Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

Seeing that Chu Shiyu had resigned himself to staying in the stable waiting to be sent away, Liu Rusi finally felt relieved and returned to the main courtyard.

She took some clean clothes and went to the newly remodeled bathroom to take a bath. It took her a ridiculous half a day... She didn't feel good...

What she didn't know was that Chu Shiyu didn't leave immediately...

"Go check those guards to see if they are all clean."

He leaned back in the carriage, waiting for the guards to come and report the situation.

The emperor did predict Chu Shiyu's psychology to a certain extent. Outside the palace, eunuchs could not be kept unless authorized by the emperor. But if there was no such guarantee, he would never agree to Liu Rusi leaving here today!

Chu Shiyu closed his eyes and tried to calm his mind. The remaining desire was not as strong as it was at the beginning, but it still disturbed him...

He had gained an advantage today, but he did not feel happy!

Until now, he has been proving to Liu Rusi that his feelings for her are higher than lust! It is difficult for him to remain chaste for three years like Qin Lie, but this level of contact should at least happen naturally when the passion is strong, rather than being controlled by drugs, like a muddleheaded animal!

"Your Highness, all eight are clean." The guard came back to report.

Chu Shiyu relaxed a little and asked the guards to drive the carriage into the night outside the house.

The first morning in our new home.

Liu Rusi woke up, but was still sitting on the bed in a daze.

She was dreaming again...

It was not the vivid dream I had expected before going to bed last night, but the usual dream of Qin Lie...

Yes, she often dreamed of Qin Lie. From a year and a half ago, whenever she dreamed, it was almost always about the carefree time she had with Qin Lie in Dongshan Village...

So, when she dreamed of Chu Shiyu for the first time, she felt that something was wrong with her heart.

But last night's dream was not about accusations due to unspeakable guilt...

'Sisi, I've been very satisfied with these seven years...let it go, I'll be happy.'

"He will occupy more and more of my heart! Until he pushes you into the corner! What are you happy about?!" Liu Rusi questioned the empty room!

The sight searches every corner, but this is still a materialistic world...

Her almond-shaped eyes were drooping dejectedly, perhaps because she felt guilty, so she dreamed of his advice and used it to comfort herself.

...

At four quarters past noon, Yue Ziqian and Lin Qingzhi arrived at the house and began to teach Qin Hao.

Originally, Yue Ziqian didn't want to travel with his wife every day, but judging from the way Prince Duan was so nervous yesterday, if he didn't take his wife with him to make his position clear, Prince Duan would probably rather be wronged than let him go...

"Haohao, you and Mr. Yue go to the study to teach. If you have any problems, you can ask Xuefei or Sister Chunlan to come to the women's clinic to find mother." Liu Rusi instructed. Men are not allowed to enter the women's clinic. Although Qin Hao is young, he should not be made an exception.

"Okay! Go ahead, mother!"

Little Qin Hao couldn't wait! In fact, he had been in the study room since the strange incident yesterday! The sand table that had been in the box for a long time finally saw the light of day~

"Mrs. Lin, how about coming with me to the women's clinic? I just finished packing halfway yesterday and I need someone to help." Liu Rusi showed a friendly smile.

Lin Qingzhi really had a cold personality, even quieter and more introverted than Yue Ziqian. She nodded and followed Liu Rusi, Caiyun and three maids.

Plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum were given to Liu Rusi by Chu Shiyu. When he gave her the indenture, he said, without waiting for her to say anything, "If you don't want them, I'll sell them..." Under the pleading eyes of the maids, Liu Rusi had no choice but to accept them.

Although she could be released from slavery immediately after receiving the bond, she did not plan to do so. She was only a little girl of twelve or thirteen years old. Where could she go if she was released from slavery?

Moreover, she also had a new idea about Xue Fei. She didn't need to accept her as a younger sister. She could become a guardian called "Master"! No matter how many thoughts you have, so what? Don't even think about getting married before the age of 15! You have to consider it before the age of 18! The indenture is in her hands, so you have to listen to her when it comes to marriage!

Since this decision has been made for Xue Fei, the other maids can also be treated the same way~

"Boil the hot water and prepare the cold boiled water. Even if no patient needs it, you can keep it for yourself to drink and use for washing at night. It won't be wasted."

Liu Rusi sorted out some new instruments and disinfected them. She asked Chu Shiyu to help her make them. The women's department naturally had some necessary instruments...

Fortunately, when she handed him the drawings, he didn't ask too many questions. It was quite embarrassing to explain the purpose of the equipment to a man in such a feudal society.

"Mrs. Liu, are you going to sell... menstrual belts?" Lin Qingzhi asked while helping to arrange the merchandise.

"Yes, I guess many women's diseases are caused by the careless use of wood ash, straw paper or even rags during menstruation. Teaching patients to maintain menstrual hygiene is also an important measure to prevent women's diseases."

Liu Rusi's aunt used to use straw paper and had complained to her privately about being troubled by gynecological diseases. At her strong recommendation, she switched to the menstrual belt she made, and with the help of other hygiene knowledge, she was indeed almost cured.

