"Brother-in-law, a toast to you.
I’m thanking you from the bottom of my heart. You have no idea what kind of life my sister used to live.
Every year, on the second day of the New Year when I’d co to visit, it didn’t matter if there was a great wind or a heavy snow.
My sister would be standing at the main gate, just waiting and watching for .
How could I not know? It was because no one in that residence liked her, and she had no one to talk to."
Lu Yuan didn’t say much. He just clinked his cup with Song Chi’s, and the two of them drained them in one go.
Song Chi, however, had beco talkative, sighing as he spoke:
"Brother-in-law, you don’t know this, but I used to dread visiting for the New Year. Every ti I saw my sister standing at the main gate, waiting...
It was just gut-wrenching. There was nothing I could do but watch helplessly.
Our parents didn’t care for her, so I was the only close family she had.
But with my job, I could be sent here one day and there the next. There was no way for to look after her!
Every ti I left, I’d ask my old vice-general to help keep an eye on her.
But every ti I ca back, I’d hear from him how that old hag had done this or that to my sister again.
It made so angry I wanted to grab my sword, lead my n, and slaughter their whole family!"
Zhao Qiao’Er, sitting beside Song iqin, sighed as she heard this. Under the table, she took Song iqin’s small hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Zhao Qiao’Er knew what her sister-in-law’s life was like. It looked glamorous on the outside, but she suffered terribly in secret.
She knew all this, of course, but hearing soone else say it still made her sad.
Beside her, Song iqin lowered her head and wiped away a tear, then looked up with her beautiful, red-rimd eyes.
"Alright, alright. Let’s not talk about the past.
It’s the New Year. Why bring this up? Co on, let’s drink."
Song Chi poured himself another cup of wine and nodded.
"Yeah, what’s past is past. Anyway, seeing my sister like this today really makes happy.
She’s completely different from before.
Co on, Brother-in-law. My sister dotes on children. Every New Year when we see her, she showers my kids with a ton of stuff..."
Song Chi had barely gotten that far.
At the other table, the oldest of the children imdiately chid in loudly:
"Yeah! Auntie is the best! We love Auntie the most~"
The child’s words made everyone at Lu Yuan’s table grin.
The child’s mother, however, quickly told her kid to lower their head and eat, scolding them,
"When adults are talking, children shouldn’t interrupt. You have no manners!"
After speaking, the child’s mother looked over at Lu Yuan’s group with an apologetic smile.
Of course, no one was actually going to bla the child for anything.
Then, Song Chi raised his cup, grinned at Lu Yuan, and said:
"Co, Brother-in-law, another toast to you.
This year, I hope you and my sister have a few kids of your own, so she stops doting on mine all the ti."
At Song Chi’s words, Song iqin glanced shyly at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan also picked up his cup and grinned.
"Deal. We’ll have eight or ten of them, so she can dote on them to her heart’s content."
Lu Yuan’s words made Song iqin blush and scoff playfully, but she didn’t object.
’Fine by ~’
’If he wants twenty, I’ll give him twenty~’
Song Chi, however, blinked with a deadpan expression and said:
"Isn’t ten a bit much? My sister’s getting on in years. Wouldn’t she have to keep having them until she’s forty?
Can she still have kids by then..."
Before Song Chi could finish, Song iqin stood up and gave him a big smack on the back of his head, exclaiming in feigned anger:
"What nonsense are you talking about?! Why couldn’t I?!"
Song Chi looked at his own sister with a wronged expression.
"What are you doing?!
It’s the New Year, why are you hitting again!"
But Song iqin just glared at him.
"So you *do* know it’s the New Year!
Then why would you say sothing like that on New Year’s Day!"
Beside them, Zhao Qiao’er blinked as she watched the scene unfold.
HISS~
’After the New Year...’
’I’ll be thirty-six...’
’This...’
’Song iqin is two years younger than , and she’s already worried about whether she can still have children.’
’Then what about ...’
’No! This won’t do!’
At this thought, Zhao Qiao’er made up her mind.
’I don’t care if that factory makes money or not. I have to claim my sweetheart for myself.’
’I’m going all out! I’m not going to worry about saving face anymore!’
