Yang Haiyan naturally had no opinions about Qin Fang’s uncles: “As long as my mother makes the decision, that’s fine. However… with Third Uncle and Tadpole living here for a long time, will Third Aunt miss them?”

Hearing her daughter-in-law ask this question, Qin’s mother confidently replied, “If she comes here, that would be even better. Back in the old days, I was in the Qin family while she was in the Ding family; I couldn’t oversee her, nor could I manage her.

If she comes to Yunxiang County, I’ll just keep her and Third Brother locked up together and see who dares to interfere with my managing my brother and sister-in-law.”

Upon hearing Qin’s mother say this, Yang Haiyan thought it was indeed a good idea.

When they were in Baili Village, Qin’s mother was a daughter-in-law, and she couldn’t manage her brothers and sisters, nor could she return to her family to do so.

But now in Yunxiang County, she was the head of the household with people at her command.

She could confine Ding’s third uncle and his wife, so she looked forward to their arrival.

Ding’s eldest uncle Ding Dashu stayed in the General’s Mansion for two days before leaving.

He took the opportunity of a caravan leaving Yunxiang County to depart.

He didn’t meet Ding’s third uncle but secretly observed him and his son, noting that they had become much more disciplined and were now capable of working in the fields.

For Ding Dashu, this was excellent news.

With one less lazy person at home, it was like having one less mouth to feed, which was something he eagerly desired.

Plus, he felt secure knowing that Ding’s third uncle was being kept here.

As for how he would explain things when he returned, he had it all figured out in his mind.

Ding’s eldest uncle also took a large bundle with him, prepared with Qin’s mother’s private savings.

She secretly stuffed silver into his hands.

She worried about her elderly parents back home not having her to care for them, so she gave him extra silver, hoping that he would take good care of her parents.

After Ding’s eldest uncle left, the General’s Mansion returned to its usual tranquility.

One day, while Yang Haiyan was making Qin Fang’s undergarments, Yang County Magistrate’s wife arrived.

It had been a long time since Yang Haiyan had seen her; the last time was during the grain agent business in the county.

Hearing that she was here now, Yang Haiyan welcomed her warmly. “Please, come in!”

Before long, Yang County Magistrate’s wife was invited into the inner courtyard.

Since they were all women, it was appropriate to bring her in.

Yang County Magistrate’s wife first greeted Yang Haiyan, saying, “I have met with you, Madam.”

She felt somewhat sentimental.

Back in April, when Yang Haiyan had just arrived in Yunxiang County, she was only a fifth-grade concubine, but in the blink of an eye, in just six months, she had risen to the rank of second-grade wife.

Everyone knew that she had received special rewards from the Emperor for the road repairs, which also subtly highlighted her intelligence.

Previously, Yang County Magistrate’s wife thought it was lucky for a former maid like Yang Haiyan to achieve the status of a fifth-grade concubine, even if her demeanor didn’t resemble that of a maid at all.

But now she truly understood how impressive Yang Haiyan was.

Yang Haiyan quickly said, “Please, Madam Yang, there’s no need for such formalities between us.”

Yang County Magistrate’s wife smiled, saying, “We can’t disregard etiquette. In fact, I came to visit today not only to bring you this period’s agent fees but also to discuss something with you.”

Earlier, they didn’t have enough silver to pay the full amount for the county’s agent fees, so it was done in installments.

This time, Yang County Magistrate’s wife was here to bring the installment payment. It must be said that this arrangement was very considerate for their family, and they were all very grateful to Yang Haiyan.

“Oh?” Yang Haiyan responded curiously, “What did you want to talk about?”

Granny Lian stepped forward to take the silver that Yang County Magistrate’s wife had brought and quietly stood to the side.

Yang County Magistrate’s wife continued, “It’s about that Miss Qiuya from your family.”

She had wanted to bring this up for a long time but had been too busy with matters in her family and the Qin family.

Later, due to the grain partnership plan, she didn’t want to bother the Qin family, so she had kept quiet about it.

Now that the New Year was approaching and things were gradually settling down, she decided to mention it since she had come today with the installment payment.

Upon hearing this, Yang Haiyan became quite interested.

However, she said, “Madam Yang, before you introduce the other party, I must first be upfront about my third uncle and Qiuyá’s situation. Please consider it carefully; if the other party has no objections, then it’s fine to introduce them. Otherwise, I worry it might lead to some awkwardness.”

Upon hearing this, Yang County Magistrate’s wife felt that Yang Haiyan made a valid point: “Please, Madam, go ahead.”

Yang Haiyan said, “Because my third uncle and third aunt only have Qiuyar as their child, their original intention was to find a husband for her…”

As she spoke, she observed the other person’s expression and noticed their surprise.

She continued, “However, if Qiuyar and the man truly like each other and he has good character, then we can relax the marriage proposal.

They can forgo the arranged marriage; however, their first child must have the surname Qin, regardless of whether it’s a boy or girl. This is a condition from my third uncle’s side.”

One can’t give up a good man just for the sake of an arranged marriage; some conditions can be relaxed.

Mrs. Yang, the county magistrate’s wife, found this difficult to accept.

They certainly wouldn’t agree to an arranged marriage because the person she wanted to introduce was her own son, the legitimate eldest son.

How could she allow her eldest son to become someone else’s son-in-law?

