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After all, her connections were far inferior compared to Liu Qingxi.
At Ten Li Pu, in Liu Laowu's home, Zhao, who had just completed her confinement, was radiant due to proper nutrition. Liu Laowu was also different now; having a son changed everything.
Walking with his head held high and a confident stride, he wore a smile and greeted everyone cheerfully.
"Fifth Son, things are different now, congratulations!"
"Thank you, thank you! Let's drink together sometime!"
It seemed that overnight, the previously gloomy Liu Laowu had transformed into a cheerful person.
It made sense; without a son, he couldn't stand tall. After so many years of feeling stifled, he could finally hold his head high and felt much more spirited.
"Alright then, good things should be celebrated. By the way, is your daughter coming?"
"She'll be staying in the capital with her Second Sister. With Fourth Brother and Fourth Brother's wife there, I'm not worried. It's good for her to see the world outside."
Liu Laowu was content with having a son and was cheerful in conversations with everyone. He fully supported Liu Qinglian's decision regarding their daughter. As for the household? He was responsible for taking care of Zhao and the baby.
"That's true. With Miss Liu around, your daughter's future is bright." At this moment, they envied the connection of blood ties.
Liu Laowu smiled but remained silent; he wouldn't be foolish enough to make promises to the villagers that he couldn't fulfill.
However, thinking about Liu Qinglian and recalling Zhang Quanyong, who followed her to the capital at the first opportunity, put him in a good mood.
Considering that this future son-in-law was a decent choice for someone older than him, he was a good fellow.
Continuing forward, they arrived at Ten Li Pu's most prosperous commercial street. Compared to the streets of Biqi Town, it was on par. Ever since the success of the Lantern Festival, Ten Li Pu had gained significant reputation.
Since then, visionary merchants had flocked here to open shops. In just a few months, it had developed into its current scale.
Liu Laowu's destination was here. As he passed by a shop, the people inside greeted him warmly: "Is it Fifth Son again coming to buy delicious food? Your wife is really lucky."
"Hehe, she deserves it; she's been working hard!"
Ever since Zhao became pregnant, Liu Laowu had been trying various ways to prepare different dishes for her. During her confinement period, he made sure to provide her with all kinds of soups and broths without interruption, to the point where the vendors became familiar with him.
They often discussed how they had never seen anyone treat their wife so well.
Liu Laowu was now considered a model husband in the eyes of the people, while Zhao was the envy of many women.
They sighed, wondering why they didn't have such good luck and hadn't met such a wonderful husband.
Liu Laowu didn't feel embarrassed by their teasing; having a son was enough for him, and he didn't care about anything else.
Even after Zhao had recovered from childbirth, her quality of life hadn't declined. Aside from needing to replenish her energy after giving birth, Zhao was now eating enough for two.
This was because there was still a hungry Kid at home waiting for her.
Fortunately, Liu Laowu had saved up some money over the years, making him one of the wealthier families in the Village. To ensure that someone could take care of Zhao while he worked, he even hired a maid from town.
So now, Zhao lived a Young Lady's life, with the only task being to take care of their son. Everything regarding food, clothing, and daily needs was arranged for her; life couldn't be better.
Today, Liu Laowu bought a lively Carp, perfect for making soup that would nourish her body without worrying about excessive weight affecting her health.
Just as he walked out of this street and turned the corner towards his home street, a woman suddenly rushed out from around the corner. She wore rough gray clothes that were dusty, her hair disheveled, her face haggard, and her eyes vacant. When she saw Liu Laowu, her dull eyes lit up for a moment.
In the next instant, she lunged towards Liu Laowu.
The eyes glinted with a wolfish light, fixated on the fish in his hand.
“Fifth Son, you feast on fish and meat while we’re left with pickled vegetables and steamed buns. How can you be so heartless? How can you be so cruel?” The woman's voice was hoarse, as if she had been parched for a long time.
Liu Laowu took a closer look and realized that this woman was Wang. Ah!
This woman had once been so arrogant, and now she was in such a dire state.
Originally, she and Liu Eldest had intended to turn over a new leaf, and the inherently kind villagers would not have driven them to desperation. However, these two could not change their ways and even became worse.