’If I have to, I’ll spend all night on the bed with my bare ass in the air, wiggling it until I seduce my sweetheart!!’
’I have to hurry, while I can still have children!!’
’After all, I’m the oldest one here!’
...
The lunch didn’t last long.
They didn’t drink much, either.
The main reason was that Song Chi kept thinking about the guns and cannons, constantly asking about them at the table.
Since things felt so unsettled, it was better to just go ahead and show the items to Song Chi.
Lu Yuan imdiately had soone bring over the guns and cannons.
However, even after they were delivered, Song Chi wasn’t satisfied.
After fiddling with them for a while, Song Chi wanted to test them.
In that case, they might as well go to an empty spot outside the city to try them out now that they had eaten.
As it happened, Lu Yuan also needed to make a trip outside the city to check on the factory.
Because, according to the schedule, the first bicycle should have been produced today.
He had to go take a look.
The three won at ho couldn’t sit still either and decided to go along.
Zhao Qiao’er in particular. She had always heard about how powerful cannons were but had never seen one, so now was her chance to witness it.
The convoy of carriages first arrived at the factory outside the city.
It was bustling outside the factory today.
Not only was there all sorts of activity inside the factory, but the outside was lively too!
All kinds of stalls were set up in the surrounding area, especially food stalls.
Of course, not many people ca to eat at noon, since the factory provided lunch.
But in the mornings and evenings, the place was packed.
However, these people wouldn’t be able to set up their stalls here for much longer. Once the buildings around the factory—the comrcial street—were completed, they’d be gone.
Lu Yuan would have to drive them away then.
It wasn’t that Lu Yuan had it in for these Shopkeepers, but really, why let others earn money that he could earn himself?
Besides, this crowd was chaotic and disorderly.
It looked too ssy. What if soone started a fire that spread to his factory?
This was especially concerning since the location was very close to the official road.
So of the more reckless ones had even set up their stalls on the official road itself.
What if, one day, an urgent 800-li dispatch from the Court was delayed because this section of the road was blocked?
When the ti ca for property confiscation and family execution, who would be held responsible?
After reaching the factory gate, Song Chi’s n went ahead to clear an empty area to test the Flintlock Guns and the Mortar.
Taking advantage of this ti, Lu Yuan went to inspect the factory first.
Arriving at the main gate and getting out of the carriage, Lu Yuan imdiately said to the few Travelers guarding the entrance:
"Get so n to clear the official road over there. Tell them they are not allowed to block it."
The Travelers nodded imdiately and led so n to clear the area.
The factory had quite a few Travelers working as security.
After all, these workers had just been hired, and he didn’t know what their character was like.
What if there were troublemakers, or two rival groups from the sa village had been hired and then started fighting or sothing?
Wouldn’t they tear the roof off the place?
Of course, generally speaking, they wouldn’t dare.
The rules were very strict, after all. Anyone caught fighting would be fired imdiately and never rehired.
But it was still better to take precautions.
The group went inside and wandered around. They had never seen this kind of large-scale workshop production before and stopped to watch with curiosity.
Lu Yuan, however, headed straight for the bicycle workshop, making his way to the shipping area to see.
He wanted to see if any finished bicycles had been produced.
"Oh, my na is on here too~"
Song iqin said excitedly, having suddenly noticed the factory’s brand na.
At her words, everyone else imdiately looked over.
It was obvious where the na "QiaoYan" ca from; both Su Liyan and Zhao Qiao’er had happy expressions on their faces.
Song iqin hadn’t expected her na to be included, since she was the last to join the family and the last to et Lu Yuan.
But Lu Yuan just smiled and raised an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about? Of course it is. No one gets left out.
But let explain it to you, Aunt Song. The only reason your na wasn’t added directly is because ’QiaoYan’ rolls off the tongue. Adding ’Qin’ would have made it a mouthful, so I added yours separately. You’re not allowed to be picky about it, okay!"
Song iqin, looking utterly ravishing, gazed shyly at Lu Yuan.
"How could I be~? Auntie is very happy~"
After Song iqin finished speaking, Song Chi chose the worst possible mont to lean in and ask Lu Yuan curiously:
"So, Brother-in-law, are three wives enough for you?
You’re not going to marry any more?
What will you do if you marry another one later?"
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