Even if it were the Qin family, no matter how good their conditions were—she wouldn’t agree, not even if it were a princess.

Even if it were not the eldest son but the second legitimate son, she still wouldn’t agree to him becoming a son-in-law.

However, upon hearing Yang Haiyan’s words about relaxing the conditions, which stated that only the first child needed to have the surname Qin, she still wouldn’t agree.

Regardless of whether it was a boy or girl, even if a daughter wasn’t as important as a son, the significance of a legitimate daughter was still different.

Mrs. Yang thought for a moment and asked, “Does it have to be the first child? What about the second or third?”

Yang Haiyan replied, “It won’t work. A woman’s pregnancy is mysterious; what if she ends up not having a second or third child?”

Mrs. Yang sighed.

While her words were not particularly pleasant to hear, they made sense. “In that case, it seems they are not destined to be together. However, I think for someone like Qiuya, they will probably have to choose from a humble family.”

After all, families with slightly worse conditions are often willing to have their sons become sons-in-law.

Yang Haiyan knew there was no malice in her words and smiled, saying, “Indeed, it can only be said that fate has not yet arrived. Besides, Qiuya is only thirteen this year; there’s no rush. We can take our time; she will eventually find the right match.”

Mrs. Yang said, “Then I’ll first express my congratulations to you.” Saying this, she stood up. “The madam is pregnant and needs to rest more; I won’t disturb you any longer.”

Yang Haiyan said, “I’ll have Granny Lian accompany you out.”

Mrs. Yang replied, “Thank you for your trouble.”

As Mrs. Yang left the General’s residence, she looked back one last time.

Wealth is good, but one cannot force it. Initially, she thought that sending her son to marry Qin Qiuya would benefit his future career, but it seemed that the girl was not easy to marry.

Perhaps, this was fate.

Although the girl’s parents had no capability, she had a capable cousin.

If they wanted to arrange a marriage in Yunxiang County, it wouldn’t be too difficult for her.

However, their son was not suitable.

When Mrs. Yang returned home, dinner was ready.

When the county magistrate returned from the yamen, she shared today’s events: “It seems that our family and the Qin family are fated to be apart; this marriage proposal is not going to work.”

The county magistrate replied, “If it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t. Perhaps after a few years, the Emperor will forget about the Yang family’s matters.

After a few years, General Qin will surely soar high. At that time, I can write to General Qin again about this matter; perhaps our son can also pursue the imperial examinations.

General Qin is a practical person. We’ve maintained a good relationship with him in Yunxiang County all these years; it will surely pay off in the future.”

Mrs. Yang replied, “What you said makes sense.”

Yang Haiyan had often heard people talk about morning sickness during pregnancy, but since she became pregnant, she had never experienced it.

Curious, she asked Dr. Li and the experienced Grandma Qin; both said such things were unpredictable.

However, according to Grandma Qin, the baby in her belly was well-behaved and didn’t want to make things hard for its mother.

The winter in Yunxiang County was different from that on the frontier; the frontier winter was dry, while Yunxiang County’s winter was damp and cold—a piercing chill that could seep into one’s bones.

However, the General’s residence had no such worries because there was a kang (a traditional heated bed).

With the kang, Yang Haiyan didn’t want to get out of bed.

While the kang couldn’t compare to air conditioning, it was warmer than a regular bed, almost like an electric blanket.

“Madam, someone has come to deliver New Year’s gifts. Guess who it is,” Granny Lian entered the room and hurriedly closed the curtain to prevent the cold wind from coming in and making the madam uncomfortable.

Yang Haiyan said, “The Du family’s New Year’s gifts have already arrived. The only ones who could still send gifts to the residence at this time are either my second uncle or the Ding family. Which family is it?”

Yang Haiyan thought again, “Could it be those common folks who previously sent cucumbers?”

Granny Lian smiled and shook her head. “Not them. You can guess again.”

Yang Haiyan surrendered, saying, “Granny, just spare me and tell me who sent it. I need to prepare a return gift.”

Mama Lian said, “It’s from the frontier.”

Yang Haiyan was taken aback and then felt a bit happy. “Could it be from Captain Han? Did Dahua send it?”

She realized that after two years of traveling through time, she really hadn’t made any close friends.

When she was on the frontier, she had a good relationship with Yang Dahua and Sister Lu, but as Qin Fang and Captain Lu’s official positions changed, Sister Lu increasingly respected her and became less familiar than before.

She understood the reason: this was the ingrained social hierarchy of ancient times.

Thus, now she could only consider Yang Dahua as a friend.

Granny Lian replied, “You guessed it right! It’s a New Year’s gift from Captain Han’s family. They are still waiting outside, and there’s a letter from Madam Han for you.” Saying this, Granny Lian handed the letter to Yang Haiyan.

Yang Haiyan opened the letter and read it.

The writing wasn’t too impressive, but she noted, “This letter was written by Dahua. She says the Han family has invited a teacher, and she is learning to read. She’s worried that my laughter will make fun of her because her writing isn’t good.”

Granny Lian said, “Madam Han is an ambitious and hardworking person.”

Yang Haiyan agreed, “Indeed. Ah, she also mentioned that the grain supplier in Ren Prefecture is the Yonghe Marquis’s residence. However, the Han family has become the agency in the county town…”