“Madam, if you have more of this pure silver next time, bring it to our bank for exchange,” he said.

Yang Haiyan smiled, “I doubt I’ll have more. My husband might not achieve success for a few years.”

With the exchange completed smoothly, Yang Haiyan felt more at ease.

Next time she bought silver, she decided to go for silver with around seventy percent purity, as it would be cheaper.

She placed the silver note in her small handbag for convenience.

She had several small bags that matched her outfits, which made them quite handy.

After leaving, she took Granny Lian(Wet Nurse) home and sent Uncle Hong to help Qin Fang.

On the way, she asked Granny Lian what kind of gift to prepare for a banquet at General Ao’s house.

She explained General Ao’s status.

Granny Lian, having spent some time with Yang Haiyan, realized she was a woman with strong opinions.

She thought Yang Haiyan was testing her.

After considering, she said, “The general comes from a peasant background, so if we give a gift, it shouldn’t be expensive but heartfelt.”

Yang Haiyan nodded, “That makes sense. What do you think would be appropriate?”

Mama Lian replied, “For a gift from you, something heartfelt would suit the inner courtyard, like items suitable for the general’s family or daughters.”

In this world, the titles of officials’ wives were structured by rank.

A first or second-rank wife was called “Madam,” a third-rank wife “Noble,” and so on.

Yang Haiyan, although the wife of a seventh-rank officer, was still referred to as “Madam” since she hadn’t been formally given a title.

Yang Haiyan nodded, already forming her own ideas about the gift.

Lunch at Aunt Fan’s was prepared quickly, and after eating, Yang Haiyan took Granny Lian and Aunt Yu to invite Qin Fang and Uncle Hong to join them, helping Granny Lian(Wet Nurse) and Aunt Yu familiarize themselves with the area.

Afterward, Yang Haiyan and Qin Fang returned to their residence for lunch, while the others went to the busy market area.

Granny Lian, having heard about the market area from Yang Haiyan before, took this chance to observe the shops, noting that they contributed to the family’s income.

After lunch, Granny Lian discreetly asked Aunt Fan about Yang Haiyan’s background.

Although she suspected Yang Haiyan came from a wealthy family, it was necessary to know about her origins, but Aunt Fan didn’t have any information.

As November came to an end, temperatures at the border dropped below ten degrees Celsius, and the streets were empty.

Markets were closed, with only a few rice shops remaining open, but few customers were around since everyone had prepared their supplies.

Even snack shops were closed.

Yang Haiyan had noticed that with more people around, the pressure to work increased, leading to greater productivity.

Without fresh meat at home, meals consisted of spare ribs, eggs, or preserved meat, which left her feeling a bit unsatisfied after just a few days.

One day, Granny Lian styled her hair simply, commenting, “Madam, your hair is beautiful—thick and black. Any style looks good on you.”

Yang Haiyan was dressed in warm cotton clothes at home, where comfort was key since she wasn’t going out.

When she first got her new cotton jumpsuit, it surprised Mama Lian and the others.

Yang Haiyan joked, “I have a lot of hair, and I’m too lazy to style it every day. Luckily, you help me, which saves me a lot of trouble.” Ancient hairstyles were quite complicated, and doing it herself was tiring.

Granny Lian replied, “Madam, you’re naturally beautiful, even without styling.”

She had never seen anyone as delicate and lovely as Yang Haiyan.

Feeling flattered, Yang Haiyan smiled, “Don’t flatter me too much. Uncle Hong went to the countryside to collect eggs and chickens. I hope he returns soon so we can have chicken soup for lunch.”

When Granny Lian first arrived, she thought the Qin family was frugal, but later realized their shop made a decent profit.

They had balanced meals, which was better than wasting food.

Granny Lian said, “Madam is generous, providing everyone with a bowl of sheep’s milk each morning. We, the servants, eat better than many masters.”

Yang Haiyan only sent milk to the Lu family but wouldn’t share with the Zhang family due to concerns about Zhang’s mother.

Just then, a voice called from outside: “Is my sister-in-law home?”

It was Han Zhen.

Yang Haiyan replied, “I’m here, just a moment!”

The courtyard door was open, with Aunt Yu outside.

Han Zhen continued, “It’s fine if you don’t come out. I wanted to ask about the sheep’s milk for Dahua since she’s been coming daily.”

Yang Haiyan responded, “Yes, she’s seen great benefits from it. Is Dahua not coming today?”

Han Zhen explained, “Dahua isn’t feeling well. I called a doctor, and he said she might be pregnant. She asked me to check if she can still drink the sheep’s milk.”

Hearing this, Yang Haiyan was delighted: “Dahua is pregnant? Congratulations!”

Han Zhen was also happy, grateful for the joys of family: “Thank you, sister-in-law.”

Yang Haiyan advised, “She can drink the milk, as it’s good for both her and the baby. Just remember it has to be warm and consumed within half an hour for the nutrients to be effective. Don’t eat eggs at the same time; wait an hour before eating them.”

