Chapter 1502: Village Chief Wan
Chapter 1502: Chapter 1502: Village Chief Wan
Mu Tong said, "This is the rule of Xiao Bei Village. They have always done business with traveling merchants and stayed out of military affairs. The village has a backing in the Prefecture Government Office, so Mrs. Niu should keep the relatives in check and not let them cause trouble in the village. Otherwise, we’ll all be driven out of Xiao Bei Village. If the trouble is too big, the people of Xiao Bei Village might hack us to death with random blades!"
Mrs. Kuang was shocked, "Is it that serious? We’re soldiers, aren’t we? How can we be afraid of them?"
Uncle Mu Tong said, "What are soldiers worth? The folks here are fierce and have seen so many soldiers that they’re no longer afraid. Plus, Xiao Bei Village has been here for hundreds of years, like a local tyrant, so we need to get along well with them."
Niu Dabao shouted, "Did you hear that? Don’t make trouble for us!"
He urged, "Hurry to the camp and get those women out to discipline them, lest they act too wild, offend the villagers, and bring trouble to us!"
"Alright, alright, I’ll go now." Mrs. Kuang knew the place was hard to find and didn’t want to be kicked out of the village, so she quickly got into a carriage and went to the camp to scold the women.
A quarter of an hour later, Qin San Lang and the others also arrived at Xiao Bei Village.
"Sir, Madam!" Uncle Mu Tong was very pleased to see them. After exchanging a few words, he took them to the Qin Family Camp, pointing to an old courtyard not far away, "This is the old courtyard of Village Chief Wan’s family. No one has lived here for over ten years. I rented it, smoked it with mugwort for a few days, replaced the bedding and window paper, and nailed two layers of burlap on the walls. It’s clean and bright, so rest assured and move in, sir and madam."
Ji Zhenniang was very happy when she heard this and lifted the curtain, asking enviously, "You have a house to live in?"
She looked at Gu Jinli, wanting to ask but couldn’t bring herself to. Finally, it was Xie Huaihua who spoke up for her, "Mrs. Qin, that courtyard seems to have quite a few rooms. Could you spare one for our madam?"
Xie Huaihua had been recuperating for almost a month and was much better, having come to attend to Ji Zhenniang half a month ago.
Gu Jinli glanced at Ji Zhenniang and asked, "Do you want to stay in a house?"
Ji Zhenniang fidgeted awkwardly, "...Constantly huddled in the carriage, my body feels sore. If I stay in a house, I can stretch my limbs and be warmer."
"If you want to stay, just say so. Quit pretending. Next time, if you pretend again, don’t even think about getting a house, let alone a piece of firewood." After Gu Jinli finished speaking, she instructed Xiao Ji, "Go invite Sister-in-law Zhang and her family to also stay in the courtyard."
This courtyard is quite large, with three main rooms, two left and right wing rooms each, and it also has a kitchen, wood room, and toilet. It’s enough for the three families to live in.
As for Aunt Niu, she needed to oversee the women at the Niu Family Camp, so she wasn’t called.
And Ms. Lu, being the wife of Yao Chief Commander and a subordinate’s wife, wasn’t a Company Commanders’ Wife, so she wasn’t called either.
"Yes." Xiao Ji quickly went over to the Zhang Family side, and upon seeing Mrs. Han, relayed the message.
Mrs. Han didn’t hesitate and readily agreed, "We’ll come right away."
Sister Yu was very happy and said, "Mom, can I first take my brother and Mrs. Han along with the maid over there while you settle the accompanying relatives?"
Mrs. Han laughed, "You want to go over early to play with your Aunt Qin? Alright, go ahead."
"Thank you, Mom." After paying her respects to Mrs. Han, Sister Yu took Brother Yi by the hand, accompanied by Mrs. Han and a maid, and headed to the courtyard.
"Aunt Qin." Sister Yu called out as soon as she entered the courtyard. Upon seeing Gu Jinli, she saluted and greeted her, then asked, "Aunt Qin, where does my family stay in the wing room?"
