Sir Song, do you want to pledge yourself to me?

At the same time, Song Zhai.

"You said that many villagers near the foot of the mountain are doing business outside? Have you checked where they are doing business and what they are doing specifically?" Song Jinbai frowned slightly.

Song Zhu put down his chopsticks, stood up and replied, "I checked, but I couldn't find anything."

Song Jinbai pondered for a moment and said, "Sit down first and continue eating."

Song Zhu sat down and quickly shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice into his mouth.

At this time, Song Huai said, "Sir, this may really be as you imagined. Before the soldiers arrived, those bandits retreated to their original village, disguised as ordinary villagers, making the soldiers who went up to the mountains to suppress the bandits unsuccessful every time."

Even if the bandits were hiding among the villagers, they wouldn't be able to hide in time every time if no one informed them in advance.

Song Jinbai remembered that Song Zhu had previously arranged for two people to enter the Tongzhifu, so he asked, "How is the investigation going with the people assigned to Xu Tongzhifu?"

Song Zhu swallowed the food in his mouth, wiped his mouth, and replied: "Xu Tongzhi hasn't made any unusual moves so far, but his eldest son Xu Qing has taken in another concubine."

Song Huai curled his lips in disdain: "This Xu Qing already has eleven concubines, and his mind is always on women's belts. Why are you wasting your energy staring at him?"

Song Zhu explained, "There are only two male masters in the prefecture, so naturally they are kept a closer eye on them."

Song Jinbai nodded, signaling them to continue watching. Then he asked, "What about the situation on the mountain?"

Song Zhu replied, "The bandits in the mountains are very vigilant. Only one of our brothers managed to sneak in. He disguised himself as a beggar and begged in the village at the foot of the mountain, and was then taken up by the bandits who came down the mountain. So far, he has only sent a rough map of the mountain stronghold. Please take a look at it, sir." After saying that, he handed over a palm-sized piece of paper.

Song Jinbai glanced at the drawing on the paper. The drawing was indeed very sloppy, with only a few boxes of different sizes and a few words. It was barely possible to make out the general layout of the village.

He ordered, "Go and rest. Go over there and keep an eye on it tomorrow. If there's a chance, send a few more people up the mountain."

"Yes, I'll take my leave." Song Zhu bowed and walked out.

Song Jinbai took out a thumb-sized white jade Ruyi from his bosom and rubbed it repeatedly. The white jade Ruyi had a delicate texture and a warm luster, which clearly showed that it was not an ordinary object.

When Song Huai saw clearly what he was holding in his hand, his eyes widened and he asked in surprise: "Sir, isn't this Madam's thing? How did it get into your hands?" He had heard from his mother earlier that this thing was a betrothal gift prepared by Madam for the future young lady when he was fifteen years old, and it has always been regarded as a family heirloom.

Song Jinbai explained calmly, "My madam sent someone to deliver it." Although his tone was flat, his eyes revealed a subtle tenderness and expectation.

Song Huai was surprised, "Master, are you planning to get married?" He followed the master every day, so how could he not know when this would happen?

Song Jinbai chuckled and explained, "It's not that easy. It's just that I mentioned Miss Ji in the last letter home, and this thing was sent to me." There was a hint of helplessness in his words. It was obvious that his mother was very eager to have a daughter-in-law.

Speaking of this, we have to talk about Ji Nuan's first dinner at the Song residence. Afterwards, Housekeeper Wu was so excited that he sent a letter to the capital, emphasizing that Song Jinbai personally brought Ji Nuan to the residence and took great care to pick up dishes for her during the meal. After reading Housekeeper Wu's letter, the Marquis's wife immediately wrote another letter to Song Jinbai, asking about Ji Nuan's situation.

Letters went back and forth, and this time, the Marquis's wife directly sent the jade ruyi that she had prepared for many years, with a message attached: "If you don't get married soon, don't recognize me as your mother." This made Song Jinbai feel helpless and a little funny.

There is no rush to get married, but he is still very happy that his mother recognized Ji Nuan so quickly.

"Madam is also anxious." Song Huai nodded pretentiously, looking mature. "Sir, you are already in your twenties. You should also pay attention to yourself and win Miss Ji's heart as soon as possible so that you can get married sooner."

Song Jinbai glanced at Song Huai and said with a half-smile, "I haven't written a letter to my wet nurse for a long time. I have to write one soon."

When Song Huai heard this, he felt extremely aggrieved. From childhood to adulthood, he had always been completely controlled by Song Jinbai. "...Sir, you are so unethical! You only know how to threaten me with this trick."

Song Jinbai curled his lips and smiled cunningly, "This trick is enough to deal with you."

At this time, Cui Jingrang's attendant Mo Hua walked in with two thick stacks of official documents, interrupting their conversation.

"Sir Song, my son is going back to the capital and asked me to deliver these to you," Mo Hua said respectfully.

Song Jinbai looked at the pile of documents, his eyebrows twitching. His senior brother was about to give up, and he had something else to do. So, he ordered, "Put it down first."

Ji Nuan, who had just returned to Taohua Village, had no idea that the two ladies were thinking about her.

She stood in the yard, listening to the children's playful laughter and Yindou'er's giggles, and a warm smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

"Miss, you're back. The master and the mistress are waiting for you to come back for dinner." When Xi Que saw her standing in the yard, he came out to greet her with a smile on his face.

"Now let's get the kitchen ready for dinner."

"Okay, miss." Magpie ran towards the kitchen happily.

There are many people in the family now. The Ji family set up a table in the dining room next to the kitchen, while the servants set up another table in the kitchen.

During the meal, the second sister-in-law couldn't help but ask curiously: "Little sister, why did you buy so many people back at once?"

"The house will get busier and busier in the future. You can gradually let go of things that can be assigned to others, and you don't have to do everything yourself. This way everyone can relax a little."

After explaining, Ji Nuan talked about her next plan: "I met with Chen Yu today and discussed the sales plan for ready-made clothes. Sister-in-law, you can find a few more people to help. I will give you some drawings tomorrow so that you can make the samples as soon as possible."

At this point, Ji Nuan looked at her second sister-in-law and smiled, her eyes sparkling: "This time, I'll let you make a lot of money!"

The second sister-in-law was so happy when she heard it, "Hehehe, I'm just waiting for my little sister to feed me!"

Seeing how happy her aunt and sister-in-law were, Ji's mother couldn't help but smile, her eyes full of satisfaction.

Then, Ji Nuan looked at her sister-in-law and said, "Sister-in-law, you can also make the cakes more exquisite, such as cake rolls, jam-filled cakes, and small cakes of various shapes and colors."

There was a glint of excitement in my sister-in-law's eyes, and she was obviously very interested in this proposal.