The beloved baby has a space

Chapter 772 Wulang's Engagement
Not only was Ayu shocked, but even Wang Wulang was dumbfounded. He never expected Shui Miao to act in this way.

Ayu smiled and said, "I really didn't realize that you and Chief Shuimiao had such a good relationship. It's just a pity that none of our elders are here right now. If I wasn't afraid of offending Chief Shuimiao, I would have asked Cliff Eagle to send a message directly."

"No!" Wang Wulang waved his hands repeatedly, begging for mercy.

"What? Is it just one-sided enthusiasm from the other side?" Ayu put away her smile and said carefully, "Then Fifth Brother, you'd better think it over carefully. The other side is a girl, and the leader of the Bafang tribe. At the very least, we can't let her lose face."

Although she was very keen to bring her brother and sister together, relationships are best when they are based on mutual consent; forced relationships are never sweet.

Unexpectedly, Wang Wulang did not refuse directly. Instead, he blushed, and Ayu knew at a glance that there was hope.

Before Ayu could even tease him a few times, Wang Wulang puffed out his cheeks and said, "Alright, I know what to do. There's no rush right now."

Although everyone calls him General Wang now, he hasn't been in the army for very long.

He deserved the title of general for his one or two merits, but many of his soldiers were still dissatisfied.

Moreover, Wang Wulang's ambitions don't stop there. After all, his younger sister has already laid a good foundation for Jiangsai. It's only a matter of time before the water here becomes clear. At that time, Jiangsai might just become a treasure land.

Now is the perfect time to act.

If we don't govern this place well and make a great contribution, how can we face going back, and how can we face getting married?

At this time when a good man should be making achievements and establishing his career, romantic feelings should naturally be put aside.

Moreover, Shui Miao is not as relaxed as she claims.

Although she had relatives from all the surrounding tribes supporting her, she was still just a young girl, and these tribes weren't willing to submit to her just because of personal relationships.

Wang Wulang shared his concerns with Ayu, who smiled and pointed to the boxes outside: "Since they sent these things, they must have had their reasons. If you also have feelings for them, you should think carefully about how to handle this. This is my experience."

Wang Wulang: "..."

What kind of experience do you have? You found yourself a partner when you were just a few years old, and he spoiled you rotten.

On the other hand, if their own sister were to come to Qin Huai's door to propose marriage like this, and Qin Huai were still considering this and that, the Wang family might just turn around and take Ayu away.

Wang Wulang rubbed his hair, shook his armor which he hadn't yet taken off, and looked rather troubled.

However, a hint of smugness lingered in his eyes.

—Shui Miao is interested in him!

His mother no longer needs to worry about whether he can find a wife.

Wang Wulang changed into simple clothes and went out with a stern face.

Ayu assumed he was just shy and didn't ask any further questions. She turned around and went to the government office, taking the farming with her and giving him some instructions.

Upon learning that Ayu might leave after spring, the governor's face showed a hint of reluctance.

"Next spring we'll be trying out new grain varieties. Will you stay and give us some guidance, Yu Xiangjun?" Actually, the implication wasn't that he was reluctant to part with A Yu, but rather that he was reluctant to part with A Yu's skilled farming subordinates.

After her trip to Yuecheng, Ayu had learned a lot about reading people's expressions and immediately said with a smile, "Whether I leave or not, I will stay here to farm. If there are any difficulties when the new crops are harvested next year, you can tell him."

The governor's face immediately lit up with a bright smile: "How could I possibly accept that? — Perhaps we could let Mr. Zhong wait until the year after next, and I will certainly not treat him unfairly."

Ayu: "...We still need to leave some options for other counties."

"Indeed." The governor thought to himself, if nothing unexpected happens, he will probably be promoted this time, and then he can apply to transfer the person from Jiangsai to his new post...

That was absolutely beautiful.

If his other colleagues knew about this idea, they would definitely spit in his face. It's true that he's ugly but has beautiful dreams.

In the following months, Ayu was truly diligent and conscientious, not interfering too much in the affairs of the Governor's Office. She even gradually left the cleaning work of various waterways in Jiangsai to others, without taking credit for it all herself.

