Yang Haiyan brought the Qin family to the newly renovated courtyard.

She had divided the General’s Mansion meticulously: the eastern part was for the host’s residence, while the western part was designated for guests.

Because the mansion used to belong to royalty, it had numerous courtyards.

However, since the Qin family had just arrived, assigning each of them a separate courtyard would have been uncomfortable.

So Yang Haiyan planned to settle San Ya in Qin Siya’s courtyard.

The two sisters had always gotten along well, so being together would keep San Ya from feeling lonely, and Qin Siya could also take her around and play with her.

Although Qin Siya was only ten years old and currently not present, Yang Haiyan decided to wait for her approval before bringing San Ya into her courtyard.

Next, she arranged for Qin Shouye to stay in Qin Shoucheng’s courtyard, thinking the brothers could chat and spend time together.

Knowing Qin Shoucheng’s character, he would surely be delighted to have his brother with him.

She then assigned Third Uncle Qin and his wife to share a courtyard with Second Uncle Qin and his son.

This courtyard had an east and west wing, so they would each have their own space.

Qin Grandpa, Qin Grandma, Qin Father, and Qin Mother were placed in one of the larger courtyards reserved for the primary family members.

Qin Siya and Qin Shoucheng’s courtyards already had maids, so Yang Haiyan provided servants for the other two courtyards as well.

However, she did not assign personal servants to the Main Branch Qin family members, knowing that after a lifetime of hard work, they might not be accustomed to having servants.

Over time, as they adapted, servants could be gradually added.

After settling everyone, she said, “Grandpa, Grandma, Father, Mother, this is Aunt Meihua. She will be here to assist you and is responsible for cleaning the courtyard. If you need anything, feel free to ask her.”

Qin Grandpa nodded.

Qin Grandma smiled and said, “Yanyan, you’ve thought of everything. This mansion is so large that we’d probably get lost without someone guiding us.”

Yang Haiyan laughed, “You’re only lost now because it’s your first time here, Grandma. Soon enough, you’ll become the Lady of the Manor, the Old Matriarch, and you’ll know every corner like the back of your hand.” Her words implied that she hoped Qin Grandma would live here with them long-term.

Even if Qin Grandma hadn’t planned on staying permanently, she was pleased by her granddaughter-in-law’s thoughtful arrangements.

As she grew older, she naturally wished for a home full of children and grandchildren, and having her eldest grandson’s family close by was even more heartwarming.

The way Yang Haiyan treated her reassured her that her other grandchildren would be well looked after.

Qin Grandma chuckled, holding Yang Haiyan’s hand and patting it gently. “Afang is truly blessed to have married you.”

Yang Haiyan held her hand back playfully, saying, “It’s the Qin family’s good fortune to have such a wonderful husband for me!”

Qin Grandma laughed even harder at her response.

Yang Haiyan continued, “Grandma, you must be tired from the journey. Why don’t you freshen up, take a bath, and have some porridge to settle your stomach? I didn’t know you were coming today, so the kitchen hasn’t prepared a meal yet, but I can quickly arrange for some porridge.”

Qin Grandma promptly replied, “Good, good, we’ll follow your arrangements.”

Yang Haiyan turned to the head maid, Granny Lian, and instructed, “Granny, please arrange for hot water so that the elders can wash up, and tell the kitchen to prepare porridge quickly, so they won’t go hungry.”

Granny Lian replied, “I’ll take care of it right away.”

Yang Haiyan then told Qin Grandma, “Please rest for a while, Grandma. I’ll go check on Father and Mother.”

Qin Grandma responded, “Go ahead.”

After Yang Haiyan left, Qin Grandma turned to Qin Grandpa, saying, “It’s good that Afang’s wife was chosen by the court and not by us from the village. Now that Afang is a general, having a wife who can handle the role and manage the household is essential.”

Qin Grandpa nodded, “Afang’s wife is a fine one.”

The elderly couple continued their private conversation as Yang Haiyan went to see Qin Father and Qin Mother.

Qin Mother was exploring the small courtyard, marveling at how much better it was than the houses they had in the village.

When she saw Yang Haiyan approach, she warmly walked over and said, “This place is so big. It must be exhausting to manage everything. You seem much thinner than last year.”

