The second nephew was so obedient, and Little Xi Tian was very pleased.
She took out a smooth, round little bone from her small satchel and presented it to Yun Jinshan.
"Here, an入学 (rùxué - school entry) gift!~"
Don't underestimate this bone.
This was a wolf bone from when they killed and ate wolf meat.
Little Xi Tian had polished it until it was crystal clear and reflected light finely.
Fu Xiaoqiang had long coveted it, but Little Xi Tian refused to give it to him.
Yun Jinshan held the little bone with both hands, his eyes filled with excitement. "Thank you, Little Aunt. I... I will definitely pass the imperial examinations and bring honor to you, Little Aunt."
In this world, how could there be a girl like his Little Aunt, who was both cute and kind?
Yun Jinshan decided that when he grew up, he would marry a wife like his Little Aunt.
As soon as this thought flashed through his mind, Qin Yiyi's chubby little face intruded into his thoughts again.
He wondered if that girl missed him.
Gu Shi took out her money pouch, opened it, and picked out two silver ingots.
"Da Man, you're familiar with the academy. Why don't you take Jinshan to visit Dean Wei sometime?"
As she spoke, Gu Shi handed over the silver ingots.
Liu Cuirong's eyes were fixed on the silver, and the food in her bowl no longer tasted good.
"Mother, Xiao Bao is also four years old now. Aren't you planning to send him to a蒙学 (méngxué - elementary school) class?"
Liu Cuirong said resentfully.
Since all the children in the family were going to study, Xiao Bao couldn't be left behind.
Gu Shi glared at her upon hearing this. "Xi Tian hasn't even started studying yet, why is Xiao Bao in such a hurry?"
蒙学 usually enrolled children aged five to seven.
It ended when they were eight years old.
Little Sweet Treasure was the most pampered daughter of the old Yun family.
She was already five years old and hadn't started 蒙学, so Xiao Bao certainly couldn't go.
"I don't want to study!~" Yun Xiaobao shouted with his little fists waving, his voice tender.
He disliked his mother's mercenary and money-grubbing ways...
Liu Cuirong immediately covered Xiao Bao's mouth upon hearing this.
This useless thing, studying didn't cost her any money, so why not go?
Yun Er Man frowned and reprimanded, "Cuirong, Mother said Xiao Bao is too young to attend 蒙学 yet. Let's wait a couple more years!"
"Oh! Alright, alright, I'll listen to you!" Liu Cuirong agreed readily.
If this were any other time, she would have argued with Yun Er Man until dawn.
Who could blame her? Her husband was now an official.
Of course, she had to listen to Er Man.
Yun Er Man: "......"
Jin Huaihua and Hu Xier also stood by, watching and smiling.
With a member of the Yun family becoming an official, they also felt honored.
However, seeing Liu Cuirong's smug and self-satisfied expression,
The two women felt an indescribable sense of disgust and disdain...
Zhao Guihua lost her appetite after eating only half a bowl of rice.
Little Xi Tian saw her pale face and asked softly, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"
Judging by her complexion, she seemed to be ill.
Zhao Guihua hugged Little Xi Tian and gave a dry laugh. "Sister-in-law is fine!~"
Alas, this little sister-in-law was too good.
She was considerate and caring.
It wasn't that she was upset because Da Man hadn't become an official.
It was because her stomach had been aching frequently these past few days.
Her period, which was supposed to come, hadn't arrived, and she was also experiencing bouts of nausea.
She had given birth before, so she knew what these symptoms meant.
She was pregnant...
Little Xi Tian tilted her little head and stared blankly at Zhao Guihua.
Then she reached out her small hand and sneakily felt her pulse.
Whoa!~
It was a pregnancy pulse!
Little Xi Tian giggled and quickly jumped off the ground.
Then she toddled to the bench and climbed onto it...
The whole family was a bit bewildered.
What was Sweet Baby trying to do?
Old Yun said, "Oh, daughter, come down quickly, don't fall!~"
Da Man and Er Man were also flustered and prepared to lift their sister down.
Unexpectedly, Little Xi Tian put her hands on her hips and announced in a milky voice, "Sister-in-law is pregnant!~"
"What?"
The first to react was Yun Da Man.
He looked at Zhao Guihua with surprise, then gave a silly laugh, seemingly disbelieving. "Jin He's mother, you, you're really pregnant?"
With Little Sweet Treasure in the family, good news just kept coming.
He was overjoyed.
Zhao Guihua nodded. "I am indeed pregnant..."
"Oh, why didn't you say so earlier?" Yun Da Man excitedly rubbed his hands together.
"Did you get tired from working these past few days?"
"Look at you, how can you wear such thin clothes? What if you catch a cold?"
Zhao Guihua: "......"
She wasn't pregnant for the first time, was she that fussy?
Gu Shi and Old Yun were also very happy.
As elders, they were most pleased to see the family prospering with offspring.
However, they wondered if their eldest daughter-in-law was carrying a boy or a girl.
Little Xi Tian's birth had broken the old Yun family's "curse" of not having daughters.
But Liu Cuirong had given birth to a boy after her ten months of pregnancy.
Seeing everyone staring at Zhao Guihua's belly, Gu Shi coughed lightly. "Whether it's a boy or a girl, it's our Yun family's flesh and blood."
"Guihua, you should also rest well during this time. Let Huaihua and Xier do the chores like washing clothes and chopping firewood!~"
After speaking, Gu Shi glanced at Liu Cuirong again. "Second daughter-in-law, you should also take better care of your elder sister-in-law. Don't be lazy and pretend to be sick all day, leaving all the work for others!"
Liu Cuirong: "......"
What did this have to do with her?
She was just pregnant, why was she being lectured?
When she was pregnant with Xiao Bao, the whole family was fleeing famine, had she complained?
There was truly no justice.
"Mother, Huaihua and Xier are our family's maids. It's fine for them to do those household chores,"
Zhao Cuirong said sheepishly.
If they had maids and didn't use them, what were they for, laying eggs?
Jin Huaihua gave her a deep look, her expression somewhat disdainful.
If she wasn't mute, she would have cursed Liu Cuirong a hundred and eighty times...
Even before her sister-in-law was pregnant, she had rushed to do the household chores.
But her second sister-in-law only slept, ate, or caused trouble for the family.
Gu Shi shook her head helplessly.
Useless as ever.
She couldn't even be bothered to scold her anymore.
Yun Da Man supported his wife and said with a憨 (hān - simple and honest) smile, "Guihua, what do you want to eat? I'll go to the county town tomorrow and buy it for you."
Jin He was now studying in the county town and was very diligent.
After finishing the Tong Sheng exam, he would soon take the Xiu Cai exam.
With his intelligence and shrewdness, he was sure to pass and bring honor to the old Yun family...
Zhao Guihua gave a wry smile. "We have rice and flour at home, and it's enough to fill our stomachs."
She was afraid Da Man would waste money and buy things that she hadn't even eaten a few bites of before her second sister-in-law stole them.
Little Xi Tian let out a cute yawn.
She was full and had drunk her fill, and was a bit sleepy.
"Mother, time for bed!~" Little Xi Tian rubbed her eyes.
Seeing this, Liu Cuirong quickly picked her up.
Today, while the whole family was happy, she still had one thing to say.
As her 'shield,' Little Sweet Treasure had to wait until she finished speaking before sleeping, no matter how sleepy she was.
"Father, Mother, I... I want to say something!~"