Men, listen, grab the top of the mountain and stand in the center position

Taotao is too busy.

The chicks are getting bigger and bigger. I have to control the amount of food I feed them every day. If I feed them too little, they will easily get diarrhea and die. I have to feed and water them on time, clean the stables... and take care of the food for the whole family...

Someone knocked on the door that day. She didn't know how long it lasted. She stretched and looked out through the crack in the door. "Who is it?"

It's no wonder she was alert. There was a life-and-death struggle going on in Xuanwu City. The master had not returned from duty, the lady and Aunt Li were out guarding the house to deliver the goods, and the mother went to buy some.

There were only the young lady and her at home. Any strong villain could make them both somersault on the spot.

Recently, every household in Yaocheng has closed their doors, and the city gates have begun to strictly check people entering and leaving. If there are any strangers coming into the house, they must report it to avoid unknown spies sneaking in.

Outside the Ji family's door stood a middle-aged woman with a pair of teenage children. A neighbor who knew Madam Ji would have noticed a resemblance to her, with delicate features and a slender figure. Someone responded through the door, quickly explaining in a soft, sweet, and playful Wu dialect: "Is this the home of Ji Wenshu? I'm Madam Li, Madam Ji's younger sister. I've come from Hangzhou County with my two children to Yaocheng specifically to visit."

"Ah??? You are our Madam's sister? Ah, then please wait a minute." Taotao was overwhelmed. In the few years since she came to the Ji family, she had never heard of any relatives or friends of the master and the mistress. The only intersection they had was with her future son-in-law, the Qin family.

Those who drink and eat meat with the master don’t count!

She ran to the west wing and shook the arm of the person who was still sleeping. "Sister Shushu, wake up quickly. Someone is here. She said it's the lady's younger sister, with her child, and she's at the door!"

Wangshu, who had been having trouble breathing recently, listened twice before he finally understood what was said. He rolled over and lay on his stomach, weakly saying, "My master and his wife are not at home. They said I'm sick and bedridden and can't receive you. Or I can tell them where to stay and wait for them to come back before visiting. ... Or I can come back later."

Ji's father had a large family in Hangzhou County, a family that favored sons over daughters, so we won't talk about them anymore. Ji's mother had two younger sisters, both of whom were married and rarely interacted with each other.

But in Yaocheng, there is only the main trunk of their tree, and there are no extra branches on it.

"Mom, how could this happen!" They were indeed northern barbarians, not even aware of the most basic etiquette for hospitality. How could they refuse visiting relatives and even set a specific time for them to come? What a joke! Li Wanting was furious and stood up for her mother and brother, "That's too much!"

"Ting'er! Mind your words and actions!" She stamped her feet and showed her emotions. "You don't have the demeanor of a lady at all!" Madam Li stopped her daughter. "You have completely forgotten everything your mother taught you!"

Li Wanting was still indignant the moment before, but she quickly calmed down after being awakened by her mother. For a moment, she became the gentle, virtuous and graceful young lady again. When she glanced at the wooden door in front of her, she couldn't help showing anger.

Ji Wangshu naturally knew nothing about this; she had been bedridden for most of this period. The original owner's breathlessness was evidently due to growing pains. Growth had always been a problem, but ever since a high fever two months ago, her body had seemingly activated its growth spurts, sprouting like bamboo shoots after rain. Her limbs ached, her chest ached, and her menstrual flow was surging. The pains were making her irritable and moody.

Xia Xiaoxiao went to the south of the city to buy food every day, and she would go there just for Shushu. "Shushu, come here and drink this bowl of milk. Xiaoxiao added a piece of brown sugar."

He picked up the bowl and started drinking. Just then, Madam Ji wrung out a wet handkerchief and lifted Wangshu's coat. The little lotus had already shown its pointed corners on the soft bulge of her daughter's body. She gently put the wet handkerchief on it and half-hugged her. Her face was as red as a rosy cloud. She couldn't help but feel that her daughter had grown up.

Xia Aiai and You Rongyan were very proud of it. They never avoided telling Wangshu about their children's private matters. Wangshu also lacked the reserved and shy nature of other girls. You always said your thing and she listened to hers.

Just talk to her, touch her, and provide her with good food and drink.

"Shushu drinks two bowls of milk and eats two eggs every day, but she's growing well!"

"Nannan, there's a lot to grow here."

"I have to let out a sigh of relief. Those people are immoral and don't keep their mouths shut. When Shushu grows up, we'll embarrass them to death!"

"Nannan just used to grow slowly. All the girls in my family grow slowly...her grandmother..."

