boyutpedia Chapter 156: Open for Business!
Chapter 156: Open for Business!
For the first time, he truly realized that having such a mother was his misfortune. Come to think of it, why did both Jiang Chun and Prince Duan have such unreliable mothers?
Does this mean that he still has hope?
However, he was also aware of his own limitations; after all, he had been married before and had two children. If Zisu married into the family, she would become his second wife and stepmother. And being a stepmother is not easy. He also believed that if Yunduo and Rufeng hadn't been so sensible and adorable, and hadn't gotten along so well with Zisu, she probably wouldn't have chosen him in the first place!
Fang Qiong had been standing outside the window for quite some time.
Hearing this, she finally couldn't hold back and went inside: "Mother, Sister Zisu is such a good person, why did you treat her like that? Mother, in my opinion, if Sister Zisu married my eldest brother, she would definitely be a good sister-in-law, a good daughter-in-law, and a good mother! Only if Sister Zisu becomes Yunduo and Rufeng's stepmother will I be completely at ease."
If anyone else had married my eldest brother, my daughter would have nightmares every night, fearing that Rufeng and Yunduo would be poisoned by their stepmother! Mother, Zisu is such a good person, how could you be so ungrateful? Now, you've made such a mess of my eldest brother's life, doesn't it break your heart?"
Ying felt deeply aggrieved: "Who said I didn't cherish it? Why did I go to Wuliping? Wasn't it to find Zisu, to test her feelings, and to make it clear to her that I wanted her to marry your brother sooner? Who knew she would say she had to be eighteen before getting married, and that she wouldn't dare agree to marry at fifteen. She even said that having a child too young would make childbirth difficult and the child's quality would be lower!"
Fang Heng: "That's exactly right. One of the biggest reasons why Yun Duo's mother had a difficult childbirth was that she was too young! If she had been over eighteen before giving birth, she might have been able to deliver the baby safely! Zi Su is absolutely right. It's not unreasonable for her to want to be over eighteen before getting married!"
Ying said, “I didn’t force her to marry you at fifteen. It’s just that she’s still three years away from eighteen, which is a bit too long. So I told her that I would take you a good concubine this year, so that you wouldn’t be left without a woman who cares for you.”
Upon hearing this, Fang Heng's face turned frosty.
Fang Qiong was also shocked, staring wide-eyed at her mother.
Ying felt a little guilty, and her voice lowered slightly: "I already said she's a good concubine, not a noble concubine, but she got very agitated, saying she would never marry a man who already has a concubine. When I heard that, I thought, this is unacceptable! She hasn't even married you yet, and she's already so presumptuous and jealous. This won't do, so I made a scene!"
Fang Qiong couldn't help but fly into a rage: "Mother, you're so foolish! Sister Zisu is the Princess of Yulin, the Princess of Yulin! Do you know what that means? How could someone like Sister Zisu be willing to marry a man who already has a concubine? What's more, this concubine entered the manor three years before her! Would you have been willing to do that? Back then, if Father had a concubine before the wedding, would you have married him?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Ying became agitated, blurting out, "I certainly won't agree to that. The reason I chose your father was because the Fang family had a rule that a man could only take a concubine if he was over thirty and had no children. At that time, I never imagined that I would be married for over ten years without having a single child. So, in a fit of anger, your grandmother arranged for your father to take five concubines in a row."
"If I had known it would turn out like this, I definitely wouldn't have married your father. If I had married someone else, I might have had a son right after the wedding! Over the years, your father's heart has been bewitched by those vixens! All the love we once shared has vanished like a bubble, not a trace remains!"
Fang Qiong sneered, "Mother, do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. Do you want Sister Zisu to suffer the same pain you have endured? We are all women, why should women make things difficult for each other? Mother, are you still the kind and gentle mother I knew? You are clearly a wicked mother-in-law! The more I look at you, the more unfamiliar you seem to me."