These menstrual belts are also made of regular materials, but she made some small designs on them: a thick and soft cloth base, a cotton piece wrapped in gauze, and small holes at both ends, which can be fixed with the thin cotton rope on the menstrual belt.

For hygiene reasons, everything needs to be boiled, washed and disinfected. The cotton pads can be removed and replaced, or the whole pad can be replaced. The cloth base can be used repeatedly, but the cotton pads will become hard after washing a few times, so the loss rate of the cotton pads should be relatively large.

"But, poor women may not be able to afford these..." Lin Qingzhi also understood the sufferings of the world. If conditions permit, who would be so harsh on themselves?

"The current price is one cent for one cotton pad plus three cotton pads... I can only hope that more people are willing to use it."

This is the cost price plus about 20%, because she estimates that only if labor costs are included, this price can break even. If there is a large demand in the future, she will have to hire people to expand production, so that the price can be maintained stable and not lose money - "charity" that loses money cannot last long.

"The cheapest menstrual belt, which doesn't have cotton pads like yours, costs one cent per piece... Considering the quality of the fabric you use, it might cost five cents or even more if sold outside." Lin Qingzhi showed an appreciative look.

Liu Rushi smiled gently and did not refuse to be modest. Doing what you think is right and having others recognize it is a great encouragement.

The women's clinic's merchandise included menstrual belts and soap, a bar of 2 liang soap costing 30 wen.

Soap is not sold at cost price like sanitary belts. All material and labor costs are taken into account and then multiplied by two. It is not cheap, but it is within a reasonable range - her women's clinic does not have rent, but ordinary shops still have to take this cost into account.

Currently, these are the only two products. She has other ideas, but they will take time to implement step by step.

"Sister Si, what should we do next?" Caiyun asked when she had some free time and had put everything in place.

"Then... open the door!" Liu Rusi said with a smile.

"Eh? Madam Liu, aren't we celebrating the opening?" Qiuju asked hesitantly.

"This is mainly a clinic, so there's no need for any fanfare. Besides, my medical skills aren't good enough at the moment, so for now... I don't need too much fame." Liu Rusi said awkwardly.

Qiu Ju nodded silently, as if thinking about something...

The interior of the women's clinic is divided into three rooms. The east room is the consulting room, and the west room has three reserved beds - which are probably not going to be used in the short term. In the middle is the lobby, with a medicine cabinet full of drawers, five meters wide and two meters high, which is enough to let anyone who looks in know what this place is for at a glance.

When the sun fell on Zhan Xin's medicine cabinet, Liu Rusi couldn't help but sigh secretly. Chu Shiyu was really reliable. In fact, she didn't even think of making a cabinet. She just gave him a list of medicinal materials and asked him to help connect with the medicinal material dealers...

Then, forget about matchmaking, they just gave her all the medicinal materials. If she hadn't said that she needed to know the purchase price to set the price of the medicine, they wouldn't even let her know how much the medicine cost.

As for the matter of paying for purchase of goods, this is what Chu Shiyu said.

"If you give me money, you can forget about opening the women's clinic."

Unconsciously, I fell into the complex emotions of being controlled by others and feeling guilty...

"Sister Si, what should we do next?" After sitting for a while, Caiyun was bored again.

"Study. You and Meihong still need to learn more." Liu Rusi smiled with narrowed eyes.

"Ah... I shouldn't have asked..." Caiyun muttered softly.

Liu Rusi stood up and said with a smile: "I'll go get the books for you. I also need to read medical books."

"Madam Liu...what are they learning?" Lin Qingzhi asked hesitantly.

Liu Rusi paused for a moment, thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "They have just learned to write. I was planning to let them learn the Analects, but Zhuqing's level may not be enough. Madam Lin, how about you be their teacher? I will hire you according to Mr. Yue's salary, how about that?"

Lin Qingzhi's eyes widened a little, and she quickly shook her head and said, "My knowledge is not as good as my husband's, how can I be worthy of him?"

Liu Rusi glanced sideways, thinking that Lin Qingzhi would say, "How can a woman be a teacher?" or "How can you be the same as your husband?" She didn't expect that she would start from her ability, thinking that she was not knowledgeable enough and that's why she shouldn't get so much... She was narrow-minded and thought that women in Daxia were all imprisoned in their thinking.

"You deserve this much, because this is the total salary. I have five or six people here who need your trouble. To be honest... I am trying to take advantage of them." Liu Rusi said as if she was a little embarrassed.

After hearing Liu Rusi's explanation, Lin Qingzhi smiled for the first time on her cold face: "It's the same whether I teach a few people or not. I'm just sitting idle if I don't teach them. How about halving the number?"

Liu Rusi was really embarrassed. Chu Shiyu's annual salary was six hundred taels. Although she had some money now, and she also had a first-rank imperial decree and her son's salary as Marquis of Chaoyang, six hundred taels was really not a small sum...

"I am already unworthy of the three hundred. Madam Liu, don't mind it. The annual tuition of Heguang Academy is eighty taels, but it includes tuition, food and accommodation, and you have to prepare all these by yourselves now..." Lin Qingzhi comforted.