The main room was certainly for Aunt Qin and Uncle Qin, no need to ask.
"Your family stays in the left wing room." Gu Jinli raised her hand, pinching the cheeks of the siblings with a laugh, "Your cheeks are soft and nice to pinch."
Brother Yi was very helpless, avoiding Gu Jinli’s hand, and softly said, "Cold, Aunt Qin’s hand is icy."
Upon hearing this, Qin San Lang came over, took Gu Jinli’s hand, and warmed it in his palms, saying, "Let’s go inside, it’s too cold outside."
Gu Jinli was a bit embarrassed, acting so intimately in front of the children, was it appropriate?
But Qin San Lang didn’t care, he held her hand and led her into the house.
Gu Jinli waved to Sister Yu, signaling for them to follow inside, but Sister Yu was particularly perceptive and shook her head, indicating they wouldn’t go inside.
Her mother had said that when Uncle Qin was around, they shouldn’t disturb Aunt Qin, need to be sensible, otherwise Uncle Qin would be upset.
Gu Jinli felt helpless, and could only say, "Then later, Aunt Qin will make you crystal cakes. Brother Yi, I’ll give you a slice of ham!"
"Thank you, Aunt Qin!" Brother Yi was extremely happy, nodding eagerly.
Qin San Lang took her into the left bedroom. After closing the door, he hugged her and said, "If you like children so much, let’s have one too."
Gu Jinli laughed, "It might be two. My mother had twins in her first pregnancy—a big sister and a big brother."
Twins can be hereditary, so she has a high chance of having twins too.
Upon hearing this, Qin San Lang’s sword-like brows knitted together, and he shook his head, "For the first pregnancy, one is better. Twins are not good."
He had asked Doctor Wu, and Doctor Wu said that carrying twins was tough, and he didn’t want her to suffer so much.
Gu Jinli laughed, "What scary things did Grandpa Wu tell you again? It’s actually not that hard to carry twins, and delivery might not necessarily be difficult... Although having two may sound terrifying, since it’s twins, the fetuses will be smaller than a single one, and as long as the fetal positions are correct, it’ll be easier than having one."
Qin San Lang was skeptical, "Really? You’re not just comforting me?"
Gu Jinli laughed, "With how tiring this journey is, where would I find the time to comfort you?"
Upon hearing this, Qin San Lang looked at her intently. After a while, he hugged her tightly, his voice trembling, "Xiao Yu, I only have you, you have to be safe."
Even if he really wanted a child who shared his blood, he didn’t want to lose her.
Gu Jinli laughed, poking his side, "If Grandpa heard that, he’d be sad. Besides, you still have an uncle, how can you say you only have me?"
Qin San Lang: "It’s not the same."
Xiao Yu was irreplaceable, the one who could enter his heart, warm him, and truly make him happy.
Though Grandpa was very close, there were some things he couldn’t say to Grandpa.
As for Uncle, he wasn’t born of Grandma, having a degree of separation. So in this world, the person closest to him, the only one who could enter his heart, was Xiao Yu.
Gu Jinli laughed, "Alright, I promise you, even if I have triplets, nothing will happen. Qing Pu, Qing Hui, and Ye Jingzi have studied for years; they know how to handle difficult deliveries. Besides, I’ve practiced martial arts, and I’ve trained in soft body technique. My physique is good, so the likelihood of a difficult birth is low. You can rest assured."
Even after hearing this, Qin San Lang remained worried, unable to imagine what he would do if Xiao Yu had complications during childbirth and was lost.
But he didn’t have long to worry, as Uncle Mu Tong called from outside, "Sir, Madam, Village Chief Wan has arrived and brought Xiao Liu Bao along, wanting to have Doctor Dai examine him."
Village Chief Wan cared deeply for his youngest son. Upon hearing that there was a highly skilled doctor among the Gu family’s servants heading west, he constantly thought of bringing Xiao Liu Bao to Doctor Dai for an examination.