Madam Ying: "You silly girl, I'm just worried about your brother. You see, he's almost twenty-six and has been single for five or six years. The thought of making him endure another three years makes my heart ache terribly, I can't bear it. Besides, if Zisu gets pregnant in the future and can't take care of your brother, shouldn't there be a concubine to serve him? If Zisu is virtuous, she should take the initiative to find a concubine for your brother when she becomes pregnant herself. Otherwise, she's just jealous, and that's committing one of the seven grounds for divorce!"
Fang Qiong couldn't help but stomp her foot: "So, before Father turned thirty, you didn't even have a child. At that time, why didn't you think of taking the initiative to help Father find a concubine? This is clearly unreasonable, extremely unreasonable!"
"..." Ying was speechless when her daughter asked her that question.
Fang Heng rubbed his forehead and said wearily, "I'm tired. I'm going to rest for a while. Don't bother me when it's time to eat!"
After saying that, he turned and left. Unexpectedly, just as he stepped out of the flower hall, he saw his two children squatting under the pomegranate tree by the door. Upon seeing their father, Yunduo and Rufeng rushed over, crying and shouting, "Father, we don't want that wicked stepmother! We want Aunt Zisu to be our mother!"
Fang Heng couldn't help but give a wry smile, and said helplessly, "Okay, Father understands!"
Yun Duo reached out and hugged her father's neck, asking in a childish voice, "Daddy, Yun Duo misses Aunt Zi Su. When can Yun Duo see Aunt Zi Su again?"
Fang Heng sighed helplessly and said as gently as possible, "Your Aunt Zisu has gone back to the capital and is very busy. She doesn't have time to come see Yunduo for the time being. However, I promise you, as long as there is a suitable opportunity, I will definitely take you to see Aunt Zisu!"
Yun Duo finally stopped crying and started laughing. She stretched out her little finger and hooked it with her father's little finger: "Daddy, let's pinky swear, and keep our word for a hundred years. If we change our minds, we're little dogs!"
Fang Heng couldn't hold back his tears. He turned slightly, quickly wiped away the tears in his eyes, and forced a smile, saying, "Okay, Father will definitely keep his word!"
I'm sorry, my dear child, Daddy is useless and may disappoint you. However, no matter what, Daddy will try his best. But, effort doesn't always guarantee a good result!
However, if your father tries his best but still fails to marry you, Aunt Zisu, then your father won't have too many regrets. After all, if he hadn't tried, he would have regretted it for the rest of his life and would never have been able to let it go.
Ru Feng nestled close to Fang Qiong, her eyes shining as she looked at her father: "Father, I miss Aunt Zisu so much, I wish she could be my mother. Father, you must try your best, try your best to make Aunt Zisu like you!"
Fang Heng was taken aback, then nodded vigorously, "Okay, Father will definitely try his best!" He would never give up until the very last moment! Since she didn't want to discuss marriage within a year, he would wait for her for a year. In any case, he didn't want to marry anyone else for the time being. If he couldn't marry Zisu, he planned not to get married for five years.
Anyway, five years from now, he'll only be in his early thirties. By then, with his looks and abilities, marrying a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl won't be a problem at all. In five years, Yun Duo and Ru Feng will be almost eleven. He can work hard these next few years teaching the children martial arts, and in five years they'll have a certain level of self-defense ability!
If Madam Ying knew that her son planned to wait until their children were eleven years old to marry, since he couldn't marry Zisu, she would be filled with remorse. Three years—she could have simply waited three years to bring Zisu home as a wife. However, because of her foolishness and her wicked mother-in-law behavior, she missed out on a good daughter-in-law. Moreover, she made her son afraid to marry and unwilling to marry!
In that case, wouldn't she be "too clever by half, only to end up shooting herself in the foot, and having gained nothing in the end"?
Fang Heng had no time to grieve. He devoted half of his energy to raising his children, personally guiding their education and teaching them martial arts. He poured the other half of his energy into his work.
Winter has passed and spring has arrived; several months have gone by in the blink of an eye.
Wuliping Agricultural Tourism Park has finally been completed!
The park officially opened to the public on the first day of the fifth lunar month.
