Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

The two lingered together until they returned home, at which point they finally separated.

Since the gifts to be given to Madam Wang and the first and second wives had been distributed in advance, Shen Ruyin didn't need to think too much and simply had someone send her own back to the third wife's family.

Seeing the generous rewards, Lady Wang and the others felt no regret even when they heard the news that Concubine Shen had given birth to a daughter.

"Flowers bloom before fruits ripen. Now that we have a daughter, we can always have another one," Madam Wang said, holding Shen Ruyin's hand. "But in a large, secluded mansion, giving birth to a child isn't a skill; raising them to adulthood is. When you have time, you should advise Concubine Shen to keep her from having any impure thoughts."

Shen Ruyin nodded naturally: "Mother, don't worry, my sister is very happy right now."

She paused, revealing some of the Second Prince and his wife's attitude.

"That's good," Madam Wang breathed a sigh of relief. "You've worked hard these past few days. Go back and rest early. You don't need to come to pay your respects to me for the next few days."

Shen Ruyin rarely had a chance to rest properly, so how could she turn down such a good opportunity? She readily agreed, "Thank you for your kindness, Mother."

After she left, the second young mistress, unusually, didn't dawdle and quickly took her own things and left.

The eldest young mistress stayed behind and personally changed her teacup: "Now Mother can rest easy."

“Concubine Shen is a shrewd and calculating person, which is a good thing. How could I not be at ease?” Madam Wang said with a smile in her eyes. “From now on, you can handle your attitude towards the Third Branch.”

After she agreed, Madam Wang sighed again: "It's a pity your younger brother is a bit too young, otherwise..."

The eldest young mistress only put on a stern face after returning to her own courtyard.

The old nanny beside her quickly advised her, "What Madam just said was just talk. Putting aside the young master's age, even with the third young mistress's illegitimate birth, the two are not a good match."

"Don't worry, Granny, I understand everything," the eldest young mistress said. "I'm just observing, and when my little brother grows up, he might just be our match."

Hearing this, the old woman had no choice but to say, "It's still early."

The eldest young mistress sighed: "Tell someone to give the order that from now on, if the third branch of the family wants anything, they should hurry up and bring them the best. If I find out that anyone has been negligent, they will be punished."

As a beneficiary of the change in the political climate within the mansion, Shen Ruyin was naturally aware of it, but she neither spoke of it nor made a fuss about it.

After spending a lot of time with her, Su Jinchen also learned some of her ideas, such as enjoying life quietly when it's time to enjoy it.

During the New Year holidays, the household inevitably gets into another round of disputes over who gets to be the steward.

To avoid being caught in the tail end of the typhoon, Shen Ruyin and Su Jinchen decided to move to a hot spring resort in the suburbs, which also allowed them to bring forward their shop plan, which they had been talking about for over a year.

After Shen Ruyin inspected the hot spring resort, she found that it wasn't too small, but it wasn't well-maintained and lacked scenery. Many of the pools weren't even fenced off, which is why no one was vying for it, and it ended up in Su Jinchen's hands.

She originally wanted to convert the estate into a leisure and entertainment venue for guests, but then she thought that if the estate were to be developed, she wouldn't be able to protect it now, and might even lose herself in the process, forcing her to make money for the manor. So she immediately gave up the idea.

Unaware of her thoughts, Su Jinchen enthusiastically planned, "Since we're only coming in winter, why don't we plant some more plum trees? That way we can come and admire the flowers more often."

“Then have people plant more around the hot spring,” Shen Ruyin said, reaching out to test the temperature. “Since we’re going to use this place, we should also build a room next to it for resting.”

“Alright,” Su Jinchen whispered in her ear, “When the time comes, we can decorate that room and play for a few more days.”

Shen Ruyin knew what he meant as soon as she heard it. She glared at him with her eyes full of tears, but it had no intimidating power whatsoever.

"Didn't you say there are still a few hot spring pools that are not suitable for human use? Take me to see them again."

Su Jinchen asked, somewhat puzzled, "It's a bit warmer over there, why are you looking at it?"

“It’s precisely because the temperature is high that we should take a look. What if we can grow vegetables?” Shen Ruyin pulled him forward. “You know how scarce vegetables are in winter.”

Su Jinchen was not so optimistic about this: "If vegetables could be grown here, wouldn't the land in front be used by everyone? It's clear that this place isn't very suitable."

“That’s not necessarily true,” Shen Ruyin said meaningfully, thinking of some things that were brought up later in the drama. “Some people don’t grow vegetables because their families are wealthy enough that they don’t need to sacrifice their enjoyment of growing vegetables. As for some… Qingzhi, go and get more people to follow along. It’s a remote area, be careful not to twist your ankle.”

When the two men arrived at the place with a large group of people, they happened to see a peasant woman coming from the other side, carrying a bunch of fresh bok choy.

Shen Ruyin gave a soft hum, and Su Jinchen immediately understood what she had been trying to say earlier.

This is taking over the master's land for personal enjoyment without even letting the master know.

"Who are you people?" The peasant woman was startled to see Shen Ruyin and the others dressed in fine clothes. "This is private property owned by someone else. Outsiders are not allowed to trespass!"

"This is owned land?" Qingzhi pointed to the vegetables in her hand. "Then where did you get these from?"

The peasant woman hid the vegetables in her hands behind her back before speaking: "I serve my master, so of course I should take the vegetables back for him!"

Qingzhi asked curiously, "So, your master knows about these vegetables?"

Seeing that she was just curious, the peasant woman relaxed a bit and went along with her previous lie, saying, "Of course."

Alright, let's just take it.

Su Jinchen, impatient with her wailing, had someone gag her before walking forward with Shen Ruyin.

After walking a few steps, I saw a simple shed with many things like chives and bok choy growing inside.

Shen Ruyin couldn't help but exclaim, "They're growing quite well."

Su Jinchen, however, looked very displeased: "These scoundrels who deceive the master."

After leaving this place, Su Jinchen first persuaded Shen Ruyin to return to the manor, while he stayed behind to deal with the disloyal servants.

Shen Ruyin thought for a moment and left him with more people to prevent him from getting hurt.

That peasant woman was so bold; naturally, she did more than just grow vegetables for herself on the master's hot spring. With the money she squeezed from the master's house, she became a wealthy and powerful local gentry.

Since those people had registered the land under his nephew's name, this was not something Su Jinchen could easily handle, so naturally, it was reported to Madam Wang and Marquis Anping.

With this family involved, Madam Wang naturally ordered a thorough investigation of other estates, which brought in a significant amount of income for the household.

This also allowed the household to enjoy a prosperous New Year.

Shen Ruyin had no interest in what kind of servants betrayed their masters. All she needed to know was that the family's several hot spring estates had increased their production, and they no longer needed to be stingy with their winter vegetables.