The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

Old Ding looked at her husband helplessly, and saw her husband suddenly sigh and say, "Do whatever you want." After saying this, Old Ding walked out of the house with a hunched back.

At night, the couple lay in bed. Old Ding was still thinking about what had happened today, and he was worried. "Old man, did you really agree to let your son do this?"

"Then what do you say we should do?" The old man's voice was calm.

The old Ding family pondered, "Our family has received the princess's favor. Will we be unfair to her by doing this? However, the princess is very thick-skinned and doesn't look down on us farmers."

In the darkness, Lao Ding sighed silently, "Go to sleep. We'll deal with tomorrow's affairs tomorrow."

Old Ding is still busy working in the fields. Except for saying a few words to his son when he comes home every night, everything else is the same as usual.

The princess was not at the farm, so Liu Qing divided his men into two groups according to the princess's instructions and put them on guard day and night.

At the Lu residence, Zhang was managing things in the house when Yuan Caohua came into the courtyard, carrying a newly made dress and hairpins and rings, and handed the tray to Yinhe. "Madam, the eldest lady's dress and jewelry are ready."

Putting the tray on the table, Yinhe unfolded the clothes for the lady to take a closer look. It was a long gown with a front opening and wide sleeves, embroidered with large patches of rouge-red acacia flowers in silver-blue color. It was paired with a light pink folded skirt. It was fresh and pleasant, just right for a girl.

Zhang smiled and praised, "You have really good taste."

Yuan Caohua accepted the lady's compliment with a smile, "Our eldest daughter is already bright and pretty, so it would be better if her clothes were lighter in color."

"By the way, have you got any news about the thing I asked you to find out for me?" Zhang took her into the inner room. Yinhe left the room and turned around to close the door.

"I asked the shop assistants to find out. The Qian family lives in the alley behind the Marquis's mansion. Mrs. Qian relies on odd jobs for the Marquis's mansion to support her son and send him to school. He originally studied at the Lu family's clan school, but because he was implicated in the beating of Young Master Cheng when he was young, the old lady expelled him from the Lu family school and he enrolled him in the Zhang family's school."

Zhang recalled that eight or nine years ago, because Lu Cheng was beaten, the old lady had a fit and expelled several students from the school. She had no idea that Qian Ming was one of them.

"This Mr. Qian is already twenty years old. He works under Mr. Xu in the Hanlin Academy. The Hanlin Academy is already poor, and Mr. Qian used to be supported by his widowed mother. Now that he is working, his monthly salary is barely enough to cover the family expenses." Yuan Caohua told his wife everything she had found out.

Zhang couldn't help but frown when she heard this. "What's his mother's temperament like?"

Yuan Caohua shook her head. "I heard she's quite fierce."

"Alas," Zhang sighed, "it's not her fault. Being a widow is not easy, let alone having a child."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Caohua said cautiously, "Madam, I think this Mr. Qian is just an ordinary person except for his official title."

Zhang knew what she was going to say and gave a wry smile. "So, I've always wanted to find a family for Rong Jie'er where she can take charge of the household without being controlled by her mother-in-law. After much searching, I finally settled on the Lu family but it didn't work out. Now that the master is unemployed and Rong Jie'er is seventeen, I'm really worried."

"But even with my knowledge, I know that marriage is no trivial matter. After all these years of management, the real estate and land in our house, plus cash, are worth at least hundreds of thousands of taels. That's why we should be more cautious. People's hearts are unpredictable." Yuan Caohua advised.

Zhang nodded in agreement. "You're right. Sister Yun just sent someone to tell me that I plan to take Sister Rong to visit her in the West Hills. Why don't you come with us to relax?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Caohua immediately waved her hand and refused, "Madam, the outing will be here in a few days, and I have things to do at the shop so I won't go."

Zhang was not surprised at all. She laughed and scolded her, "Back then, I just wanted to find you something to do. I never thought you would become so obsessed with money that you couldn't get rid of it."

Yuan Caohua picked up the teacup with both hands and handed it to the lady, feeling very nostalgic. "I never thought that this day would come. Now I am afraid that if I am not careful, such a good day will slip away from me."

That evening, Zhang told her husband that she was going to take Rong Jie'er to Xishan the next day. Master Lu Er was surprised and said, "What a coincidence! A young friend of mine is holding a spring banquet in Xishan and just sent me an invitation. It's in the hills behind Qingping Temple."

Zhang took the invitation and saw that it was indeed true. She thought to herself and said with a smile, "Master, are there any young talents of marriageable age?"

Master Lu Er clapped his hands and laughed, "There are indeed a few. I will tell you in detail when I come back tomorrow."

The next day, in the early morning mist, Zhang and her husband separated at a fork in the road.

Lu Yun invited her mother and sister into the house, and Cai He brought tea. Lu Rong's mind wandered to the room, looking outside. Next to the west wing, Lu Yun had someone build a half-man-high doghouse for the puppy she had picked up last time. Dashou had named him Huihui.

Since raising Huihui, Dashou has taken the initiative to assume the responsibility of feeding Huihui. At this moment, she is bringing Biyu to feed Huihui.

Huihui has grown a lot, with a coat of fluffy hair. When eating, he almost buries his entire face in the food bowl.

"Go ahead." Zhang smiled and looked at her daughter. "When your uncle comes back, ask him to bring you a kitten."

Lu Rong really liked Huihui and she kept staring at him without blinking. If Jin He hadn't stopped her, she would have hugged Huihui in her arms.

"Mother, the first batch of harvest is here. I roughly calculated that one acre of land can produce about five stones." Lu Yun started talking about business.

Zhang was slightly surprised. As a mistress who had been in charge of the household for many years, she knew a little about the farm's output. An acre of land yielded about two to three dan of grain. She said seriously, "Sister Yun, how do you grow these potatoes? Are there any flaws? How do they taste?"

Lu Yun answered them one by one. "Potatoes are cold-resistant and best grown in loose, fertile soil. They're suitable for the north and can even be grown in mountainous areas. In Kyoto, we can grow two crops a year. The downside is that they taste a bit worse, as fresh potatoes tend to sprout easily, and sprouted potatoes are slightly toxic. But they're high-yielding and can fill our stomachs."

All in all, the merits far outweigh the faults, so the original plan is now 70% feasible.

"Who else knows about this?" Zhang tried her best to remain calm.

Lu Yun blinked cunningly and said, "I told the manager that this is a medicinal herb used to treat tuberculosis." Tuberculosis is not easy to cure even in modern times, let alone in ancient times. People are terrified of anything related to tuberculosis.

Even if someone noticed something unusual in the farm, Lu Yun was not worried. Apart from her, no one knew whether potatoes could be eaten or how to eat them.

"When the first crop of potatoes is harvested in June, I will compile a list of the planting process, eating methods, yield, and other points that require attention. I will ask father to polish it and then submit it to the court. This way, the merits and demerits will be offset, and perhaps it will help father regain his position."

Lu Yun deliberately spoke very conservatively.

Zhang was deeply touched, her eyes slightly moist. The chubby, gluttonous and taciturn little sister Yun had grown into a mature young lady who was meticulous and capable of standing on her own.