Touched by Qin Mother’s kindness, Yang Haiyan held her arm and led her inside, saying, “It’s not tiring, Mother. The servants handle most of it. Since both my husband and I have official salaries now, we need to keep up appearances befitting our status.”

Her words had a dual purpose: to explain that the servants were necessary for their status and to subtly point out that she wasn’t financially dependent on her husband.

Qin Mother seemed to understand and nodded, “That makes sense. We shouldn’t lose face. With Afang’s position, we have to maintain a respectable image.”

After a moment, she added, “Are your salaries enough? I’ve recently been given a decree by the emperor, and according to the county magistrate, I receive a monthly stipend of over four taels of silver. If you’re ever short, you can use mine.”

Yang Haiyan quickly replied, “Mother, you should keep that as your own spending money. I have over a hundred taels of silver per month, so we have no shortage of funds.”

Qin Mother was astonished.

She had thought that four taels per month was quite substantial, but hearing that her daughter-in-law earned so much more, she was shocked. “How is that possible? Does the court really pay you so much? Even the county magistrate doesn’t earn that much, does he?”

Yang Haiyan explained, “I’m a third-rank Marquess, which is different from a seventh-rank county magistrate. Generally speaking, fifth rank is a dividing line; above and below are two different circles.” In reality, her monthly stipend was 285 taels, but she kept that detail to herself.

Qin Mother was puzzled, “But isn’t Afang only fifth rank? How are you third rank?” Typically, a wife’s rank followed her husband’s, so wouldn’t Yang Haiyan’s rank be below Afang’s?

Yang Haiyan replied, “It’s actually because of my husband. When we first arrived, we didn’t have much silver, and the military camp had over a thousand soldiers to feed. We were often forced to subsidize their expenses personally… So, I devised a plan to resolve the food supply issue for the soldiers, and that’s why the emperor rewarded me with a third-rank title.”

Qin Mother was deeply moved, “Yanyan, you’re truly incredible.”

She recalled a fortune teller’s words: that this daughter-in-law was blessed.

It seemed they were right.

She even began to think that her son’s success might be attributed to his wife’s good fortune.

Yang Haiyan smiled, “It’s not my ability alone. I only made this achievement because of my husband’s hard work. You wouldn’t believe how talented he is! He discovered two types of ores that are useful to both the court and the entire nation. I only realized the practical uses of those ores. If not for him, I wouldn’t have accomplished anything. He’s the truly amazing one.”

She knew that in front of her mother-in-law, praising her husband was always wise, regardless of any criticism the mother might have.

Qin Mother, who had always acknowledged her daughter-in-law’s excellence, was pleased.

While she had often felt her son was fortunate to have married Yang Haiyan, hearing her praise her son in return was heartwarming.

If Qin Fang hadn’t brought Yang Haiyan to Ren Prefecture, Qin Fang would still have discovered the sulfur and saltpeter mines, but Yang Haiyan wouldn’t have thought about the military camp land, nor would she have come up with the idea of making ice from saltpeter so quickly and at just the right moment.

Yang Haiyan had always known that she was a lucky person, because she met Qin Fang.

Mother Qin was overjoyed by Yang Haiyan’s compliments.

Hearing praise for her son was sweeter than hearing praise for herself.

However, she still maintained her serious expression and said, “Yanyan, you can’t spoil men, you have to keep them in check.”

Yang Haiyan couldn’t help but laugh. “But I’m younger than my husband. Since you’re here, if my husband makes a mistake, I’ll secretly tell you, and you can take care of him. That way, he won’t know it was me who reported him to you.”

Mother Qin playfully tapped her on the forehead. “You little rascal.”

She was really happy.

Neither her son nor her daughter would chat with her so affectionately, but unexpectedly, her daughter-in-law could be this close to her.

As the two chatted idly, the conversation turned to the second household.

Yang Haiyan asked, “Mother, why didn’t Second Aunt and Second Cousin come?”

Upon hearing this, Mother Qin recounted the situation of the Qin family, also mentioning the matter of the family separation letter. “… So, this is what your Second Aunt meant. She felt Niudan wouldn’t have much of a future if he stayed in the old home, so she let him come with us.