As a result, now everyone avoided her like the plague; upon seeing her, they would flee far away without giving her a chance to approach.
Today, having caught Liu Laowu, Wang's greed erupted within her like a volcano, uncontrollable and overwhelming.
“Do you have any conscience? Remember when I and your elder brother supported an entire family? Wasn’t it us who supported your Fifth Branch? Now that you’re doing well, you want to turn your back on us? Not a chance!”
However, Wang's once intimidating words now made no impact on Liu Laowu; his heartbeat remained unchanged.
The only change was that Wang’s reminders of the past brought back memories of the oppression he and Zhao, along with their daughter Liu Qinglian, had endured.
In those days, he and Zhao worked hard from dawn till dusk, but in Wang's eyes, they were merely living off handouts.
Looking back now, the work they did could easily support their family of three; everything was imposed upon them by Wang.
Moreover, for over a decade, they had not had a son—not due to any physical issues with him or Zhao but because their quality of life had been so poor in previous years that Zhao’s health suffered severely.
As time dragged on, it became increasingly difficult for her to conceive.
If it weren't for their later independence and gradual improvement in health, they might never have had children in this lifetime. Who knows how long they would have lived? These were insights gained from doctors later on.
Thinking of this, Liu Laowu felt an increasing disdain for Wang. After years of training, he was no longer as fearful of this woman who had held power for so long.
However, he had no intention of engaging with her further and turned to walk away.
But Wang wouldn't let him go. She lunged at him, and Liu Laowu quickly stepped back to avoid her.
If others saw this, they would surely spread rumors, but Wang didn't care. Just thinking about her current situation compared to Liu Laowu's made her uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, Liu Laowu was not falling for her tactics anymore.
"No, you can't leave. You owe me this fish," Wang insisted, resorting to underhanded tactics. "If it weren't for you, my daughter would be fine. You sold my daughter! You two heartless men have no idea how much you've benefited from this."
She spoke as if Liu Laowu and Liu Laosi had committed some unforgivable crime.
Liu Laowu's face flushed with anger upon hearing this. "What are you talking about? Who sold their daughter?"
At that time, Liu Eldest and Wang were solely focused on selling Liu Qingzhi for a good price, disregarding each other's family backgrounds and personalities, effectively pushing their daughter into a pit of fire.
Though the brothers had not liked the old Liu Qingzhi, she had changed for the better and was a decent girl. They brought her home and later found her a suitable match.
Although it wasn't her first marriage and she came with a child, the man was honest and didn't mind that Liu Qingzhi had once been a concubine.
After obtaining Liu Qingzhi's consent, they arranged the marriage.
To think that Wang would still bring this up.
"Your conscience must have been eaten by dogs. That is your own daughter, a piece of flesh you carried for months. How can you bear it?"
Wang finally caught a break; it had been over half a year since she had eaten meat, and she couldn't care less about Liu Laowu. All she could think about was that big Carp still flopping around.
She wished she could turn it into braised Carp right now. Just thinking about it made her mouth water, and her mind was solely focused on the belief of getting her hands on it.
Life had been too hard to bear. The villagers despised them, and their family members didn't accept them either. Only the Qin Family and Yan would leave some food for the couple; the rest of the people completely ignored them.
Liu Laowu felt utterly frustrated, as if he were playing music to a cow.
In the end, he had to resort to a harsh tactic: "If you keep this up, I won't take care of the food rations at the old house!"
Wang immediately halted her frantic steps.
Not providing food rations? Didn't that mean they would starve? Compared to that fish, the food rations for the next few months were far more important.
Liu Laowu snorted coldly, realizing he shouldn't waste his breath; he should have threatened directly so that Wang wouldn't continue to pester him.
Back home in the yard, the warmth of late summer lingered. Zhao was basking in the sun with their three-month-old child in her arms.
Her gentle love radiated from her features, with a strand of hair falling across her forehead, adding to her delicate beauty.
Liu Laowu's heart softened instantly. "Is our son being good today?"
"He's being good; he hasn't cried at all," Zhao replied, a faint smile gracing her lips, bringing warmth like a spring breeze that tickled his heart.
"Good boy! Since you haven't troubled your mother today, I'll reward you with something delicious."
Zhao couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "What reward can he have? He can't eat much yet."
