Chapter 488: The Blessing Bestowed Upon the Mo Family

Chapter 488: The Blessing Bestowed Upon the Mo Family

With less farmland, they couldn’t cultivate as much as the Mo Family.

Besides, they were fully aware that the crops planted by the Mo Family could be exchanged for a large amount of silver. The Mo Family was kind enough to include them in the planting, and they absolutely couldn’t afford to ruin the Mo Family’s business.

Therefore, without Mo Jiuya needing to remind them, the Fang and Xie families automatically stored the harvested sweet potatoes in their own warehouses to save as food for the winter.

Even so, both families were already very satisfied.

They were no longer nobility; they were merely exiles banished by the emperor’s decree. Being able to live such a peaceful life in the Northwest was all thanks to the Mo Family’s care.

If they were to take the Mo Family’s kindness and try to compete with them for profit, wouldn’t that be repaying kindness with enmity?

In short, Fang Chuanzhou and Xie Tianhai understood this matter very clearly and would never do anything detrimental to the Mo Family’s interests.

Moreover, they were genuinely content. The women in their families earned a high and stable income by making dolls with the Mo Family, providing a steady source of income for their households.

The men, apart from working in the fields during the busy farming season, could also go out to teach. Though not as glamorous as life in the Imperial City, it was peaceful and comfortable.

Hu Cong, even more so, had followed the Mo Family in planting sweet potatoes and corn. He had mastered the technique of building traditional courtyard houses (siheyuan), and his orders were almost overwhelming.

Moreover, he employed many workers under him, all of whom required large amounts of food daily. All the sweet potatoes and corn he planted were kept to feed his workers and were not intended for sale.

In short, the corn that appeared at the Mo Family’s banquet today left everyone deeply moved.

The villagers felt particularly envious. The Mo Family hadn’t harvested their corn in large quantities yet, so they had no idea about its yield.

But just the taste alone had already left a deep impression on them.

Although Meng Huaining was anxious to talk to Mo Jiuya about the government’s acquisition of corn seeds, he wasn’t someone who didn’t know proper etiquette.

After all, Ninth Brother and Ninth Brother’s wife had already promised him that the Mo Family’s high-yield crops could all be sold to the government to be used as seeds next year.

Even if he was anxious, today wasn’t the day to discuss it; the most important thing was the twins' full moon banquet.

Tang Mingrui had almost the same thought as Meng Huaining, but both of them held back because the occasion wasn’t right.

The two little babies were fast asleep at the moment, with Grandmother He and Matriarch Mo each holding one in their arms.

The weather at this time of year was neither cold nor hot, so there was no need to worry about any discomfort for the little ones.

Having twins was already a rare occurrence in the Great Shun dynasty, especially since the Mo Family’s twins were a boy and a girl, which, in the eyes of the people, formed a perfect match, symbolizing boundless good fortune for the Mo Family.

They even believed that Zhuer and Mingzhu were born as lucky charms.

Everyone wanted to get closer to the twins, hoping to share in their good fortune.

With so many people, even if they were careful, there would still be some noise.

Zhuer was sleeping soundly in his grandmother’s arms when he felt something was off and furrowed his tiny brow and blinked open his eyes.

Seeing her grandson’s adorable frown, Grandmother He immediately laughed.

She turned to Matriarch Mo and said, “Mother-in-law, look, my good grandson is awake and even knows how to frown.”

Matriarch Mo, holding Mingzhu in her arms, leaned over to look and indeed, as Grandmother He had said, Zhuer was frowning and looking at them. The expression on his face clearly showed he was unhappy, but unlike other children, Zhuer simply stayed unhappy and didn’t cry, unlike his sister, who might have burst into tears.

This expression melted the hearts of both elderly ladies.

"My dear grandson, if you're unhappy, just cry it out. There's no need to hold it in."

Thinking of her nine sons, all of whom had been tough from a young age, she remembered how none of them ever cried, even when they were severely wounded on the battlefield.

As their mother, she had once been proud of this trait, that her sons were all resilient and did not cry easily.

But what did this resilience bring in return?

It brought the Mo family an imperial decree for banishment, her daughter-in-law being secretly poisoned right after entering the family, and her sons being secretly sabotaged one by one...

Now, Matriarch Mo had come to a realization. From now on, the Mo family should not raise their sons to be so tough. They should be allowed to experience joy and sorrow like children of ordinary families.

But her precious grandson was inherently tough. Ever since he was born, the number of times he had cried could be counted on one hand.

Even when hearing the cries of a baby, it was Mingzhu who was crying. Zhuer, when unhappy, would just frown like he was doing now.

Mrs. He, not having experienced the heartbreaking pain that Matriarch Mo had gone through, didn't think on that level.

"Our Zhuer is indeed tough, just like the Mo family. So young, yet he doesn't cry easily."

As the two elderly ladies were talking about Zhuer, guests began to approach. Mrs. He showed Zhuer's little face to everyone.

Upon seeing Zhuer, a villager immediately exclaimed, "Wow, I’ve never seen a baby so fair and chubby before!"

"Yes, just look at this baby's features, so beautiful in every way."

Their tone may have been exaggerated, but it was indeed true.

Not to mention that Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran were both exceptional in appearance, possessing a quality of genetic inheritance that others did not have.

The food He Zhiran had consumed during her pregnancy was also something this era didn't have. The villagers, who lived hard lives, often couldn't even eat their fill during pregnancy, let alone any tonic supplements.

The villagers had never seen a baby as beautiful as this before, and they all felt it was a blessing bestowed upon the Mo family by heaven.

At that moment, He Zhiran, who had just completed her postpartum confinement after childbirth, was surrounded by her sisters-in-law as they approached.

Not only did the villagers feel this way, but the Mo family members agreed.

The Elder Sister-in-law, dotingly looking at Zhuer in Mrs. He's arms, said softly, "Our Zhuer and Mingzhu are already a month old, and they still don’t have proper names. These two precious ones are a blessing bestowed upon our Mo family by heaven. Their formal names must not be taken lightly."

"Yes, our Zhuer and Mingzhu must have meaningful names," the Second Sister-in-law chimed in.

When it came to naming the children, all eyes fell on He Zhiran, the mother.

Matriarch Mo said, "Zhiran, when the children were born, your father said that you and Jiuye would decide their names. A few days ago, I asked Jiuye, and he said he would leave it to you. Why don't you give a formal name to my precious grandson and granddaughter now?"

"Yes, Ninth Sister-in-law, you are the most knowledgeable among us sisters-in-law. The names you come up with will definitely be beautiful," the Eighth Sister-in-law nudged He Zhiran and said.

When it came to naming her own children, He Zhiran naturally took it as her responsibility.

She had thought about it many times during her confinement, but in the end, she had rejected all her ideas.

She admitted she struggled with naming, and with everyone urging her and the babies already a month old, it felt unreasonable not to give them proper names.