Chapter 34: The Years Are Peaceful

Tian Mi woke up to see two rosy babies quietly sleeping, and she felt a wonderful sensation; these were her children, born from her body, and a wave of maternal love surged within her.

The grandmother and Sister Minghui were keeping watch by the bed, wearing joyful smiles.

The aunt brought a bowl of red sugar eggs and said, “Quick, drink this! You’ll need it to nurse the babies soon!”

Tian Dabiao came in to look at one baby, then the other, tears welling up in his eyes. He remembered how tiny his Mi’er was back then, and now, in the blink of an eye, she had become a mother.

The family was both happy and excited.

Tian Mi drank the red sugar water, feeling touched by everyone around her. It was certain that the children born here would be very happy.

Just a moment ago, she had been in so much pain during labor, but she hadn’t paid attention to it. Now she remembered to ask, “Aunt, where did the eggs come from?”

The aunt replied, “Mr. Huang went out to buy them, specially for you to eat during childbirth.”

Huang Yuanying and the other two had been getting along well with everyone since they arrived in Taoyuan Valley. Thinking back to how much money they had taken in when they took them in, Tian Mi felt a bit embarrassed!

Tian Dabiao said, “Daughter, the old carpenter just said he would make a small bed for the babies, so you won’t accidentally crush them while you sleep.”

Tian Mi smiled and replied, “Okay, thank you, Uncle He.”

She continued, “Dad, please leave two mu of land here for me to keep empty for now. The person who sold me the seeds will send me some vegetable seeds in a while, and then I’ll plant them.”

Tian Dabiao said, “Alright, you just focus on resting and taking care of the babies. Don’t worry too much!”

Tian Mi had thought that raising the children would be very hard after giving birth, but in reality, she didn’t even have the chance to hold them. Xu Feiyan and Chen Miaomiao fought every day to hold the babies, and even Sister Minghui didn’t get a chance to hold them. Tian Mi was just responsible for nursing.

The valley was breathtaking, especially Tian Mi’s home, where the trees she had planted were in full bloom, surrounding her house with clusters of red, white, pink, and purple flowers.

The air was filled with the fragrance of various blossoms, refreshing and uplifting.

Xu Feiyan, holding a baby, said, “Sister Tian Mi, when you gave birth, all these trees outside were blooming. Isn’t it strange? The babies came into this world smelling the flowers.”

Tian Mi smiled; this season was naturally when the flowers would bloom, but the valley was just a bit warmer, causing them to bloom a little earlier.

Tian Mi encouraged Xu Feiyan to have everyone pick wildflowers whenever they had the chance, as various types of wildflowers were blooming.

She planned to collect the flowers from her courtyard as well.

Life in the mountains had somewhat enchanted her; women with children tend to be more content and can feel the tranquility of life.

Half a month later, she found an opportunity to go out and brought back some seeds, including cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, watermelons, peppers, bok choy, green beans, scallions, garlic, and ginger.

In this era, few people specifically planted vegetables; most just foraged for wild greens to eat.

Sister Minghui said, “You’re still in confinement; go rest in your room. Just tell me how you want to plant, and I’ll call a couple of people to help.”

It was currently spring plowing season, and everyone was busy planting potatoes. Even Zuo Zhengfeng and Huang Yuanying were working in the fields. This was the priority; her planting could wait. She wanted to sprout the seeds first before transplanting.

Tian Mi soaked the seeds in lime water and then in spring water, carefully preparing a patch of land in the courtyard for seedling cultivation. Minghui grabbed a hoe and said, “Just tell me how! For such a small patch of land, I can break the soil into powder.”

She was also a diligent person, so Tian Mi didn’t compete with her. She let her work the soil finely, mix in some well-fermented manure, and then carefully sprinkle the seeds according to their varieties and cover them up.

Sister Minghui laughed and said, “What are you planting? If it doesn’t grow into a block of gold, it would be a shame for such meticulous work.”

