Chapter 186: When Will You Hold Your Grandchild?

“You child!

You’re not just my niece now, you’re the great benefactor of our village!”

When Uncle Li Zheng heard the wages Ye Xin Ran was offering, which were even higher than what people in the city earned carrying heavy loads, he felt both happy and a little concerned for her.

“You need to be careful with your spending. Although the county magistrate rewarded your family with a hundred taels of silver last time, life still needs to be lived frugally. You can’t spend all the money at once, right?”

“I understand,” Ye Xin Ran replied, “I’m not blindly building houses. I’m constructing this workshop to make money. Once it’s up and running, I’ll need everyone’s help.”

“Good, as long as you’re making money, the whole village will benefit,” Uncle Li Zheng said. “Don’t worry about a thing. Leave the work and finding people to me. I’ve been the village head for years, and I know everyone’s character. Just tell me what kind of people you need, and I’ll handle the rest!”

Ye Xin Ran was pleased with the way Uncle Li Zheng took charge, and she quickly thanked him, “Thank you, Uncle Li Zheng!”

As they say, everyone has their area of expertise. When it came to hiring people, Uncle Li Zheng was indeed a big help.

If she had encountered someone like Zhao Fu Sheng from East Ditch Village as the village head, things might not have gone so smoothly.

Now that everything was settled, Ye Xin Ran went home and started drawing the plans for the workshop.

The workshop would serve two purposes: one was to process medicinal herbs, and the other, primarily, was for producing face soap.

Ye Xin Ran had done her research, and the machinery in the laboratory was mainly used to produce Snowy Beauty Cream. From what she knew, the process for making face soap was the simplest and easiest to operate.

With the foundation of Snowy Beauty Cream, she could make the face soap more delicate and sell it at a higher price.

Ye Xin Ran’s drawing skills hadn’t improved much.

She roughly sketched the layout and added the necessary labels, leaving the rest for Lu Chang Qing to help perfect when he returned.

Seeing Ye Xin Ran busy, Xiao Huai’an silently went to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Leng Qing Yu, seeing this, felt pleased.

“Huai’an, do you need help? I’m not great with taste, but I know how to cook.”

Xiao Huai’an was measuring rice and water with great care, following Ye Xin Ran’s instructions. After he finished, he stood up and replied, “Madam Lu, my cooking isn’t very good either, but Xin Ran taught me two dishes, and I think I can manage.”

“Really? Xin Ran taught you? Then teach me too!”

Leng Qing Yu felt some guilt when talking to Ye Xin Ran but felt more comfortable and free when speaking to Xiao Huai’an.

Some requests even slipped out, “Also, Huai’an, although Xin Ran calls me Madam Lu, you know, she is my precious daughter. You are my son-in-law.

You two always call me Madam Lu, Madam Lu. It sounds so distant.”

“Besides, when I hear the word ‘Lu’ now, I get a headache. How about you call me ‘mother’ and see how it sounds?”

“This…”

Xiao Huai’an had never faced such a dilemma.

Since Xin Ran didn’t call her ‘mother,’ it must be her own consideration.

But this woman was his mother-in-law.

If he refused, would she hold a grudge?

If he called her ‘mother,’ would Xin Ran be upset?

After hesitating for a while, Xiao Huai’an finally mustered up the courage and called out, “Mother!”

“Ah!”

Leng Qing Yu was delighted and immediately responded, “Good child! That ‘mother’ truly warmed my heart! If you ever have any difficulties, just tell your mother!”

“This is what I should call you,” Xiao Huai’an said, his face rarely turning red.

Now that the ice had been broken, Leng Qing Yu began to ask about Xiao Huai’an’s family.

“I’ve never heard Xin Ran mention your hometown. Where are you from? How many people are in your family? Do you have any siblings?”

Leng Qing Yu had tried to ask around before and only knew that Xiao Huai’an had been exiled here, but she didn’t know the details.

“My hometown is in the northern desert,” Xiao Huai’an said honestly.

“That’s so far away!”

Leng Qing Yu exclaimed in surprise.

“My family doesn’t have many people left,” Xiao Huai’an said, a trace of sadness evident on his face.

“It’s just me, and a few children from my older brother’s family.”

Leng Qing Yu felt uneasy.

She thought Xiao Huai’an had been exiled here and was simply separated from his family, not realizing that his family had all passed away.

“I’m sorry, I…”

She didn’t know how to comfort her son-in-law.

Just as the awkwardness was settling in, two little ones came running back from school.

“Grandmother, second uncle, we’re back!”

The two children called out as they entered and immediately ran to the study to drop off their school bags. After that, they headed to the backyard to feed the chickens, ducks, and geese.

Leng Qing Yu watched the children being so sensible and couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions.

“They are all poor children. In the future, I must take good care of their whole family!”

By the time Lu Chang Qing returned, the sky was already dark.

Xiao Huai’an had already prepared dinner.

They all sat together to eat, and there wasn’t a single dish made by Leng Qing Yu.

After dinner, they were called to the room by Ye Xin Ran to continue working on the blue prints.

The two children cleared the table but wore serious faces as they went to the backyard to practice horse stance.

Leng Qing Yu was used to taking a walk in the courtyard after dinner.

This was the first time she had seen the two little ones doing horse stance after dinner, so she quickly asked, “Why aren’t you going to study? It’s so late.”

Chang An was feeling wronged but still answered seriously, “Second Uncle punished us to do horse stance. We have to finish it before we can go back to study!”

“What did you do wrong? You both seem fine when you came in,” Leng Qing Yu asked, confused.

Chang Ping explained, “Grandmother, we didn’t do anything wrong tonight, it was this morning. We woke up late, and Second Uncle had already finished washing the pants before we got up, so he punished us.”

“We didn’t wake up late!” Chang An still felt upset.

“It was Second Uncle who woke up too early. He won’t admit it,” Chang An added.

Chang An, being still young, began to wobble after standing for a while.

Seeing this, Chang Ping moved a half-step back and placed his leg behind Chang An’s, helping him steady himself.

Chang An felt much more comfortable and turned his head, smiling at Chang Ping.

Chang Ping smiled back at him.

“Don’t worry. No matter what, Second Brother will always be behind you, protecting you!” Chang Ping said.

“Mm!”

Chang An’s face turned red, but he still tried to do the horse stance correctly. “Once we finish, we’ll go to the study to recite the lessons!”

“Alright!”

Chang Ping, although not fond of studying, nodded in agreement.

Such good children!

If only they were my real grandchildren.

Leng Qing Yu looked at them lovingly and suddenly thought: That’s right, Xin Ran and Huai’an have been married for so long, but there’s been no movement.

When will they have a grandchild for me to carry?