"What's wrong with that? If I give you something to eat, it's just like giving it to this little rascal." As Liu Laowu smiled, the shallow wrinkles on his face deepened, but they couldn't hide the joy in his heart.
"Alright, alright, I understand." If it weren't for the fact that they had shared a bed for over ten years, Zhao would really think her husband had been swapped out.
The couple was engrossed in a light conversation about how much their son ate today, how many times he pooped, how many times he urinated, and similar topics.
At that moment, a Yamen Guard dressed in blue official robes rode up, heading straight for Liu Laowu's home.
The arrival startled the couple, who were busy entertaining their child.
"Is there something the lord needs?" Liu Laowu asked respectfully, warmly inviting the visitor in for tea.
"Master Liu and Madam Liu, I have been sent here to deliver a message from the capital."
It turned out that messages from the capital were now being delivered through channels established by Yang Yichen, using special government relay stations. This method was fast and had a low damage rate, so messages generally wouldn't get lost.
Liu Laowu suddenly understood and, feeling happy, didn't forget to give the messenger some travel money for his hard work.
At this moment, Zhao instructed a servant to help look after the child and smiled as she glanced at the letter.
She recognized most of the simple and commonly used characters and understood its content.
"Fourth Sister is really impressive; she actually opened another shop."
"Yes, Fourth Sister even has a share in this shop," Liu Laowu added.
"That won't do; we haven't gone there or contributed any effort. How can we take money for nothing?"
On this point, the two of them surprisingly reached an agreement; they absolutely would not take advantage without justification.
However, they were genuinely happy for Liu Laosi for quickly establishing himself in the capital.
As for them? The most important thing now is the son; everything else is secondary.
Looking over at the Liu Family's First Branch, the once-renowned Azure Brick House is now buried among the new buildings of Ten Li Pu, hardly noticeable.
The spacious yard is cluttered with all sorts of things, and no one has bothered to clean up.
In the side room of the Liu Family's Second House, several people avoid going out as much as possible; they simply refuse to work.
Liu Qingshu and Zhang Hua'er are even worse off, completely inheriting the laziness of the Wang family and Liu Eldest. They ignore their hungry children who are crying out and just engage in nonsense.
The Qin Family and Yan are overwhelmed; the two elders cannot manage such a large family. Eventually, they decided to stop worrying about it and focus only on the basic needs of these few individuals.
However, all these consequences are choices they made themselves; they cannot blame others.
For this reason, the elderly couple has also strained their relationship with their other two sons, which truly is not worth the loss.
If Liu Qingxi were here, she would certainly say that one reaps what one sows.
In the capital, at Yang Residence,
Liu Qingxi finally found some time to relax when Liu Qinglian came to seek her advice.
It turns out that in Ten Li Pu, even if there were questions, no one had the ability to help her solve them.
Now that Liu Qingxi is nearby, she naturally seizes the opportunity. Liu Qinglian's eagerness to learn makes Liu Qingxi feel somewhat embarrassed.
Indeed, Liu Qinglian's progress is rapid.
After resolving Liu Qinglian's questions, the two sisters realized it had been quite a while since they last went out. So they decided to go shopping together.
To be honest, Liu Qingxi was only familiar with a few shops she often visited, and she hadn't really been to the others.
This time, Liu Qinglian was finally able to explore the capital freely for the first time.
In no time, both of them were loaded with purchases, a chaotic mix of items.
Liu Qingxi's smile never faded, her shallow dimples adorably tempting one to pinch them.
At that moment, in a private room of the Hundred Flavors Inn, which rarely welcomed guests, a narrow gap in the window allowed a glimpse of Liu Qingxi's bright smile.
Her smile, brighter than the sun, instantly entered the heart of a man in black, stirring ripples within him.
His originally calm heart suddenly began to race. Feeling the difference in his heartbeat compared to usual, he furrowed his brow in confusion.
Why did this feeling become clearer and more intense every time he saw that smile?
It was as if it couldn't be suppressed any longer; this anomaly had only occurred with one person over the past twenty years.
Why? Stern fell into deep thought.
"Why do I feel abnormal whenever I see someone?"
It turned out that this man was on a secret visit in disguise.
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