in fortune, but it was not Wang Youheng. Manman couldn’t help but pout.
The next day, the Song Family sent a message to announce that Lian Shouren’s appointment had arrived. Then, a document was delivered, appointing Lian Shouren to assume the post of Hejian Prefecture Taicang County Magistrate immediately.
***......****
Here’s one update, and I’ll try for a second one later on.
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