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

The little bun that had been wrapped in a cotton pad before marriage could no longer be hidden. Ji's mother was an experienced person and knew the whole thing well.

Wangshu: ... "You lied to me you had a baby and then you ran away!" Humph, angry! Her butt got bigger after giving birth, and she couldn't wear a tight skirt for half a year. She twisted her waist and had a heart attack when she saw her big butt!

Ji's mother paused. Oh my god, where did this ridiculous statement come from?

Forget it, Xiuyuan, come back and comfort her yourself. Mother Ji was powerless. "This dress, mother will alter it."

After a while, Xiaoqing came in and reported that Uncle Tang was looking for her.

What’s the matter? We have already dealt with it this morning! ? ?

After changing into a straight-skirted dress, she leaned back with a sullen look on her face, slumping down on the armchair. She was working full time and still overtime, and even the emperor couldn't be happy.

Tang Bo tensed up, sitting awkwardly. His wife was in a bad mood and ready to attack, so he had to be careful. "Madam, just now, Liang Ju, the eldest son of the Liang family, said he was willing to support the iron ore tax and hoped the tax rate could be reduced by one-third. He was willing to pay a quarter's tax."

One season, that’s a lot.

But she wasn't in need for the time being. The locust plague could be averted in time, and she had food, so she wasn't worried. She shook her legs: "Uncle Tang, before the army returned, their payment of taxes was a timely help. If they pay again after their return, it would only be icing on the cake."

There is not much time left for them.

Qin Xiuyuan killed the richest man in Jingcheng. Once the warehouse was opened, every soldier in Jingzhou was given a new sword and two years' salary. Iron ore was mined and forged day and night, and new farm tools were delivered to the fields.

The Liang family is the richest family in the South!

Tang Bo came out and conveyed his wife's intentions verbatim, "...it all depends on whether Young Master Liang chooses to help in times of need or to add icing on the cake."

There is no option not to pay, it just depends on the time.

Liang Ju looked up at this private residence where the Wang family used to make money and have fun. Now it was heavily guarded, with densely packed soldiers inside and outside, who were well-trained and patrolled silently.

Jingcheng had only 5,000 soldiers. Bazhou had 20,000, and Hangxian had 10,000. Qin Xiuyuan had taken 20,000 with him, and the rest of the army was small. From the initial 40,000 soldiers to the current 100,000, the army was strong, with strict military discipline. They didn't rebel or bully the weak. They were soldiers in wartime and farmers in peacetime, working with integrity and vigor. No wonder they dared to expose Qin San's past and confront Qin Er to his face. People with different ideals cannot work together.

Liang Ju had been in charge of the household for ten years without ever bowing down to anyone, and Qin Xiuyuan was a cheerful and easygoing person who had never troubled any of the merchants, unlike the women who were so fussy about pennies.

Don’t get carried away, especially women. Flowers bloom and fade and eventually return to dust. They don’t last forever.

Tang Bo was too lazy to pay attention to this pointed sarcasm. He thought it was stingy of him to cross the road and not leave any money for the toll. He would have to wait for the young master to come back and say this. In Jingzhou, you can laugh at anyone, but don't laugh at the general's wife!

"No one can be good for a thousand days, Master Liang."

They each said something and parted unhappily.

In June, there was a severe drought in the north, and when Feihuang came, it was dark for half a day.

"No snow in winter, locust plagues in summer, natural chaos, the emperor has no virtue" "The locust plague is overwhelming, it is the wrath of heaven!"

This kind of folk song was banned but continued to spread. It was passed back by people who secretly traded northward through the reed marshes in Suzhou and Hangzhou counties. The people of Jingzhou ate the crispy roasted locust skewers and passed it on from mouth to mouth as a joke.

"If I stay there, I have to fill a basket every day and exchange it for five pounds of grain!"

"It tastes better when roasted than when eaten with grains!"

The stall in front of Shuyuan Inn that sells fried locusts and grilled locust skewers is really good. Paired with thick wine, you can sip the wine and eat the locusts, and you will feel like a god!

