That night, Yang Haiyan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. On the surface, she was considered a confident woman in this modern world. While she wasn't particularly pretty, she wouldn't be embarrassed to show her off. Even though she didn't have parents and family support, with her income, education and career, she felt she wouldn't be too far behind. But now, she was just a little nervous. This was probably the feeling every girl would experience when meeting her boyfriend's parents.
Qin Fang watched her tossing and turning, then hugged her in his arms and said, "Go to sleep peacefully." He didn't know that his wife was worried about meeting her parents-in-law.
Yang Haiyan saw that he had his eyes closed and remembered how he smiled more during the day than usual. She knew that he was happy to go back to see his family, so she didn't tease him. She sighed, closed her eyes and counted the sheep.
The next day, Yang Haiyan couldn't get up. Qin Fang had to pull her out of bed and dress her. Of course, he didn't touch her while he was dressing her.
Yang Haiyan was a little surprised: "Husband, you are so good at dressing girls."
Qin Fang straightened her clothes and touched her breasts before proudly walking out of the room. He did not respond to Yang Haiyan's advances.
Yang Haiyan: "…"
After washing up and having breakfast, the two prepared to return home.
A horse-drawn carriage, which was quite large. Because there was a donkey cart of moderate size, the compartment of this carriage was made slightly larger. Four boxes could be placed in the carriage without appearing crowded. A box of furs and a box of cloth were placed side by side at the bottom and a box of Yang Haiyan's things and a box of Qin Fang's things were placed on top for easy access.
The person accompanying them was Kun Shi, as his family also lived in the Qin family area and after arriving, Kun Shi also wanted to return home. The reason they didn't bring servants with them on this trip back home was that the Qin family had limited housing and bringing servants would have required room to live there, but that wasn't the main reason. The main reason was that the Qin family were ordinary people and bringing servants would have made them uncomfortable. Another reason and this was Yang Haiyan's own subtle thought, was that by bringing servants with them, they would appear to others to be living a particularly good life at the border.
It's true that distant relatives might come to ask for help in some way, but even close relatives within three generations are unlikely to be asked for anything.
For general matters, Yang Haiyan is also willing to help relatives. After all, everyone may encounter difficulties. To put it bluntly, isn't this the purpose of relatives?
However, Yang Haiyan had seen too many of the most outrageous relatives in her family and she was afraid that some of them would be too tactful and start a big deal. If she refused, it would hurt the relationship between the two families, but if she agreed, she would be unhappy. So it was better not to bring servants.
Before getting in the car, Yang Haiyan took Aunt Lian's hand and said, "I'll leave the house to you. As for the monthly allowance for March, if I haven't returned home yet, I'll delay it and send it out when I do."
Aunt Lian said, "Don't worry, everyone is fine."
Yang Haiyan: "I'm sorry for the hard work you've done during my absence. I'll always remember your kindness."
Nanny Lian quickly leaned forward and said, "I dare not. As long as Madam is well, I will be relieved."
Yang Haiyan got on the carriage.
"Gee..." Kun Shi drove the carriage and Qin Fang rode the horse.
The journey from the border to Baili Village in Jintian County was not short. The carriage was not fast and they were traveling on the official road instead of a small path, so the distance was even longer. It took them a full five days to reach Jintian County.
Arriving in Jintian County, it was getting dark. Yang Haiyan said, "Husband, let's stay at the inn for one night and return to the village tomorrow. Otherwise, if we go back now, we'll disturb our family's rest and I'm afraid they'll even have to go to great lengths to prepare dinner for us."
Qin Fang thought it made sense: "Then stay in the inn for one night."
The next day
Kun Shi and Qin Fang parted ways. It would take him two days to get home from Jintian County. After Kun Shi left, Qin Fang went to the carriage shop to hire a driver. Then the couple bought some snacks in the county town, such as cakes and meat.
Qin family
March is the busy season for spring plowing and farming. Grandpa Qin and his family work in the fields. The Qin family has a large family, so the work is done quickly. However, because of their large population, they need more food, so their lives are tight. However, because the Qin family is hardworking, their lives are not too difficult.
Qin Shouye finished his work and walked to his father: "Dad, I thought about it all night last night. I want to go to town to find a job after I finish the work in the fields."
Qin's father thought carefully. His son had been studying for a year and knew many characters. Since his son wasn't taking the imperial examination, a year of study was enough. It would be a good idea for him to find a job in town. He didn't want a lucrative job like a restaurant manager or accountant, but it would be better than working in the fields. After all, working in the fields was tiring and as a parent, he naturally wanted his child to be as healthy as possible.
Father Qin: "You are right, but I still need to discuss this matter with your grandfather."
