Ten days later, a large batch of potato flour and sweet potato flour was completed.

This was all dry flour made by Yang Haiyan along with the people from the General’s Mansion, resulting in a substantial quantity.

Once the potato flour and sweet potato flour were ready, Tao Shan set off with a letter for Lord Du and a memorial to the Emperor.

Because he had so much to carry, Tao Shan also brought two guards from the General’s Mansion with him.

In these ten days, Meng Ping had returned after searching for Aunt Fan.

The reason Aunt Fan hadn’t come back was due to her daughter’s situation.

Years ago, Aunt Fan’s daughter had gone to raise money but hadn’t succeeded, leading to Aunt Fan being taken away by the pawnbroker.

After learning about this, her daughter fell seriously ill and has been unwell ever since.

Aunt Fan stayed in her hometown to care for her daughter.

She had been quite passive there.

Her daughter’s in-laws and her ex-husband’s family had teamed up to bully her, and she didn’t want to cause trouble for the General’s Mansion, so she kept silent about it until Meng Ping visited.

Only then did everyone realize that Aunt Fan had support behind her and that no one dared bully her anymore.

This allowed Aunt Fan to live a bit more comfortably.

Knowing Aunt Fan was alright, Yang Haiyan felt relieved.

The kitchen was now managed by the Kun Zhang family, with Meng Qiu serving as an assistant.

Aunt Yu and Meng Ping took care of the courtyard’s hygiene, so the number of servants the General’s Mansion had actually bought in Yunxiang County was quite small.

She thought it would be better to hire the families of the private guards instead of buying new servants.

This way, the families of the guards wouldn’t need to look for work, and she wouldn’t have to find unfamiliar servants—making it a win-win situation.

“Madam.. Madam…” Yang Haiyan was taking a nap when she heard Granny Lian’s voice calling her.

“What is it?” Yang Haiyan sat up.

Although she wasn’t tired, she had been busy with the potato flour and sweet potato flour preparations for the past ten days.

Everything sent to the Emperor had to be done with utmost caution to avoid any accidents.

Because of this, Yang Haiyan had been on edge, unable to relax.

Until the items reached the Emperor and she received a receipt, she couldn’t help but worry.

Her actions were indeed quite bold, as her only understanding of the current Emperor came from what she read in novels.

According to the novels, the only blemish on this Emperor’s record was the crown prince matter.

Throughout his life, from prince to emperor, he was depicted as wise and enlightened.

Yet, since Yang Dahua and her husband were the protagonists, even if he chose a child who should have been the legitimate heir as the crown prince, this blemish went unnoticed because the prince raised by the protagonists couldn’t possibly turn out poorly.

However, Yang Haiyan had no idea if the current Emperor was indeed like the one in the novels.

After all, novels are just words, and the characters within them lack flesh and blood.

Now, the people she interacted with were very real.

Yang Haiyan was taking a risk, armed with her understanding from the novels and the Emperor’s granting of her title as Xiang jun. She was taking a chance.

If the Emperor was like the one depicted in the novels, her risk would pay off, and she might earn his favor.

If he was unlike the character in the novel, she wouldn’t take any further risks; she believed this incident alone wouldn’t lead to her demise.

If the Emperor truly wanted to harm her, she had ways to protect herself.

Thus, over these past few days, she remained tense.

Lian Mama said, “The soldiers guarding the city reported that Huang Huzi has arrived with the Qin family and is already at the city gate. He asked to inform the Madam first.”

Yang Haiyan quickly said, “Hurry, help me tidy my hair a bit; I need to go to the gate to greet them.”

It had been a whole year since she last saw the Qin family, and she was curious about how they were doing.

She was even more eager to know what choice the Qin family had made regarding this matter.

Nonetheless, she was happy that they were coming; it would make things livelier.

Although she didn’t enjoy living with her in-laws, it was still lonely with just the two of them.

With the Qin family coming, they would likely be arranged to stay in the military camp nearby, and they wouldn’t be living together, allowing her more freedom to move around.

Granny Lian quickly tidied up Yang Haiyan’s hair, which had become disheveled from her nap, and then the two headed to the General’s Mansion entrance to receive guests.

Yang Haiyan called out, “Uncle Hong, open the main gate; we have guests coming.”

Uncle Hong replied, “Yes.”

Hearing Yang Haiyan mention guests made him quite nervous.

Granny Lian reassured her, “They haven’t arrived yet. The county gate is quite a distance from our mansion, even by horse-drawn carriage it will take some time. You needn’t be too anxious, Madam.”

Yang Haiyan smiled, “I am a bit nervous; I haven’t seen Grandpa and Grandma, or my parents, in so long. Did the soldiers mention who exactly is coming today?”