Liu Rusi felt warm in her heart, nodded and turned to get the book... She suddenly discovered that although Lin Qingzhi's temperament was very different from hers, they were somewhat similar in nature.

...

In order to make it easier for the teacher to teach, Qin Hao's two-hour daily study quota was concentrated into one and a half hours of teaching in the morning, with the rest of the time made up by self-study in the afternoon.

Liu Rusi invited the couple through Lin Qingzhi to have lunch together before leaving.

At noon and half past, except for the servants, everyone was sitting in the living room, and taking this opportunity, Qin Hao began to fight for his own interests...

"Mom, let me study for an extra hour or two in the afternoon. Mr. Yue is willing to teach me!"

Yue Ziqian also said respectfully: "The normal classes in the academy are about four hours a day. It's a good thing that the young master is willing to learn more."

As soon as Liu Rusi heard it, she knew that it was Qin Hao who had mobilized Yue Ziqian to persuade her. She smiled and responded with a respectful attitude.

"But Mr. Yue also knows that the academy normally wouldn't accept students of Qin Hao's age... I heard that Qin Hao has been learning about self-cultivation and family management these past two days?"

"I remember there was this passage in it: 'If you want to straighten your heart, you must first be sincere in your intentions; if you want to be sincere in your intentions, you must first acquire knowledge; acquiring knowledge lies in investigating things.'"

Liu Rusi turned to her son and said seriously, "You are now at the critical age of studying the world. The world of books is vast, but it is ultimately just a silhouette of the real world. No matter how smart Haohao is, he needs time to understand everything in the world."

"The pounce of a tiger cub is playing, and it is also the key to mastering hunting skills. The same is true when a child plays in the mud or catches insects. I hope you can set aside time to play like a normal child."

Qin Hao listened and nodded resignedly. Actually, he also liked playing, but not as much as studying... Never mind, he would talk about it when he went to school. I heard that in the Imperial College, one could study for five or six hours a day!

"Madam Liu is right. It is I who am biased." Yue Ziqian stood up and bowed to Liu Rusi. He had criticized Madam Liu in his heart for not allowing Qin Hao to learn more.

So serious? It made her feel a little embarrassed! This couple really had her in their hands! Liu Rusi also stood up and said, "Mr. Yue, there's no need to be so polite. The dishes are all served. Please sit down!"

Both husband and wife are quiet people, and Liu Rusi's family has a rule of not talking while eating.

The table finished its meal quietly and took a short break before Yue Ziqian said goodbye to Lin Qingzhi.

Qin Hao went to take a nap, and there was no one in the female clinic. Liu Rusi was free, and then she suddenly remembered... Chu Shiyu didn't come today...

I must have listened to her request and decided not to come today.

It’s hard to describe how she feels. Her thoughts about Chu Shiyu are so complicated that even she can’t figure it out…

She picked up the medical book and read it for a while, but felt that she could not concentrate on it, so she simply put the book down, stood up, lifted the curtain next to the medicine cabinet, walked to the yard of the women's clinic, and started doing radio gymnastics!

Only by combining movement and stillness can you learn more efficiently!

"Madam Liu, do you want to buy anything? I want to go to the market." Qiuju asked.

Liu Rusi stopped, thought for a moment, and said with a smile: "I also want to go out for a walk, shall we go together?"

Qiu Ju was embarrassed and mumbled, "The prince said that you'd better not go out. If you must go out, you must at least bring four guards and two maids..."

Liu Rusi was suddenly furious!

She said, how could Chu Shiyu recover so easily? He was waiting for her here?! Should I say that the accompanying configuration was reduced by half, and I should "thank" Lord Duan for understanding, right?!

With a fake smile, she walked back to the lobby and went straight out of the clinic's gate. Outside was a small street three meters wide. However, there were many residences of officials here, so there were few pedestrians, and now there was no one at all.

After looking at both sides, Liu Rusi walked west. She hadn't walked to that side yet. From a distance, it looked like there were some shops less than half a mile away, and she could walk back and forth in a moment.

Just give it a try! How can Chu Shiyu stop her from going out!

However, as soon as she passed the corner of the west side of the house, she knew... Damn it! Three guards from Prince Duan's Mansion were squatting in the alley next to her!

"Madam Liu, can you take a few people with you before going out?" The guards were obviously a little embarrassed.

"Haha..." After sneering twice, Liu Rusi sighed again and said, "From now on, you can just squat on the road ahead. It's more spacious and you can put up a tent there so you don't have to bask in the sun here."

"Thank you, Madam Liu!" The guards were full of gratitude. Although being on duty was hard and tiring, it would be great if they could avoid it!

"Well, how many groups of people do you have? Where are they guarding?" Liu Rusi didn't believe that there would be no one on the other side!

The three guards looked at each other. The prince did not tell them whether they could speak or not, but he did instruct them to let them go and obey Madam Liu in other matters.

"There are three groups in total, one group to the east of the main gate, and one group to the north of the back gate."

Well, with these three groups, the whole house is under close watch, and even if you try to climb over the wall you will be caught!

Of course, this courtyard wall is also difficult to climb over, it is more than three meters high...