Wuliping Agricultural Sightseeing Park is an agricultural leisure and sightseeing park that integrates sightseeing, fruit picking, leisure and vacation, accommodation and catering, fishing, and shopping. The park's fruit picking garden covers an area of 3,000 mu and has more than 30 varieties of fruits, including cherries, peaches, plums, prunes, apples, pears, dates, walnuts, grapes, persimmons, loquats, apricots, watermelons, bananas, bayberries, strawberries, oranges, pomelos, and dates.
The main roads throughout the park are paved with colorful pebbles and lined with bamboo walkways. Trellises made of bamboo as thick as a bowl are erected along the main roads, and dozens of different varieties of melons are planted, creating a beautiful landscape. To meet the needs of fishing enthusiasts, a large fishing area has also been built within the park, taking advantage of the lake's location.
The park features fruit tree and vegetable adoption areas, where most fruit trees can be adopted to attract repeat visitors. In addition, various rustic-style cabins, bamboo houses, and small brick and tile buildings have been constructed for tourists to stay, meet guests, and enjoy themselves.
The entire scenic area, including a large natural lake, covers more than 11,000 mu (approximately 7,333 hectares). It also includes the sunflower, banana, and peach/plum orchards of Zisu. These three orchards feature paved cobblestone paths and bamboo-built leisure corridors.
Before the tourist park opened to the public, Zisu printed tens of thousands of leaflets and hired local children to distribute them to prominent families in the streets, alleys, and villages. All the royal relatives, noble families, meritorious families, as well as academies and schools, received such leaflets.
The sightseeing park officially opened on a day off. A large number of tourists flocked to Wuliping from Zhangshu County, Yulin Prefecture, Beijing, and surrounding counties and prefectures.
The profit on the first day was as high as tens of thousands of taels of silver, which can be described as making money hand over fist! This achievement made all the shareholders beam with joy and feel extremely happy.
On this day, the number of bus trips from Zhangshu County to the capital increased from two to four. Meanwhile, the horse-drawn carriages from the capital to Wuliping departed every hour—one at dawn, one hour later, and another—for a total of six trips. Each trip had three carriages, and each carriage could carry ten people at a time.
In addition, horse-drawn carriages were also put into service directly from Zhangshu County, Lishuxiang County, and Huaishu County to Wuliping. There was one trip after breakfast and one trip after lunch, with two carriages on each trip, and each carriage could seat ten people. In other words, these horse-drawn carriages were all of the same standard and had the same markings.
On the first day of its opening, Wuliping was filled with princes, princesses, and young masters and ladies from prominent families. Of course, these people had their own private carriages, and only a few took the buses from Zhangshu County.
Fortunately, Zisu, Prince Duan, and the Eldest Princess had foreseen this and recruited a large number of retired soldiers to serve as guards for the Wuliping Scenic Area. Luo Jianming was the commander of the guards, Shangguan Qin, the eldest son of the old clan chief, was the deputy commander, Li Mao was the logistics manager, and Xiangli was the personnel manager.
The guards numbered one hundred, each a highly skilled individual. Strong and robust, each could easily take down two or three burly men, and over half possessed martial arts knowledge. Among them, a dozen or so were exceptionally skilled. On the opening day, Zisu specifically dispatched Shen Laihui to patrol the area, instructing him to apprehend any suspicious individuals immediately.
By now, Shen Laihui was already renowned. Those who intended to cause trouble were immediately terrified upon seeing Shen Laihui approaching with a sword in hand, and all their thoughts vanished.
The park has a special VIP area, namely the Sunflower Manor, Banana Manor, and Peach and Plum Manor. In these three manors, small buildings with blue bricks and tiles have been built, specially provided for the young masters and ladies of royalty and noble families, as well as princes and princesses.
The prices in the VIP area are naturally incomparable to those in the ordinary log cabins and bamboo houses outside, and the service quality and hygiene conditions are also vastly different. While the ordinary log cabins and bamboo houses are kept spotless, the VIP area's buildings are immaculate, with floors so clean they could be used as mirrors.
That's right, in the VIP area, the second floor of the small building has a wooden floor, while the first floor has a granite floor. The granite floor is smooth, clean, and clearly visible, even better than an ordinary bronze mirror.