Not only that, Ayu also gave most of the water-purifying potions to Wang Wulang and Xiaoyao Wang, who later returned to Jiangsai, and hinted that Wang Wulang could join forces with Shui Miao to try to make those miraculous potions sound like myths, so as not to give people cause for gossip.

Their contributions are already substantial enough; naturally, we shouldn't pile on too many of their previous achievements.

February 17th, Minghua 25th year.

Wang Chuanyuan and Xiao Zhangshi arrived in Jiangsai. They had set off from Nanhe Town with four cartloads of miscellaneous goods, but by the time they reached Jiangsai, they had six cartloads.

They came to propose marriage to Shui Miao after receiving a letter from Wang Wulang.

Two of the carts contained deposits for Shui Miao, one cart contained changes of clothes for the couple and their entourage, and a small portion was for Wang Wulang.

“Ayu, those three and a half carts are all yours. One cart contains dried food that your third aunt made for you. They’re all things that are easy to store. Over the years, you’ve given me quite a few recipes, many of which were developed based on your research. Try them. Although they’re dry food without any moisture, they taste pretty good. Many traveling merchants order from us.” Even though she was already a mother of five, Little Zhang still adored Ayu.

Sometimes I think back to how generous I was. I should have let Ayu be her child and raised her to be healthy and chubby.

Of course, it was just a thought. After all, her fourth brother and sister-in-law had been very devoted to Ayu. If she were to say these things out loud, she suspected that her fourth sister-in-law would come after her and pull her hair.

Of course, she happily accepted: "It's been so long since I've had anything made by my third aunt, I'm really craving it."

"Eat as much as you like. I've also sent quite a lot to Wanning City. If you're going back to Wanning City, this trip will be just right."

"Yes, I'll save it."

After Ayu finished speaking, the couple went to ask Wang Wulang in detail about their future daughter-in-law.

Upon learning that the other party was the leader of the Eight Directions, Xiao Zhang's mouth dropped open, and she immediately felt somewhat distressed.

Wang Wulang's heart skipped a beat: "Mother, you don't disagree, do you?" "Ah, no, I'm just thinking that you're only a junior general now, and if someone wants you to marry into their family..."

Wang Chuanyuan chimed in from the side, "Our Wang family doesn't care about these things. As long as he can find a wife, that's all that matters. We have plenty of children anyway."

Wang Wulang: "..."

The couple didn't care much, and Shui Miao cared even less. So, as they talked, they actually got engaged and even discussed when to hold the wedding banquet.

The two families were chatting warmly, but Wang Wulang couldn't shake the feeling that his parents had already agreed, so why did he feel empty inside?
It has a bit of the feeling that "a married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl."

However, Shui Miao was still understanding and said, "Now you want to make achievements and I also need to subdue the other tribes. Only by working together can we truly bring peace to Jiangsai. Then we won't have to stay in this godforsaken place and can go anywhere we want. There's no need to worry about these things now."

Wang Wulang was somewhat puzzled: "If I continue to rise in rank, and if I don't spend my life in the military, I'll only be able to hold a sinecure in the imperial court. At that time—"

"I don't mind," Shui Miao said. "Do I look like that person to you?"

Wang Wulang wanted to say that he wasn't worried about whether the other person would mind, but when the words came out, he suddenly forgot what he was going to say. He only remembered that Shui Miao's eyes were bright and curved, like a clear spring, straight, as if they could see into his heart.

That's fine, Wang Wulang said to himself. Just like Grandma once said, marriages in the Wang family are either between equals or between two people who are in love. He has already achieved both, so what more could he ask for?
As for the rest, we'll talk about it later.

In the twenty-fifth year of Minghua, on the third day of the third month, the annual Flower Festival arrived once again. With the help of farming, Jiangsai once again ushered in a bumper harvest—before other counties had even had their harvests.

The governor was ecstatic; he practically wanted to hug the farmer's leg and give him a big kiss to thank him for helping him.

The happiest people were the people of Jiangsai.

The weather here is now favorable, although they have lost a lot of freedom because the laws are much stricter than before.

But from then on, they could eat and drink their fill, no longer go hungry, and no longer be numb and indifferent—a life that even stories couldn't imagine. So they could tolerate the rules.

Because the rules have been revised, the area is much more harmonious, and merchants are more willing to come here to do business.

One after another, several trade routes started from here, connecting many countries, including the Kingdom of Xifeng. Goods exchanged from other countries were then resold to other prefectures.

