Third Uncle Qin quickly returned home, bringing back a good amount of chilled mung bean soup, along with some fresh meat and vegetables that Yang Haiyan had asked the kitchen to prepare.

The chickens and ducks in the military camp were laying eggs, and Third Uncle Qin and Third Aunt Qin could each have one every day as a perk.

However, they were reluctant to eat them, saving the eggs to bring to the General’s residence.

Since Qin Qiuyu was living here, they were also worried that the big house might have opinions, so every time they came, they would bring eggs and buy some snacks.

Third Aunt Qin would also make shoes for Grandpa Qin and Grandma Qin.

Now that Yang Haiyan was pregnant, she even made clothes and pants for the baby.

However, every time they visited, Yang Haiyan would give them gifts in return, which were vegetables and meat from her own estate.

For someone like Yang Haiyan, who earned over three hundred taels a month, this was not a big deal, especially since there was also the reward money from the court for Qin Fang.

Additionally, the agency fees from the imperial grain processing plant had accumulated to over ten thousand taels of silver.

The emperor had confiscated their franchise fees as a form of subsidy for them, but they did receive the agency fees from the agents.

So now, both Yang Haiyan and Qin Fang were quite well-off, having at least fifty thousand taels in savings.

However, speaking of the imperial grain processing plant, many of the employees were the family members of the guards from the General’s residence, including the wives and mothers of the guards, as well as the families of soldiers from the military camp.

When selecting guards and soldiers, they had investigated their family situations to ensure there were no issues before hiring them.

Therefore, this could be considered a form of military family benefit.

Surprisingly, these people were quite motivated to work.

Hedong Prefecture was one of the first testing grounds for imperial grain franchises, and the potato flour and sweet potato flour from both the prefectural and county cities had already hit the market.

One must say that buying the potato flour and sweet potato flour came with recipes and suggestions on how to prepare them, and with the emperor being such a strong endorsement, these flours sold exceptionally well.

People from other prefectures came to Hedong Prefecture to observe the situation, research the market, and buy potato flour and sweet potato flour to try it out.

It could be said that in other prefectures, the franchise fees and agency fees would only increase.

But even if they increased, tens of thousands or even a hundred thousand taels were still small amounts for aristocratic families.

What is considered an aristocratic family? It is a family that has accumulated wealth over several generations.

This was also the reason Yang Haiyan proposed selecting franchisees from aristocratic families, because they had money.

When Third Uncle Qin returned to the military camp, it was still early, and dinner had not yet been prepared.

However, since the Qin family’s main house was busy with the imperial grain factory, they had assigned the task of feeding the soldiers to Third Aunt Qin, so she was quite busy.

But Third Aunt Qin was happy to be busy because her monthly earnings had increased, and she was also taking care of the portion of the monthly allowance that belonged to Qin’s mother.

Thus, she was busy and content.

Furthermore, Third Uncle Qin would help her. Speaking of Third Uncle Qin helping out, this was something she had never imagined before.

When they were in Baili Village, she had never seen a man helping his wife with chores.

But here, seeing her so busy, Third Uncle Qin had started to learn to help out.

The more he helped, the more it became a habit.

As Third Aunt Qin was preparing to cut the cleaned vegetables, she saw Third Uncle Qin return, and noticing the items in his hands, she felt a bit embarrassed. “Why did you bring back so many things again? How are we going to repay this?”

Third Uncle Qin put down the items. “I’ll chop the vegetables.”

He was strong and quick at it. He added, “This is what Afang’s wife sent us. My nephew and his wife are being filial to me; why would we need to repay them?”

Even though he said that, Third Uncle Qin was just speaking casually.

He was quite clever and understood that good deeds should be reciprocal. “Don’t overthink it. Afang’s family is well-off; what they give us doesn’t require repayment. We just need to help Afang manage the crops well.”

Although what they received was something from the main house, and the main house didn’t care much about it, Third Uncle Qin still felt a sense of satisfaction.

Who would have thought they could live like this before? “By the way, here’s some mung bean soup, and it’s chilled. It’s the best thing to drink during this season. Afang’s wife asked me to bring it; you should drink a bowl to sweeten your mouth.”

While Third Aunt Qin drank the mung bean soup, she asked, “Have you seen Sanya? How is our daughter?”

Uncle Qin replied, “I haven’t seen her. She was studying with the teacher in the morning and went to the embroidery workshop in the afternoon, so it’s hard to meet. But didn’t we just see her last time? She has grown a bit taller and looks fairer, which shows that she is living quite well in the General’s residence. And you know Afang’s wife, right? She must be good to our daughter.”

Aunt Qin said, “That’s true; Yanyan is a sensible girl. By the way, how about this time?”

When it came to this topic, Uncle Qin began to talk about Tao Shan’s matter: “…What do you think?”

Third Aunt Qin exclaimed, “Isn’t he too old?”

Third Uncle Qin replied, “But he has been following Afang; he will definitely have prospects in the future. Even if he doesn’t, with Afang around, if he becomes a brother-in-law, wouldn’t he get promoted?”

Speaking of this, Third Aunt Qin had some thoughts: “If A Fang can promote his brother-in-law, then if someone else becomes a brother-in-law, he can also be promoted, right?”

