Chapter 184: 183: Unaware of the Immensity of Heaven and Earth

Words : 1401 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Chapter 184: Chapter 183: Unaware of the Immensity of Heaven and Earth Mrs. Wang arrived at Old Mrs. Qin’s room just as she was happily playing with the two sons that Mrs. Gu had brought over, Ping’an. “Big sister,” greeted Mrs. Gu, as she came over and curtsied. Mrs. Wang smiled and said, “You’ve come too.” “The weather is nice today, so I thought I’d bring Brother Ping and Brother An to pay their respects to mother,” said Mrs. Gu, holding her hand as they approached Old Mrs. Qin. Mrs. Wang curtsied first, then turned to the two little ones, noticing their rosy complexions and lively spirits, showing no signs of their premature birth anymore, and said, “I haven’t seen them in a while, Brother Ping and Brother An have gained some weight and look energetic. You’ve worked hard, third sister-in-law.” Mrs. Gu said, “It’s not my doing. The family has provided for them generously. Xixi also came up with a medicinal bath recipe to strengthen their bodies. That’s why they’ve grown strong.” Her words carried a sense of gratitude and relief. Mrs. Xie, cracking seeds nearby, then said, “Indeed, your quarters have it the best, third sister-in-law, with no shortage of supplies and people to give orders. You’re a lucky one.” Mrs. Gu smiled with a hint of awkwardness and looked at Old Mrs. Qin, “It’s all thanks to mother’s blessing.” Mrs. Xie wanted to say more, but Mrs. Wang interjected, “Even though the children are now well, you were still a case of premature and difficult labor, and suffered greatly at Ghost Gate. You mustn’t be careless and need to continue recuperating carefully. The boys are still young and currently reliant on you.” Mrs. Gu looked affectionately at her sons and said, “I will. And I’ve already recovered quite well now. Big sister, if there’s anything in the house I can help with, please don’t hesitate to command me.” Mrs. Wang patted her hand, “We don’t have many servants at home, taking good care of the two boys is a great contribution.” Mrs. Gu was still hesitant. Although she didn’t have as many resources as before the Qin family fell from grace, she did have two servants to help and had spent a restful confinement period with fine food and drink, which had helped in her recovery. Because of this, she felt a bit suffocated by Mrs. Xie’s sour-tongued words, afraid that her second sister-in-law would again accuse her of only reaping benefits, so she still wanted to contribute something to the household? It would give their branch of the family some strength. “Third sister-in-law, that’s not what I mean. You take care of the two boys, so send Ju’er back to me. Look at my hands, even washing undergarments has made them rough,” Mrs. Xie said, showing her hands with resentment. Mrs. Wang replied, “Second sister-in-law, weren’t your undergarments washed by Aunt Pan?” Mrs. Xie was a bit frustrated. How did the big sister-in-law find out about this? The family had hired a couple of coarse servants for laundry, but the daughters and her own undergarments couldn’t be washed with those, so they washed their own. Sadly, Mrs. Xie, who was used to being served, now that the weather was colder, couldn’t wash undergarments by herself, so she relied on Aunt Pan to wash them, but she didn’t expect Mrs. Wang to reveal this fact. But Mrs. Xie wasn’t flustered and said, “That’s because Aunt Pan is sensible, she knows she can’t freeload and jumped at the task herself. I couldn’t possibly stop her, could I?” Mrs. Wang smiled with a meaningful look. “Is that so?” Old Mrs. Qin caught this and coughed once, then addressed Mrs. Wang, “Have the guests from your maternal family been settled in?” Mrs. Wang took a seat and said, “I was just about to discuss this with Mother. Everyone has been settled in properly and they’ll stay for a few days before returning.” Overhearing this, Mrs. Xie also sat up straight. If people from Mrs. Wang’s maternal family had come, they must have brought something. Sure enough, Mrs. Wang continued, “My mother sent someone to deliver some silver to tide us over. It’s not much, but there’s still around a thousand taels. I’ve been thinking about starting some new business to earn money for the household. What do you think, Mother? After all, household expenses have dramatically increased. The children still need to be educated, and affairs in the northwest need attention. Everywhere requires money. Relying solely on farm rent yields enough for us to live frugally, but it may not suffice for other social obligations. I’m considering starting some profitable business so we have a bit more financial confidence.” Old Mrs. Qin nodded, “You’re thinking very comprehensively.” “Eldest Sister-in-law, what business can we start with this thousand taels?” Mrs. Xie asked, “Our family lacks a suitable-aged male to handle affairs outside. How would we manage this business?” In the past, before the Qin family’s downfall, household affairs had been managed by the untitled Qin Boqing. Now, all male members of the Qin family over the age of twelve had been exiled. Among the men, only Qin Mingqi of the second branch counted – being born at the end of winter, he had just turned twelve this year. Mrs. Wang gently sipped her tea and smiled, “What suggestion does Second Sister-in-law have?” Mrs. Xie was invigorated and said, “With our fathers and others away in the northwest, in terms of seniority, it’s our Qi who’s the eldest male here. Why not find a reliable shopkeeper and accountant, and let him take up this responsibility? Otherwise, surely we could not expect the women of our family to step forward and run things openly?” Mrs. Wang almost laughed. While it’s true that children in poorer families mature early, and those who experience family misfortunes should grow up sensible, Mrs. Xie had pushed forward her own son without discussing what kind of business it would be, how to do it, how much silver would be needed, and what the terms would be. She seems unconcerned that she might waste over a thousand taels of silver on this venture. If it had been before, spending over a thousand taels of silver to give a child some experience wouldn’t have been too concerning; even if the money was lost, it was just paying for a lesson learned. However, given the Qin family’s current situation, they could not afford to spend silver so carelessly. Mrs. Xie was somewhat out of touch with reality. Mrs. Gu also thought it outrageous for the Second Sister-in-law to speak so boldly, considering the silver was from the eldest sister-in-law’s maternal family. Putting down her teacup, Mrs. Wang said, “As a son grows older, he should indeed help manage the household affairs. Xixi mentioned that Assistant Zhao cannot keep his position and will surely be replaced. The new year isn’t far off, and in a few days, I plan to find a school and send Qi and Chun there to study. Since Second Sister-in-law believes that managing household affairs is more important than studying, perhaps it would be better for him to stay by my side and see how to serve properly.” What, go to school? Mrs. Xie’s complexion turned the color of liver in an instant. What a joke – who would choose to manage mundane affairs over studying to potentially pass the civil service examinations? What honor could come from that? “Ridiculous!” Just when Mrs. Xie felt too embarrassed to know what to do, Old Mrs. Qin finally spoke up, glaring disapprovingly at Mrs. Xie, she scolded, “Qi is just at the age to study, and you want him to meddle in business affairs? Does he know how to network with businessmen? If he’s not careful, he’d be swindled before he can utter a word. His duty is to study diligently.” Mrs. Xie replied awkwardly, “Mother, I only suggested Qi step forward because we have no other suitable men at home to deal with the situation. I wasn’t really suggesting he start doing business.” Old Mrs. Qin said to Mrs. Wang, “Whatever ideas and plans you have, feel free to speak your mind.”

Chapter 184: 183: Unaware of the Immensity of Heaven and Earth

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