Han Zhen nodded, feeling reassured. “Thank you, sister-in-law. I’ll come back for it later.”

Yang Haiyan suggested, “You can head back now. I’ll send someone when it’s ready.”

Han Zhen replied, “That’s good. Thank you for your help.”

He felt it was inappropriate to linger since the master wasn’t home.

Yang Haiyan assured him, “It’s no trouble.”

Yang Haiyan’s hair was already styled.

Originally, she had no plans to go out today, intending to stay at home in her cotton clothing all day.

However, upon learning that Yang Dahua was pregnant, she decided to pay her a visit.

So, she changed her clothes.

She wore a chest wrap, two pieces of thin cotton underwear, a short cotton jacket similar to a short kimono, and wrapped a rabbit fur scarf around her neck.

The upper part was white, and the lower part was a dark red skirt.

Underneath the skirt, she wore thin cotton leggings and cotton trousers, topped with a dark red long cotton cloak that concealed her figure, making her look like a round tube.

But she didn’t mind.

Before leaving, Yang Haiyan had a bowl of porridge and a bowl of goat’s milk.

After eating, she instructed someone to bring along two pieces of cured meat, some eggs, and a cotton jacket she had prepared in advance.

Knowing that Yang Dahua would be pregnant during the coldest part of the year, she had made a long cotton cloak for herself and had also prepared a jacket for her.

Yang Dahua was frugal and usually reluctant to make new clothes for herself, and she typically wouldn’t have given gifts like this.

However, when a close friend becomes pregnant, it is customary to give food and cloth, but since she wasn’t gifting cloth, she decided to give her a suitable jacket instead.

For Yang Haiyan, the jacket wasn’t worth much; the cotton was something she had bought from a marketplace.

During a trip to the county town, she had brought back about ten pounds of cotton without bringing any servants along.

A jacket or a vest usually required one or two pounds of cotton, so ten pounds could make several pieces.

Moreover, the ten pounds of cotton only cost around a hundred platform coins, which was very cheap for her, considering she had millions on the platform.

Accompanying Yang Haiyan was Granny Lian.

On the way, Yang Haiyan said to her, “Han Baifu and my husband come from the same village, and they share a good relationship. His wife, Yang Dahua, is my sister. We both came from the Yang residence…”

Wet Nurse Lian then understood that the madam indeed came from a wealthy family, but within that family, she had been a maid.

No wonder the madam’s etiquette was so refined; it turned out she was a senior maid to the legitimate daughter of the Yang family. “Is it that Yang residence, the one belonging to the Grand Tutor Yang?” she asked.

The Grand Tutor Yang had once been a prominent official, so it was understandable that such a family would have strict rules and etiquette, much higher than the second-rank Yuan family.

However, even the highest-ranked families could fall due to struggles for power.

Yang Haiyan was somewhat surprised. “You know about this?”

Wet Nurse(Granny) Lian sighed, “The late Lord Yuan used to serve in the capital before retiring to return to his hometown, Qingzhou. So, during his time in the capital, I heard about the Yang family.”

A true family of scholars, she thought, but she didn’t know what had happened to them after they suffered.

By that time, the late Lord Yuan had already retired.

“Retirement” here refers to the modern equivalent of resigning from an official position.

Yang Haiyan responded, “I see.”

When they arrived at the Han residence, the courtyard door was open.

Yang Haiyan called out, “Sister Dahua, are you there?”

Yang Dahua was in the kitchen and responded, “Yes, I’m here!”

Yang Haiyan and Wet Nurse Lian walked into the kitchen and saw Yang Dahua and Han Zhen drinking porridge.

Upon seeing her, Yang Dahua quickly stood up, “Haiyan, have you eaten?”

Although she knew Yang Haiyan had likely eaten.

Yang Haiyan hurriedly said, “Sister Dahua, please sit down, don’t move! I just finished eating, and my stomach is still warm.”

As she spoke, she took the thermos from Wet Nurse Lian’s hands and poured out the goat’s milk. “Sister Dahua, drink the goat’s milk while it’s hot. I’m so happy for you, congratulations!”

Generally, in ancient times, women wouldn’t announce their pregnancies until after three months.

Yang Dahua hadn’t planned to tell Yang Haiyan, but since she had ordered goat’s milk from her, she felt she couldn’t suddenly say she didn’t want it.

So she shared the news about her pregnancy.

With others, even neighbors she got along well with, she wasn’t planning to say anything until three months had passed and the fetus was stable.

Yang Dahua sat down and took a sip of goat’s milk, “Thank you.”

As she spoke, she gently touched her belly.

She was happy to be able to become a mother.

A family isn’t complete with just the male and female heads; having children makes the family happier and more secure. “But during these ten months, I can’t go to the county to do business.”

She knew that with the batch of pastries that Haiyan was selling, she could earn about one or two silver coins a month, but now that she was pregnant, the child was more important, and naturally, she wouldn’t take any risks.

Having tasted the sweetness of earning money, suddenly not being able to earn made her feel somewhat regretful.