Lian Mama replied, “The old servant asked, and the soldiers said they didn’t know the specifics about who was coming, just that many people had arrived, and not only were there many people, but also many goods on the carriages.”

Upon hearing this, Yang Haiyan felt uncertain, not knowing who exactly was coming.

However, the more people that came, the happier Qin Fang would be.

He was a dutiful son; even if he was doing well outside, he was always concerned for his family back home.

Even though he sent money to them every year, he knew his family was frugal and reluctant to spend money.

Thus, he always wanted to ensure they had good food and that they weren’t going without.

But those from the countryside were used to being frugal; how could they bear to spend money?

Yang Haiyan thought that now that the elderly had come to Yunxiang County, she could take the meat and vegetables she bought to them.

They would definitely be willing to eat it, as they would hate to see such food go to waste.

Suddenly, Granny Lian said, “They are here, they are here! Madam, look over there! Several carriages are coming!”

Yang Haiyan looked over and could see the carriages even though they were still some distance away; it was certainly the Qin family’s.

Sure enough, as they got closer, it was indeed the Qin family.

Leading the way was Huang Huzi, riding a horse, with Qin Father following him, driving the horse-drawn carriage.

Both of Qin Father’s brothers could drive a carriage, and while the Qin family didn’t own a carriage, they rented bull and donkey carts from others due to their farmland.

Thus, driving a horse-drawn carriage was similar to driving a bull or donkey cart, so all three brothers could do it.

Compared to bull and donkey carts, the faster horse-drawn carriage was something men preferred.

Without realizing it, Yang Haiyan stepped out of the door and took a few steps forward.

Then, she saw the curtain of the first carriage open, and someone peeked out—it was her familiar Qin Mother.

Hearing Qin Father’s voice saying he saw Yang Haiyan, Qin Mother came out to take a look.

When she truly saw her daughter-in-law, she nervously exclaimed, “Yanyan!”

She was both nervous and excited, making her voice especially loud.

However, after she shouted, she felt she had made a mistake—how could one speak so loudly in the county town without being laughed at?

Suddenly, Qin Mother felt embarrassed, thinking she had embarrassed her son and daughter-in-law.

Unexpectedly, Yang Haiyan responded loudly, “Ah, Mother! You’ve finally come! These past few days, my husband has been missing you all so much that he couldn’t even eat!”

It was impossible to make a rice lover like Qin Fang lose his appetite.

Upon hearing her daughter-in-law’s warm response, Qin Mother let out a sigh of relief.

Her daughter-in-law didn’t find her annoying, and that made her feel at ease.

When she heard her daughter-in-law mention her son, her eyes became teary.

Compared to how much their son missed his parents, it was the parents who missed their son even more.

They worried about him encountering danger out in the world, as being a military general was perilous.

The carriage arrived at the entrance of the General’s residence.

Qin Father jumped off first and then helped Qin Mother down.

Yang Haiyan approached the carriage, extended her hand, and called out to Qin Father, “Father!”

She then turned to Qin Mother and said, “Mother, please be careful.”

Qin Mother was still a bit cautious towards her daughter-in-law.

In her heart, she believed her son had climbed too high to be with a daughter-in-law like Yang Haiyan, even if she thought her son was great.

People often said that daughters-in-law from prominent families were difficult to deal with.

While Qin Mother didn’t find Yang Haiyan difficult, the pressure of interacting with someone from a prestigious background made her feel uneasy.

However, seeing her daughter-in-law’s enthusiasm eased her worries somewhat.

Qin Mother said, “Yanyan, don’t worry. I’m used to doing rough work at home; it’s nothing.” Saying this, she jumped down herself.

Yang Haiyan didn’t know Qin Mother’s thoughts, but she had a good impression of her.

Traditionally, the mother-in-law-daughter-in-law relationship could be extreme; some mothers-in-law were exceptionally good, while others were terrible.

In Yang Haiyan’s mind, Qin Mother was undoubtedly one of the good ones.

Seeing this, Yang Haiyan supported her: “Mother, aside from you and Father, who else has come? Have Grandfather and Grandmother arrived?”

“They’re here, they’re here…” Qin Grandmother’s carriage was just behind, and she called out loudly upon hearing Yang Haiyan, worried that her granddaughter-in-law wouldn’t hear her.

Seeing this, Yang Haiyan walked toward the back and said, “Grandmother, it’s hard work coming this way, right?”

Qin Grandmother smiled and replied, “At my age, the journey is indeed a bit tiring, but thinking of seeing you all makes it worthwhile.”

Yang Haiyan found Qin Grandmother quite amusing; her words were pleasant to hear.

When Qin Grandfather and Qin Grandmother got off the carriage, everyone else from the other carriages also disembarked.

The first and third branches of the family were all present, while the second branch had only Qin Second Uncle and Niu Dan.