Wangshu didn't want them to keep talking about these two things, so he bowed and begged for mercy, "Mom, can you please stop talking about these two bean buns..."

"Okay, okay, mother will go to Xiangyun Inn to meet your aunt and cousin later. Shushu, do you want to go with us?" When Madam Ji came back and heard that her sister was visiting with a pair of children, she had already asked Li Xixi to go out and prepare a gift for the meeting.

"Your aunt's twin boy and girl are two years younger than you, and they're both incredibly good-looking. You played together as children, and now they've come to Yaocheng..."

I hadn't seen my sister in over a decade, and I felt a little uneasy when I couldn't get in on my first visit. "Maybe she'll blame me. Officials can't stand being neglected."

Wangshu was thinking further. "Dad said the rebellion in the south is getting worse, and the court can't collect taxes there." Failure to collect taxes means the government is dysfunctional and out of control. The common people, as the most vulnerable group to the impact of the barbarians, suffer the most. "My aunt is from an official family, so she'll flee quickly. The people who can't survive will surely continue to flow into Yaocheng. Mother, will Dad's family come too?"

She first rejected a certain possibility in the future, "They don't like me. You and Daddy can't let anyone else come to our house without permission... We don't like extra people making a fuss at home."

At the same time, Wangshu rejected the possibility of his aunt staying with him. He did not think that he was conscienceless. When Ji's father and mother moved their family north, no relatives from either family came to help and support them. Now they were just repaying grievances.

It was not appropriate for the daughter to go out. Madam Ji waited for her father to arrive home and asked the head of the household for advice. "My sisters were originally rich and powerful, and they might not have come to us for refuge. But now that my daughter has said this, it seems particularly unkind. Alas... we have received the letter from the eldest and second uncles..."

One falling leaf heralds the coming of autumn, and Wangshu got it right.

Ji's eldest and second uncles had written at the beginning of the month, saying they planned to seek refuge in Yaocheng. This simple announcement was a way for the family to arrange for their return. The eldest and second uncles' families, plus the old lady, made up nearly ten people, no more, no less. Their house couldn't accommodate them all. Ji's father had been looking for an empty house nearby, but the influx of refugees and the rising prices made it impossible to find one.

"But the house at the entrance of the second lane is priced at one hundred and twenty taels. Even if you and I don't eat, drink or use anything, it will take us years of savings to save up for this!" Father Ji sighed and stroked his mustache. He was busy allocating military logistics supplies during his shift these days, and ran to look at houses after his shift. He thought of gritting his teeth and buying a property for his eldest brother and his family. He never thought that Yaocheng is like Chang'an today, and it is not easy to live in it.

"Today I saw a piece of fine silk in a shop. It was smooth, delicate, and cool. I wanted to buy it to make two sets of clothes for my daughter. When I asked the price, I was told it was half an ounce of silver! They say that Jiangnan material is becoming increasingly difficult to source..."

Madam Ji frowned and couldn't help but say one more thing: "If it really doesn't work, persuade Shushu to squeeze in first."

Wangshu's health has been relapsing recently, and Father Ji didn't want to force her. "My dear daughter, if you don't want to, then don't. You need to be quiet to recuperate." He patted his wife's shoulder and said, "Let's take care of our daughter first."

In broad daylight, under a clear sky, if he is not unfilial, he would deserve such a precious child.

"I'm going to see our good daughter!"

"Hey, my sister's at the place, we have to go out!"

Wangshu finally went out with his parents. Before leaving, Ji Niang personally wrapped him twice with the softest silk and stuffed two cotton pads. He tightened his three-ring skirt around his body, wore a double-ring bun, a pearl hairpin, and a lotus hairpin. A thin layer of pink rouge slightly concealed the paleness of his illness. His eyes were dull and he did not smile. When he looked in the bronze mirror, he saw what a cold and aloof girl he was!

Father Ji came up to greet his daughter, who hadn't left the house for a long time. He carefully looked her up and down, "My dear, your clever dressing up of our lovely daughter is so dazzling that even I am dazzled!"

Wangshu ignored his father's flattery and directly ordered the two maids who gathered around him, "Xia Aiai should go back to the Qin family with Aunt Li to clean up in the next two days."

On the way to the inn, Ji Wenshu revealed a little to his daughter, "The most recent encounter happened the day before yesterday. There were many casualties on both sides." This was no secret in the army. Because the casualties exceeded expectations, General Qin had rushed back from Youzhou and was preparing to lead 50,000 troops to support Xuanwu. In the next two days, another group of soldiers would bid farewell to their families and head to the front line of the war.