Third Uncle Qin thought about it and found her reasoning sound.

Third Aunt Qin was someone who was always good at reading faces: “Moreover, three years later, Sanya will be sixteen, and he will be twenty-five. What if in the first few years, Sanya doesn’t have any children? By then, he will be almost thirty. Can he really wait? Also, if the first child takes our surname, what if he ends up only having one child like me? What would he think then? I think it’s better to have a son-in-law who marries into the family.”

After she said this, Third Uncle Qin didn’t think too much about it; he only felt a bit regretful: “Then I’ll talk to A Fang’s wife about it later.”

Third Aunt Qin replied, “Yes, the age difference is indeed too great.” A thirteen-year-old girl is still quite young, but a twenty-two-year-old man is already a real man, and Third Aunt Qin thought it inappropriate.

A few days later, Third Uncle Qin visited the General’s residence again.

He told Yang Haiyan about his and Aunt San Qin’s thoughts: “A Fang’s wife, this is troubling you; it’s for Sanya’s match, but the result is…”

Yang Haiyan smiled and said, “Uncle, you don’t need to worry. As for matchmaking, it’s originally a process that takes time.”

Upon hearing her say this, Third Uncle Qin felt reassured.

He was afraid that if he refused, Yang Haiyan might be unhappy.

Third Uncle Qin came early in the morning to see his daughter, and after visiting, he was about to leave to help out at noon.

After Third Uncle Qin left, Grandma Qin said, “Yanyan, you’re pregnant now, carrying twins. Sanya’s matters are not urgent; she’s only thirteen, so don’t worry about it. Your own health is more important.”

Although the old lady thought highly of her granddaughter and even said it was quite good, she still favored her grandson over her granddaughter.

After all, he was her most proud grandson.

The child in Yang Haiyan’s belly would be her great-grandson or great-granddaughter, and in Grandma Qin’s eyes, Sanya, her granddaughter, was not as important as the child in Yang Haiyan’s belly.

Even if Yang Haiyan gave birth to a girl, that girl was still important, perhaps because of the belief that a daughter’s worth is tied to her father’s honor.

Yang Haiyan said, “I understand, Grandma, don’t worry; I won’t exhaust myself. Moreover, at the moment, I truly don’t have anyone suitable for Qiuya(Sanya). She is only thirteen now and can wait another two years. In two years, both she and the potential match will be better.” At this age, she was still quite immature.

Grandma Qin nodded, “Yes, yes, no rush.”

Yang Haiyan chatted with Grandma Qin for a while longer before getting up: “Grandma, I’ll be heading back now.”

Grandma Qin also stood up: “Oh, be careful.”

As she spoke, she intended to accompany Yang Haiyan.

Yang Haiyan didn’t refuse; every time she visited, Grandma Qin liked to watch her leave, and she felt she had no choice.

After leaving Liuxin Courtyard and on her way back to her courtyard, Yang Haiyan saw Qin Shouye carrying a few bags of medicine.

She called out to him, “Shouye, who is sick?”

Qin Shouye stopped when he saw Yang Haiyan: “Sister-in-law, it’s me. I felt a bit dizzy from the heat, so I went to Dr. Li to get some medicine.”

Yang Haiyan looked at the weather.

In the ancient times without air conditioning or fans, using ice to cool down couldn’t keep up: “Take care of yourself.”

Qin Shouye replied, “I know, thank you for your concern, Sister-in-law. Well, I’ll head back now.”

Yang Haiyan said, “Alright, go back.”

Granny Lian, seeing Qin Shouye leave, said to Yang Haiyan, “Second Master has been sick for several days; is it serious?”

Yang Haiyan was taken aback: “Several days?”

Gran y Lian replied, “Yes, it’s been seven or eight days. I remember someone from their courtyard came to tell me that the Second Master was ill and had been taking medicine for several days.

I thought Dr. Li was skilled, and it wasn’t a problem to see a doctor. But now it’s been seven or eight days, and the Second Master is still not well. Moreover, it’s hot; if the Second Master went to get medicine, why didn’t he send someone from the courtyard?”

Yang Haiyan thought for a moment: “Could it be that the servant is being lazy? Let’s go to Dr. Li and ask about Shouye’s situation.

This child’s character is such that he definitely wouldn’t tell his family when he is sick; he doesn’t want to worry them.

But since Aunt and Father are busy with the grain factory matters, and Shouye has been sick for so long without getting better, I can’t just ignore it.”

Granny Lian held an umbrella with one hand and supported her with the other: “In this hot weather, you should take care of yourself. Why don’t I take you back to the courtyard, and then I’ll go ask about it?”

Yang Haiyan thought about it and, since it was hot, she didn’t want to walk around too much.

She agreed: “Alright.”

Granny Lian took Yang Haiyan back to her courtyard and then went to find Dr. Li.

“Dr. Li… is Dr. Li there?” Granny Lian shouted as she reached the door.

Miss Li came out from inside: “Granny, it’s you! Father left early this morning to collect herbs. If you’re looking for him, you’ll have to wait until dinner; he won’t be back until then.”

Upon hearing this, Granny Lian said, “It’s fine. I’m looking for you, which is just as good.”