"The chickens and ducks that ate the locusts have especially tender meat!"

"Those birds ate so many locusts, I guess..."

Someone beside him hissed, "That's unthinkable!"

It is now forbidden to catch flying birds!

"Hush, my lady's carriage!"

A fine wooden carriage with a mat covered in it, pulled by fine horses, came with a clanging sound from the end of the street in the direction of the city gate. Passersby on both sides gave way upon hearing the sound, and many people followed the carriage for a while before it finally came to a steady stop at the bustling Shuyuan Inn.

Shopkeeper Ji was waiting at the door. The maid in green jumped out of the car easily, put down the small stool, lifted the curtain with two strings of colorful hydrangeas hanging on it, and helped the beautiful girl who was wearing a double-sleeved light pink dress with a graceful figure. Oh no, the little woman stepped out of the car on the stool, swayed freely with every step, and walked into the inn.

Everyone: ...Oh oh...

"Madam, you walk so gracefully! Like a noble lady!"

"...I haven't worn that dress in over a year since I gave birth!"

"It looks great! And after the baby is born...it's even better!"

The woman at the nearby wonton stall threw a rag at her stunned husband, "Wipe the table! Where are you looking?"

I can't take my eyes off the coquettish women I see!

After going from the mansion to the swamp and then to the inn, Wangshu sank into the rocking chair as soon as she entered the small room on the second floor and didn't want to move. Xiaoqing brought a low stool for her to raise her feet so that she could lie comfortably.

"Miss, this is the account for the past five days..." Ji Shou, who was handing over the book and hadn't finished speaking yet, saw the person covering his ears with his hands. He immediately put down the book and asked for some refreshing and appetizing white porridge and side dishes to be prepared. He and Xiaoqing worked together to coax the person to eat more or less.

Jingcheng is not too cold in winter and not too hot in summer, but it happens that the son-in-law is leading the army out, and all the big and small matters at the government office, business, and home are placed on the shoulders of the young lady. No matter how capable she is, she will be exhausted!

"Uncle Tang, when will my son-in-law come back?" Ji Shou pulled the man and asked, his attitude was not respectful.

Tang Bo patted the hand that was holding his own and said, "I don't know."

The confrontation between the Bazhou and Yongzhou armies lasted for a few months, with minor skirmishes that were not serious. However, it made Han Batian very anxious. He wrote to the young master, asking him to go to Bazhou and kill that fat pig as soon as he came back!

Han Batian was really overthinking it.

Even if the general came back, he would have to work hard outside for half a year. The lady, the young master, and the young lady were all at home. The baby could run around but couldn't call him daddy. He also said he would come back for the New Year, but now... cough cough! The lady was very dissatisfied with the general who broke his promise and frequently asked for money and things. Very dissatisfied!

Han Batian, an old bachelor, knows nothing!

A few days later, Zhuzhu returned to the Qin Mansion with a bundle of luggage, followed by the white-bearded master.

The old doctor came uninvited and took the pulses of the two children. He endured the children's noisy beard pulling and said to Wangshu pitifully, "Last month, the weather was dry and I didn't pay attention. The thatched cottage burned down!"

This year's drought has left the Jing River flowing only slowly. Several wildfires are raging in and around the city. The old doctor's home was burned by one of these fires, fueled by the wind. Qin Xiuyuan said his house had excellent feng shui. Yet, even when the wind brought a raging fire, he fled to the river. Even though his house was completely burned, he was still able to survive.

It was originally a large thatched cottage between heaven and earth, and now it has returned to heaven and earth. The old man waved his hand calmly, "I thought my life would end at eighty, but I'm still breathing. I fell asleep the day before yesterday and woke up the next day. I have two naughty children, a boy and a girl. I can't help but want to come over to the mansion to enjoy the delicious food!"

Wangshu looked at the man and took out some blackened silver ingots. Some of them were paid out by her. Qin Xiuyuan had spent a lot of money to keep the man last year. "Is this all?"