Tian Mi smiled and replied, “When the time comes, we’ll eat it like a block of gold.”

Xu Feiyan and Chen Miaomiao came out of the house pouting, saying, “Linlin and Meimei sleep all day; it’s no fun.”

Tian Mi named her first son Tian Lin and her daughter Tian Mei.

Tian Mi said, “These little babies just sleep all day. How are the potato seedlings doing?”

Xu Feiyan replied, “We should be able to plant all of them in the next couple of days. I spent half the morning planting seedlings, and my back almost broke. The women from Fengqiu Village can bend all day, and then bend again the next day; it’s really tough!”

Farmers everywhere have it hard!

Chen Miaomiao said, “Dad said if we finish planting the fields in the next few days, he’ll go up the mountain to dig for herbs. There are quite a few medicinal materials coming out this season, and by autumn, we’ll have eaten most of what we stored. These days, everyone has been eating very simply, mostly wild vegetables. I wonder if anyone in the city is buying herbs now?”

It was indeed a time of transition; last autumn’s grain harvest had been nearly consumed. Fortunately, everyone still had enough meat to eat, so it wasn’t too much of a famine.

Tian Mi said, “How much can we sell medicinal materials for? If we dig some and bring them back to make medicine, I’ll find a way to check in the city.”

Minghui responded, “No, no! It’s very chaotic outside right now; it’s too dangerous for you to go out.”

Tian Mi was no longer overweight; she now weighed just over 120 pounds, still carrying a bit of baby fat. Her skin was delicate and rosy, her lips red like peach blossoms, her teeth white as pearls, and her eyes bright like stars. In these troubled times, going out could easily attract trouble.

Tian Mi laughed and said, “Sister Minghui, don’t you believe in my abilities? I can punch a cow to death with one blow.”

That was true; there were very few men who could fight Tian Mi, and once she went out, it wouldn’t just be one or two people who would come after her.

Tian Mi said, “I’ll just paint my face black, so don’t worry!”

Although she was chubby when she first arrived, it was truly convenient. With a big knife in hand, she felt like the safest person in the world. Now, going out, she had to think of ways to protect herself! Indeed, with gains come losses!

That beautiful young man definitely wouldn’t recognize her now and wouldn’t chase after her anymore. His swordsmanship was quite impressive; she might not be able to defeat him. If they met again, she would never admit that she had slept in his bandit lair back then. What could he do about it? Did he have any evidence?

Recently, Zuo Zhengfeng had been leaving early and returning late, running out to the valley, and he even specifically sought out Tian Mi to buy some hanging gas and medicine for external injuries. Tian Mi felt embarrassed to take his money, so she gave him two bottles each, estimating that it wouldn’t be long before King Yu would be finished.

Bai Mucheng took more than half a month to capture Shengrong City. The Qi King was beheaded by his subordinates who surrendered to him. After he took over Shengrong City, the emperor sent various officials to assist in the management and also brought an imperial decree, bestowing him the title of Ding Wang, meaning the country is pacified.

This made the empress extremely happy. Her eldest son was the crown prince, and her youngest son was also made a king. The side consort and now the noble consort had two sons who were still nothing; it should be this way, with distinctions between legitimate and illegitimate offspring.

As for the other consorts, there was no need to mention them. When the Jin King took a side consort, she had taken the initiative to have another side consort added, resulting in three concubines. As the main consort, she was never afraid of the Jin King taking concubines; she was the one in charge, and they were merely her subordinates.

Now that she was the empress, it was even less of a concern. She actively helped the emperor select concubines. After all, they had come from the border, and their connections were still somewhat weak. Adding people to the emperor’s harem was a good thing for her! It not only solidified the imperial power but also earned her the emperor’s gratitude.

She maximized the role of the old matriarch!

As for the noble consort, she was getting old; what was there to compete for favor anymore?

Now she was just waiting for her youngest son to marry and have grandchildren, and that would be perfect.