It seems that Jiangsai is about to become prosperous day by day.

Those who had initially helped Ayu, such as Shi Zhou and Ouyang Changjing, also made a fortune.

A steamed bun shop owned by the Wang family quietly opened here, and the Wang family's grain transport team made its official appearance here. The leader was not Wang Dalang, but Wang Sanpang.

Wang Sanpang is now living up to his name, having become quite fat, always smiling, and exuding a particularly festive aura.

He is now a shrewd businessman, and his life has changed since his widowed sister-in-law married Zhang Zhan.

Zhang Zhan originally resigned from his position as county magistrate out of spite for his family, wanting them to accept Widow Zhou. But as the bet continued, Zhang Zhan felt that being an official was meaningless, and it would be better to go into business, where he could earn more money and it would be easier to help the poor.

The imperial court has softened its stance and is gradually drafting commercial laws, which will be stricter in defining merchant status while imposing lighter restrictions. The restriction that merchants cannot take the imperial examinations for three generations is being relaxed, but at the same time, taxes on the education of merchants' children will be levied more heavily.

In short, Zhang Zhan and his wife started a business with Wang Sanpang, using Yongding County as their base, and have now expanded to several surrounding cities.

When Ayu heard about it, she admired Wang Sanpang even more and told him about her girls' academy.

Wang Sanpang was overjoyed and immediately said, "Sister Ayu, this is a good thing! I also have some women under my command. I have found that many of them are thoughtful and efficient, but they are a bit stubborn. If they can learn more skills at the girls' academy, I will be able to find more and better helpers in the future."

Moreover, Wang Sanpang used to be hesitant to hire too many women, firstly because women were restrictive and secondly because they were a big burden.

If women are allowed to learn skills at the academy, they will inevitably have to go out to work in the future, otherwise their learning will be in vain, right? Then, he can recruit women more openly, or even only recruit women from the girls' academy, and provide accommodation for their families so that their little girls can also attend the girls' academy...

Hearing that Wang Sanpang had such a plan so quickly, Ayu's eyes lit up, and she immediately had an idea: "Brother Sanpang, you've helped me a lot!"

With everyone's support, Ayu took the opportunity to buy many shops and even opened the first girls' academy here.

The female teachers at the academy are all locals from Jiangsai, and the female students they recruit are mostly children from poor families in Jiangsai, as well as clever children selected by Shui Miao from the tribes.

Ayu connected the shop and the academy, and asked Shui Miao and Wang Wulang to help supervise it, treating it as the first pilot project, and was full of expectations for future development.

Having done all this, Ayu finally set off to return to Wanning City.

Before leaving, Ayu wanted to leave Wang Wulang some more things to save his life, but Wang Wulang refused her: "Brother has to grow up on his own. Ayu, don't let brother become lazy."

On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes, and the situation changes in an instant. If one, as the leader of troops, has too many things to protect one's own life, one is prone to neglecting the lives of others and making impulsive decisions. This is not a good thing in the long run.

Ayu blinked: "Okay."

At that moment, Ayu realized that Fifth Brother had truly grown up.

It's a good thing that her brother wants to be independent, but she has so many good qualities that even a little bit of them could give her brother an extra layer of security, so she naturally wouldn't be stingy with them.

Ayu left behind some concentrated Wanling Water and a special medicinal water that could gradually improve the water quality of the river fortress. She gave some of it to Wang Wulang and kept most of it for farming.

If there's one thing in this world that never betrays you and you don't have to worry about betrayal, it's farming.

Others might betray her due to various entanglements or by being drugged or tortured, but the farmer who came from the system doesn't have this worry. He has lost his superpowers as a system, but his memories remain, and he has a million ways to hide things without being discovered.

The returning procession was long and impressive. In addition to the accompanying people and various packages, there were also many gifts from the residents of Jiangsai to Ayu, which filled fifty or sixty carts.

Lord Wan and the others wanted to follow Ayu, but she was going back to the capital, and their identities were too sensitive, so they didn't join in the fun and stayed in Jiangsai.

Originally intending to return slowly, after traveling for ten days, Ayu received an urgent letter delivered by a cliff eagle.

Qin Huai was assassinated and his life was in danger.

(End of this chapter)