The family of three was very happy.

Meng Fei, who originally planned to stroll around the city, canceled his trip. The doctor had advised him to be careful for the next three months, avoiding heavy work and strenuous activity, so shopping was out of the question.

However, we still went shopping, only now we were doing it in a horse-drawn carriage.

Meng Fei got out of the car to buy whatever the two wanted, making sure Xiao Nan didn't have to walk an extra step.

The trip to the prefectural city was truly fruitful.

Along the way, Meng Fei drove the carriage very slowly, afraid of bumping into Xiao Nan. At this speed, it would be good if they could get home in a day.

Helpless, Xiao Nan peered out the window at the scenery and sighed repeatedly.

The old woman covered her mouth and chuckled, occasionally taking a piece of fruit from the bag, heating it over a fire, and handing it to her to eat.

The two of them treated her like a treasure, which made Xiao Nan both amused and exasperated.

She didn't want that; she felt her freedom would vanish in an instant.

Back home, Meng Fei carried her straight into the house, while the old woman quickly added firewood to her kang (heated brick bed) and then went to cook.

Meng Fei didn't need her to do anything. She could just stay in the warm and cozy room, lying down, practicing calligraphy, and eating.

Xiao Nan felt like the sky had fallen. Was this human? This was the life of a pig.

They're raising pigs. Good heavens, it's just pregnancy, what's the big deal? As long as there's no major movement, it's fine. I'm not that fragile.

Knowing that his wife loved sour food, Meng Fei went to great lengths to prepare it for the journey, even buying a whole bundle of sugar candy in the prefectural city.

A sour fruit, about half a bundle of straw, was tied to the roof of the carriage and brought back to Ping'an Village.

When we got home, I just stuck a bunch of grass in the yard, so my wife could just go and pick it whenever she wanted.

For dinner, Grandma specially made a pot of hot and sour soup and also baked some soup noodle pancakes.

They personally brought the food to Xiao Nan's room, and the two of them watched her eat with longing eyes. She was almost driven crazy by the two of them.

She immediately became angry and said that if this happened again, she would run away from home.

Haha, this trick really works! The two of them immediately picked up their bowls and started eating. Xiao Nan glared at them and said calmly.

“My child, I worry about you more than you do. A mother’s love makes her strong. I won’t let anything happen to my child. Don’t worry. What’s the difference between me and being in jail if you’re like this? Just do what you’re supposed to do from now on. Otherwise, I’ll just disappear.”

"Don't be angry, wife. We're just so happy that we've forgotten ourselves."

"That's right, Xiaofei is going to be a dad, and I'm going to be a grandma. I'm so happy, so happy."

"Humph!"

Xiao Nan wasn't really angry; in fact, she was touched, but she just wasn't used to it.

Grandma forbade Meng Fei to tell anyone about this, saying that no one could speak of it before the pregnancy was stable.

That's what they said, but it didn't take long for Murong Yunpeng to find out.

He quickly disguised himself, purchased several cartloads of gifts in the capital, and sent people to deliver them to his home day and night.

Xiao Nan looked at the cartloads of things and his head was spinning. Damn it, it was all for the child—food, toys, clothes, and other necessities. There was also a letter with a silver note for ten thousand taels of silver inside, saying it was for the child and that he would be the child's godfather.

Meng Fei put all these things into the house in the manor. It will be completed soon, and they can move in in December.

Everything outside is done; now all that's left is the inside.

The thought of staying at the manor designed by his wife filled Meng Fei with pride; he loved the manor so much.

The old woman was also very happy. She never expected that at her age, she would be able to live in such a house, which was even better than the mansions in the city.

Sure enough, my daughter is destined for great fortune and honor. She didn't rely on anyone else; she earned all of this through her own hard work.

Now, there's just a manor; what about the future? The old woman couldn't imagine.

Time flew by, and as soon as the twelfth lunar month began, a heavy snow fell, blanketing the land.

The workers laughed heartily. They had been idle for more than half a month, but their employer was still paying them as usual, which made them feel extremely uncomfortable.

Finally, there's work to do. Let's get all the gear ready and get to work.

The construction team worked overtime and finally finished all the work on the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Xiao Nan and his family of three went to inspect the construction site, carefully checking the ice cellar, the living quarters, and the roof.

Xiao Nan readily settled the final payment with the construction team and gave them an extra hundred taels of silver as a reward for their hard work.

Meng Fei directly signed another contract with the foreman, awarding him the projects for all three manors at a higher price than the ones here.

The foreman readily agreed and said he would come to find Meng Fei next March.

After the construction team left, Meng Fei told Wang Feng to lead the people to start moving. They only moved clothes, bedding, and New Year's goods from the storage room; everything else remained untouched.

Because he had purchased all the daily necessities for the manor.

First, he asked someone to clean up his and Xiao Nan's bedroom, as well as his grandmother's bedroom, and set up a heated kang (a traditional heated bed) and a charcoal brazier so that the two of them could stay warm.

He directed the workers, arranging for the cleaning of each room.

Despite the freezing weather outside, there wasn't a speck of snow on the estate. The workers were really thoughtful, afraid that the owner might slip and fall while going up the stairs.

After cleaning all day, looking at the clean manor, Meng Fei's heart melted like snow falling on it.

This is so comfortable. Even the imperial palace in the capital is not as comfortable as living here.

Indeed, this huge manor feels rather empty with only the three of them living there.

Meng Fei, thinking that his wife was almost two months pregnant, took it upon himself to transfer a steward, an accountant, four maids, and ten nannies from Murong Yunpeng's place. In the future, his wife could just check the accounts and give instructions.

When Yunpeng found out, he sent their indentures to them. From then on, their masters would be Meng Fei and Xiao Nan.

Meng Fei, however, handed the indenture to Xiao Nan, asking her to arrange things for these people.

Xiao Nan sighed softly. Now she had someone to serve her; now she was a lady of a wealthy family.

Although it's a little hard to get used to, I have to get used to it. When the family and business grow bigger in the future, I won't be able to do without someone by my side.

It's impossible for her to handle everything herself and for her husband to handle everything.

She arranged for a maid and a nanny to serve the old woman. The old woman couldn't sit still and quickly came over. She felt very uncomfortable with two strangers around her.

Under Xiao Nan's persuasion, she had no choice but to gradually accept it.

Fortunately, the nanny and the maid were experienced and kept a certain distance from the old woman. Only after they became familiar with her would they chat with her or take her for a walk.

Xiao Nan also left a maid and a nanny on his side, and left the rest to the steward to arrange. If there were not enough people, they could make their own arrangements.

Even after these people entered the house, Meng Fei still felt that the manor was very empty.

The Lunar New Year is just around the corner, so this is the only way for now.

Xiao Nan and Meng Fei stood on the rooftop, looking at the smoke rising from the surrounding houses, and said...

“These workers make ice every day. The snow in our field, as well as the snow on the way from the manor to the town, has all been cleared by the workers. The road is smooth now, so my wife can go out for a walk anytime she wants.”

How many workers live in those houses?

"There were about ten people. They weren't idle either; they turned all the surrounding snow into ice."

"They don't care about the snow in the village."

"Yes, they all know that as soon as it snowed this year, Wangzhuang started clearing the roads. The roads between their village and Zhoucun have always been clear. The workers even opened up the road from the two villages to the manor so that vehicles can pass."

"Ha, if the villagers of Ping'an Village were this diligent, why would their entire family be in such dire straits?"

"Next spring, I will have the workers block the road at the end of the village so that they can't pass through here."

"This land is ours, we can do whatever we want with it."

"Yes, from now on we'll never have anything to do with them again."

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