Qin Shouye: "Yes, Father." The thought of working in town, earning a few more coins and improving the family's life, filled him with satisfaction. Before his eldest brother left for military service, he had said that in his absence, he would be the eldest brother of the family. He would take care of his younger siblings and be filial to his grandparents, his father, and his mother.
At the village gate, a carriage and a horse slowly drove by.
There were many children playing in the village. When they saw the horses and carriages, they all crowded to the side and secretly looked over here.
"Wow, is this the town's big boss?"
"The town's lord is rich. Let's go there quickly. If he asks us for directions, he will definitely give us something to eat."
"Let's go, let's go."
"I'm not going."
"I'm not going either. I'm scared."
Some were timid, while others were brave. The brave children ran over to Qin Fang's horse, but they didn't run too close for fear of being trampled by the horse.
"Sir, which family are you going to? Do you need a guide?" The boy who asked was about eight or nine years old and looked very smart.
Qin Fang looked at him: "No need, I know the way."
"Oh." The little boy was a little disappointed.
The other children also sighed in disappointment. They had thought that if they had seen the old man, they would have been rewarded with some candy. But now it seemed that there was no hope.
"Ershan, what are you doing?" Two boys and a kid came down the hillside, all three of them carrying backpacks.
Ershan was the little boy who played with Qin Fang. When he heard someone calling him, he turned around and said, "Shoucheng, Niudan, look! The town master is here."
Qin Shoucheng brought Niu Dan and Si Ya with him. Qin Shoucheng was twelve years old, Niu Dan was ten and Si Ya was nine. On weekdays, the Qin family worked in the fields, and when they were busy, the children did things like cutting grass for the pigs and feeding the chickens.
Qin Shoucheng: "I want to go home and feed the pigs."
Niu Dan said loudly, "We need to feed the old hens eggs. My grandma said that if we feed the old hens until they are fat, we can eat big eggs."
Ershan: "Okay then."
When Qin Fang heard Ershan calling Shoucheng and Niudan, he set his sights on Qin Shoucheng's children. The year he went to serve in the army, Shoucheng was only seven years old and Niudan was only four years old. In the blink of an eye, the little boy had become a young man and a big boy. The children had grown up, but they were still thin. Thinking of the situation at home, for a moment, Qin Fang felt very sorry for them.
Seeing Qin Shoucheng and his younger brothers and sisters going home, Qin Fang called out: "Shoucheng, Niudan."
Qin Shoucheng heard the elder of the town in Ershan Town calling him and he stared curiously. The more he looked, the more familiar the elder on horseback seemed to him, but he didn't know where he had seen him before. Although Qin Fang was already seven years old when he went to serve in the army, Qin Fang five years ago was not as tall as he is now, with a much shorter height and a less sturdy body. Therefore, Qin Shoucheng couldn't remember for a moment that this was his elder brother.
Niu Dan had no idea. He was only five years old when his elder brother left, so he could only remember a limited number of people. However, Niu Dan was brave. When he heard the town master calling him, he happily asked, "Master, you know me! How do you know my name?"
Yang Haiyan also heard the voices, especially when she heard Niu Dan calling Qin Fang "Master", she couldn't help laughing. She got out of the carriage and asked Qin Fang: "Is this Niu Dan from my second uncle's family?" Although she had never met the Qin family, Qin Fang had introduced everyone to her.
Qin Fang nodded and dismounted from his horse. "Shoucheng, Niudan, I'm your eldest brother. Don't you recognize me?"
Niu Dan blinked his eyes, not understanding how the town's "big master" became "big brother." But when Qin Shoucheng heard Qin Fang say this, he hurried over. He stared at Qin Fang carefully for a while, then grinned and shouted, "Big brother...are you talking about big brother?"
Qin Fang touched his head and said, "Shoucheng, you've grown taller and more mature. You can help with housework with your younger brother."
Hearing his elder brother praising him, Qin Shoucheng smiled innocently, clutching his clothes a little embarrassedly. He remembered that before his elder brother went to serve in the army, he would fish and pick wild fruits for them to eat.
Niu Dan looked up at Qin Fang curiously: "Brother, are you talking about my brother?" He knew my brother too; his family often mentioned him, but he had no impression of him. Now that he saw Qin Fang, he felt that my brother was even more impressive than the town's lords.
Qin Fang smiled and said, "Yes, I am the eldest brother."
Niu Dan looked at the horse again and asked curiously, "Brother, is this your horse? Can I ride it?"
Qin Fang picked up Niu Dan and said, "Sit tight."
Niu Dan screamed when Qin Fang picked him up and when he sat on the horse, he danced with joy.
Qin Shoucheng looked at Niu Dan with some envy: "Brother, I want to sit too."
Qin Fang simply carried him up as well. Then he looked at the little girl next to him. He hesitated for a moment and asked, "Si Ya?"