Frankly speaking, Yanyan, it’s better that Niudan came with us than if your Second Uncle’s entire family came. If Niudan stayed back home, who knows what he would become.

Even if your Second Uncle wrote a family separation letter, Niudan is still part of the Qin family. If he wasn’t raised well and something happened in the future, it might drag Afang down.

Now that Niudan is here, we can teach him properly. Even if he doesn’t become a help to Afang, at least he won’t cause trouble for him. What do you think?”

This was also the reason Mother Qin hadn’t objected at the time.

Besides, Niudan wasn’t a troublemaker.

Yang Haiyan was still shocked by Grandfather Qin’s actions.

Wow, the old man was so sharp.

Not only was family valued highly in ancient times, but even in modern times, where family ties are weaker, few people would act like him.

One had to admit, Grandfather Qin truly loved Qin Fang and had great foresight.

“Yanyan?” Mother Qin called out when she noticed her daughter-in-law’s silence.

She thought Yang Haiyan might disagree, so there was a hint of tension in her brows.

Yang Haiyan quickly said, “Mother, I’m listening. I have no objections. Grandfather has thought so much for Afang, and Niudan is his own grandson. Out of respect for Grandfather’s care, we should also raise Niudan well. We can’t just take all the benefits ourselves, and if something happens to the second household, let Grandfather take the blame.”

Mother Qin nodded. “Exactly, you’ve thought it through.”

At the time, she had only considered her son, but hadn’t thought about Grandfather Qin.

Her daughter-in-law had thought of it, which showed her understanding.

Grandfather Qin was righteous, and Yang Haiyan couldn’t pretend she didn’t see that.

It wasn’t that Grandfather Qin didn’t care about the second household; he was simply making the best decision for the Qin family.

If the second household fell into hardship and Niudan had no future, Grandfather Qin would surely feel sad and guilty.

But if they took Niudan in and educated him well, giving him a chance, and he still didn’t succeed, then it would be Niudan’s fault, and Grandfather Qin wouldn’t feel guilty or sad.

For the sake of Grandfather Qin’s kindness, Yang Haiyan was indeed willing to take in Niudan and educate him well.

Besides, with Niudan here, there was no need to worry about Second Aunt causing trouble.

With a plan in mind, Yang Haiyan said, “Mother, I’ll arrange for Niudan to attend school. We’ll see if he has a talent for studying. If he does, we’ll support him in his studies. If not, he can still learn to read, and then we’ll have the private guards teach him martial arts. He’s young, so it’s important he learns these things now.”

Mother Qin, hearing her daughter-in-law’s well-organized plan, felt reassured. “I’ll leave it to you. But what about Niudan’s expenses?”

Yang Haiyan replied, “We’ll cover them. Not from the main household, but from our own funds. My husband is the elder brother, so it’s only right for him to take care of his younger brother and pay for his education. Given our current financial situation, looking after Niudan is no big deal.”

Mother Qin thought about it and recalled that her daughter-in-law earned a hundred taels of silver a month in salary.

She had no objections.

Raising Niudan for a year would only cost one or two taels at most, which wasn’t much for the eldest son’s family.

If they were struggling financially, Mother Qin wouldn’t have agreed.

After chatting for a while longer, Father Qin finished his bath, and it was Mother Qin’s turn.

Yang Haiyan said, “Mother, I’ll go take care of some things. Now that our family is reunited, let’s have a nice dinner tonight.”

Mother Qin replied, “Alright.”

Yang Haiyan returned to her own courtyard, instructing Granny Lian to prepare a good meal for the evening, and then called Kunshi over. “Captain Kun, send someone to wait at the foot of the Beast Mountain. When the general comes down, let him know that the family has returned. He should know.”

Kunshi responded, “Yes.”

The Qin family members had each taken a warm bath and, though still weary, felt refreshed.

They sat in their respective small courtyards, enjoying bowls of shredded meat porridge that Yang Haiyan had thoughtfully prepared for them.

Due to the short notice, only porridge and some simple rice gruel were available.

After several days of travel and subsisting on dry food, the warm porridge was gentle on their stomachs, and they appreciated it.