The Sunflower Manor was booked by the Crown Prince; the Banana Manor was booked by the Empress's family; and the Peach and Plum Manor was booked by the Dongfang family.
The Dongfang family is the most powerful family in the Western Liang Kingdom, and their wealth is comparable to that of a nation.
This time, an eighteen-year-old young master from the Dongfang family arrived—Dongfang Feixiang, the eldest grandson of the Dongfang family. He is also the most outstanding descendant of the Dongfang family; at fifteen, he passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations), and at eighteen, he became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest-level imperial examinations) this year, ranking fifth in the second class—a truly remarkable figure. Currently, he serves as the magistrate of Pucao County, a neighboring mountainous county, which he has governed with great success.
That evening, Zisu, the Eldest Princess, and Prince Duan jointly hosted a banquet at the Wuliping Hotel to entertain the Crown Prince, Dongfang Feixiang, the princes and princesses, as well as the Empress's nephew Yu Zhen and sister Yu Cailian.
Zisu, Yue'er, Hua'er, and the Eldest Princess were in charge of entertaining the female guests, while Prince Duan, Jiang Shihua, Jiang Shichang, and the old clan chief were in charge of entertaining the young masters and princes. Zisu even cooked a dish she was good at making for everyone, braised deer with yellow sauce. She also personally made a large cake for everyone.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the meal. After a hearty meal, Zisu gained two very congenial friends. Prince Duan also found himself getting along quite well with Yu Zhen. Dongfang Feixiang was very curious about Zisu; this princess, who was "capable in both court and kitchen," stirred something within him.
Princess Yulin truly lives up to her reputation. Meeting her today, I find her even more beautiful and elegant than the rumors suggest; she is indeed a girl of exceptional beauty.
Prince Duan's gaze remained fixed on Zisu, noticing Dongfang Feixiang's attention towards her. He felt a pang of unease, a mix of discomfort and worry that this fellow might try to steal Zisu from him, and his gaze towards Dongfang Feixiang hardened.
Dongfang Feixiang was a man of both literary and martial talents, and naturally sensed his displeasure. However, he was not afraid of Prince Duan at all, and instead gave Prince Duan a provocative look.
Prince Duan was a little angry, but he couldn't argue with Dongfang Feixiang because of the situation. Otherwise, he would have definitely taught Dongfang Feixiang a lesson.
Fang Heng, as the local official of Zhangshu County, was naturally among them.
He had naturally witnessed the interaction between Prince Duan and Dongfang Feixiang, and couldn't help but feel heartbroken. So, he now had another rival in love? His chances of being with Zisu had diminished even further.
However, no matter what, he still had to try his best to win her over! If he were to miss out on such a wonderful girl, it would be the biggest regret of his life!
The first group spent a full day and two nights playing. On the morning of the third day, the Crown Prince, surrounded by many princes and princesses, returned to the capital. Prince Duan, Zisu, and the Eldest Princess, naturally also accompanied the Crown Prince back with their respective guards.
Upon returning to the capital, Prince Duan was appointed commander of the Imperial Guard within a few days. Shen Laihui was also officially appointed by Zisu and Shangguan Mufeng as the commander of the guards of the Protectorate General's Mansion, receiving the salary of a fifth-rank military officer.
The entire Protectorate General's Mansion was managed like a military camp. Even the maids and servants had to get up and run laps every day. Those who were physically unfit would be dismissed and sent to the estate to recuperate. In short, everyone in the General's Mansion was strong and healthy.
----Tianjing's completed novel, "The Cunning Marquis and His Mighty Wife," is actually a farming novel. Its original title was "Happy Countryside, Ugly Girl A-Xing." You're welcome to check it out. You can find it by clicking "Other Works by the Author" in the introduction.
It is said that almost all of Tianjing's works are of the farming genre.
The monthly pass increase is quite significant. A huge thank you to all the readers who support Tianjing, and a special thank you to 1047604383 for sending Tianjing a red envelope. To express my gratitude for everyone's support and encouragement, I'll be updating twice tomorrow. Goodnight, I'll try to update earlier tomorrow.