Chapter 5: Enlightenment?

  "What's wrong?" asked Zhen Shiniang, seeing her expression was off.

  "It's nothing." The magpie shook its head and forced the fish meat into its mouth.

  Who would have thought that not swallowing was better, but with this one strong swallow, the magpie only felt a wave of nausea in her stomach, and she couldn't bear it anymore. Covering her mouth, she rushed out, scaring Autumn Chrysanthemum to jump down from the ground and follow her barefoot.

  Jian Wen and Jian Wu were shocked and put down their chopsticks. "What's wrong with Aunt Jixiao?" Jian Wu got up and was about to get off the bed.

  "...keep eating." Zhen Shi Niang pressed down on him and handed each person a steamed bun, "Eat more to grow faster." Her eyes anxiously looked towards the door.

  Chrysanthemum supports magpie walking in.

  "How is it?" asked Zhen Shiniang.

  "It's nothing......" Jiakuai smiled, her face slightly pale, "Maybe I ran too much in the morning and got heatstroke. Drinking some porridge will be fine." She picked up a bowl of lotus seed porridge and started drinking.

  Zhen Shiniang furrowed her brow as if she was deep in thought.

  "I'm full." Jianwen put down his chopsticks, "I'm going to peel lotus pods!"

  Seeing her brother put down his chopsticks, Jian Wu stuffed the remaining food into her mouth and was about to stand up when Zhen Shi Niang pressed her down. "Swallow the rice in your mouth." She then looked up and called out to Jian Wen, "Wait for your younger brother for a while."

  Jian Wu swallowed the food in his mouth, took a sip of water handed over by Qiu Ju, and patted his chest with his right hand. "I'm going to peel lotus pods too!"

  "Digest your food and then come back to sleep...” said Zhen Shi Niang.

  "Ah..." Jian Wu's voice came from the courtyard.

  "When did you arrive?" Seeing that Qiu Ju had disappeared, Zhen Shi Niang turned her head to ask Xi Que.

  "Last month..." The magpie's voice paused, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she looked at Zhen Shiniang with surprise and delight, "It seems like it hasn't come for two months... Miss, is the slave...?"

  It's been three years since we got married, but there's still no movement in my belly. Although my husband doesn't say anything, the magpie is getting anxious too.

  "Ah..." Zhen Shining grabbed her arm, "Let me take a look."

  "Is it?" Seeing Zhen Shining's serious expression, Jixia held her breath.

  "No." Zhen Shining shook her head.

  "Really?" The magpie's small face fell instantly.

  "Don't cheat yourself." Zhen Shi Niang giggled, "It's already been over two months."

  "The young lady will tease me." Ji Kuai was taken aback with surprise, and tears flowed uncontrollably down her face.

  "All right, all right." Zhen Shining patted her, "Crying and laughing at the same time is not good for the fetus."

  The magpie didn't dare cry anymore, "......Miss's medical skills are really high, I'm a ready-made example this time, and I'll definitely go out to promote you well."

  Zhen Shining had been barren for three years, so Zhen Shiying gave her a prescription, which she took for only three months.

  "Carefully, people say you are selling melons like Wang Po..." Zhen Shiniang smiled and said, thinking of something, and then said, "It's only been two months, the fetus is still unstable, don't go hitting lotus pods again later."

  "But..."

  "If the harvest is good this year, I think it's better to outsource all the work in the lotus pond, so you and Qiuju won't be too tired."

  Magpie shook his head, "That would cost money too." Wen Ge and Wu Ge should go to school next year, everywhere is money, "Otherwise..." Suddenly raised his head, "Let He Jiang come over to help for a few more days." Can save some money.

  Changhe Li, also known as Changhe, is the husband of Xique. They have a few acres of thin fields at home and often do odd jobs for people during their spare time. He and Xique were also acquainted when Zhen Shiniang hired him to help clean up the lotus pond in the Shen family's ancestral mansion. He is a very kind person and has helped Zhen Shiniang with many things over the years.

  "Never mind..." Zhen Shi Niang shook her head, "I don't even have enough silver to give you your monthly allowance. How can I let him come over and work for free? In the future when children are born, will you all go hungry?" Seeing Xi Que wanting to speak up again, she said, "Don't worry, once we save up enough silver to open a medicine shop, he won't be able to stay away even if he wants to!"

  Kaiyuan Hall is worth at least several hundred taels of silver!

  How can a widow with orphans afford it? Besides, how can a medicine shop be run by a woman?

  What's more, they have different identities. Selling some medicine in secret is still possible, but if they openly set up a pharmacy and Shen Zhongjie finds out, as the wife of a great general, she would be engaging in such a lowly occupation in private, fearing that he would immediately kill her to silence her.

  She thought Zhen Shiniang was just comforting herself, and Jixiao didn't take it seriously either. She went along with her and said, "Miss wants to save money to open a medicine shop, every penny counts now, and Longhe has no other skills except for his physical strength. Yesterday, Xu Zhanggui from the east of the town asked him to help out, and he even said he was going to come to your place to work."

  Zhen Shining thought for a moment, "Alright, if he's not busy, let him come over. I'll also save on hiring elsewhere. However, the wages will be based on market price, and this time, he mustn't refuse again, otherwise, don't bother coming!"

  "Miss!" Jiya's face turned bright red.

  "......It's settled then." Zhen Shi Niang waved her hand and looked at her, "Wu Ge and Wen Ge will be going to school next year, I think we should let the wet nurse go this winter."

  Xī yuè was taken aback for a moment, then said, “...It's also good this way. In one year, we can save six taels of silver, and with some more added, it will be enough for their school fees. The slaves and servants won't have to go down to the lotus pond either. From now on, I'll take them there myself. It's just...” She sighed, “After General Shen, they have such good natural talent, but sending them to the town school might waste it.” She also said, “I see that both of them are very active, especially Wǔ Gē, who shoots a bow and arrow so accurately...” If they were in General Shen's mansion, Shěn Zhōng Bó would definitely spend a lot of money hiring the best martial arts masters and Western teachers to teach them, and ten years later, they would be another majestic champion. When she got to this point, thinking of Jiǎn Shí Niáng's attitude, Xī Yuè's voice suddenly stopped.

  Only one pair of eyes was staring at Zhen Shiniang quietly.

  Zhen Shining had always understood this principle, recalling that the parents who had hoped their children would become dragons in her past life used to say, "We absolutely cannot let our child fall behind at the starting line."

  These two children are clever and lively, they should be sent to a martial arts master for training.

  But she doesn't have any money, does she?

  Their old man is rich, but unfortunately, thinking of Shen Zhong's stinginess and venomous tongue, Zhen Shi Niang shook her head from the heart, "Forget it, such an old man, no matter how much money he has, can't teach a good son, otherwise why would there be so many spoiled sons?" The education of children is not only about the quality of teachers, but also the importance of parents' words and deeds. She sighed and said, "Let's just do it this way, who says that poor people's children can't succeed?"