The rice porridge was accompanied by a few refreshing side dishes.

Qin Grandpa, Qin Grandma, and Qin parents ate together, joined by Qin Second Uncle, Niudan, and Qin Shouye in the main courtyard, while Qin Third Uncle’s family enjoyed their meal in their own courtyard.

Both courtyards were filled with the warmth of conversation over dinner.

Qin Third Aunt, normally a quiet woman who felt self-conscious due to not bearing a son, spoke up today. “This General’s Manor is enormous. Afang must be really impressive to have a place like this.”

Qin Third Uncle nodded with pride. “Afang has always been clever and hard-working. Everything he’s achieved is due to his own efforts.”

Speaking of his nephew filled him with pride.

He had long since accepted that he wouldn’t have a son of his own, and though he planned to bring in a son-in-law for his daughter, he also saw Afang as a son and took joy in his accomplishments.

Qin Third Aunt smiled. “So, are we going to depend on Afang in the future?”

Qin Third Uncle replied, “Now that we’ve come here, of course, we’ll depend on him. But we won’t cause him any trouble. Once he settles us, we’ll be fine. And as for Sanya, I hope she spends more time with Siya. Siya is Afang’s sister, so his wife will surely take good care of her. If Sanya can stick with Siya, it might elevate her own standing. We don’t expect her to find wealth or status; we just want her to marry an honest, dependable husband she can rely on for life.”

Hearing her husband’s words, Qin Third Aunt shared her own thoughts, “I was thinking that that young man, Huang Huzi, who traveled with us, seemed like a good match.”

Qin Third Uncle frowned. “What are you thinking? He already has a wife.”

Qin Third Aunt quickly clarified, “No, I didn’t mean him specifically. I was just thinking that if Afang has any other young men like him among his subordinates, one who isn’t married yet, he might be suitable for our Sanya.”

Sanya ate her meal quietly, listening to her parents openly discussing her future.

In the past, they never spoke about such matters in her presence.

But now that she was old enough and they were planning her marriage, they wanted her to be part of the conversation.

Qin Third Uncle considered his wife’s suggestion. “You have a point. Anyone who’s Afang’s subordinate should be of good character. And if they’re capable enough to serve him, they must be reliable. Plus, if one of them marries Sanya, Afang will likely offer guidance, and the young man would treat Sanya well, out of respect for Afang. What do you think, Sanya?”

Thirteen-year-old Sanya knew the importance of finding a good man, especially since her future husband would be joining their family.

She didn’t want her parents to suffer if they picked poorly. “I trust your judgment,” she said.

Thinking of Huang Huzi’s strong build, she realized that someone like him would be ideal—able to work and capable of handling himself.

Seeing that his daughter was open to the idea, Qin Third Uncle said, “Alright then, I’ll bring this up with Afang and see what he thinks.”

Qin Third Aunt added, “This isn’t something to discuss with Afang; we should bring it up with his wife. Men don’t concern themselves with their cousin’s affairs. Women handle these matters.”

Qin Third Uncle agreed, and the conversation turned to lighter topics.

Now that they had started planning Sanya’s marriage, they felt more relaxed, knowing that this major family concern was progressing.

Unbeknownst to them, Yang Haiyan had finished organizing things with Aunt Zhang in the kitchen and was now in her study, contemplating names for the Qin family’s daughters.

She browsed through some poetry collections, thinking of elegant yet straightforward names.

Since the Qin girls were not literate, overly complex names would only make things harder for them.

She had named Qin Siya after Fourth Ya, and now she pondered names for the remaining three girls.

For First Ya, she thought of “Da Ya,” but it sounded too plain.

She decided to start with Second Ya instead, thinking of “Er” and combining it with “Ya,” meaning “bud,” which suited a young girl.

Qin Erya sounded nice, so she wrote it down to share with Qin Second Uncle.

For Third Ya, she considered names like “San Ya” or “Shan Ya.”

Eventually, she settled on “Meiya,” which felt simple and sweet.

Finally, for First Ya, she chose the name “Yiya,” thinking it had a unique ring to it.

She noted down the names Yiya, Shanya, and Meiya to discuss with the Qin family at dinner, so they could also weigh in on the final choices.