Niu Dan, being lively and cute, was the first to greet, “Eldest Aunt!”

Yang Haiyan, who liked lively children who knew how to behave, felt a fondness for him.

As someone used to solitude, she sometimes yearned for a bustling family, but at other times, she feared the hassle. “It’s only been a year, and Niu Dan has grown taller.”

Niu Dan replied, “I eat one egg every day!”

Since the second branch had separated, they raised chickens, and Er Ya could handle simple needlework, so Qin Second Aunt occasionally bought meat to supplement their meals.

Yang Haiyan said, “From today onwards, you can have two eggs a day to help you grow even taller.”

Niu Dan’s eyes brightened, “Really? I love eating eggs!”

Yang Haiyan confirmed, “Of course it’s true.”

After teasing Niu Dan for a moment, she asked Qin Second Uncle, “Uncle, why didn’t Second Aunt and Second Daughter come?”

Qin Second Uncle, being honest, replied, “She…”

Qin Grandmother interjected, “Yanyan, let’s talk about this inside.”

Upon hearing this, Yang Haiyan wondered if something had happened with Second Aunt, so she didn’t ask further.

Instead, she greeted Qin Third Uncle’s family: “It’s good that you came; you can keep Siya company. I chose a formal name for Siya that means ‘to think of’ and ‘to sprout.'”

Qin Shouye said, “In the letter from Siya last year, she boasted about her name, saying that it was given to her by Elder Sister-in-law, and it’s really beautiful.”

Seeing Qin Shouye looking quite spirited and having grown taller, Yang Haiyan teased, “You better be careful; once she comes back from the embroidery shop, she might just outshine you in reading.”

Qin Shouye said, “I feel ashamed; I might not even know as many characters as she does.”

He had only been learning for a year, so his recognition of characters was limited.

Yang Haiyan replied, “No worries, Shoucheng has books; you can go look at them. For the characters you don’t know, let Shoucheng teach you later.”

Qin Mother said, “That sounds great.”

Qin Third Uncle asked, “Sister-in-law, why don’t you give our Third Daughter a formal name as well?”

Hearing this, Qin Third Aunt felt it was a good idea and couldn’t help but say, “Third Daughter and Fourth Daughter are sisters, so having formal names is indeed better, but it’s a bit troublesome for Yanyan.”

Third Daughter was also looking at Yang Haiyan expectantly.

At this moment, Yang Haiyan felt a bit awkward: “Is it alright for me to name her?”

She looked at Qin Grandmother.

She had given Qin Siya a name because she believed a girl should have a formal name, and as the eldest sister-in-law, with Qin Fang’s approval, it wasn’t a big deal.

But for Third Daughter, who was a cousin from a different branch, she didn’t dare take the initiative.

Qin Grandmother said, “What’s the issue? Let Qin Fang name the boys, and let you, the eldest sister-in-law, name the girls. It’s a good idea. Later, let’s have Ah Fang name Niu Dan too.”

Everyone was still chatting outside, and people were yet to enter.

Qin Grandfather said, “You ladies go in first; it’s hot outside. Eldest Son, you and the others bring the grain inside.”

Yang Haiyan paused, “Grain?”

Qin Grandfather explained, “The last few carriages are filled with grain. We thought we’d bring it all over since it might mold at home.”

Yang Haiyan praised, “You think ahead, Grandfather.”

In fact, bringing all this grain was quite a lot of work.

However, since the old man was frugal, she didn’t complain. “Grandfather, you and everyone else should come in too.”

She then turned to Uncle Hong beside her, “Uncle Hong, please call someone to help carry things.”

Uncle Hong replied, “Yes.”

Yang Haiyan took the opportunity to introduce, “Grandfather, Grandmother, this is Uncle Hong, who manages the door. Since there aren’t many people at home, he is both the doorman and the steward. And this is Granny Lian, who is beside me; if you need anything, you can find her. There are also…”, as she led everyone inside, explaining things about the household.

Once they entered the General’s residence, the Qin family members were left speechless.

Although the General’s residence had been around for years and had only been repaired but not refurbished, they hadn’t noticed its grandeur when they were outside.

Now that they were inside, the difference became apparent.

Qin Grandmother exclaimed, “Oh my, is this all from the General?”

Yang Haiyan laughed and explained, “This General’s residence was originally a prince’s mansion. The prince was the younger brother of the late emperor, so his mansion was quite grand. After the prince passed away, the mansion was left empty. Once my husband and I arrived, it was renovated into the General’s residence. However, it’s just temporarily for us to live in. This General’s residence isn’t ours; if my husband is reassigned elsewhere, the General’s residence must be returned to the court. Therefore, since it’s so big, we just live here for now.”

Thus, everything belonged to the court, and the size didn’t matter at all.