Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Aicao’s wedding took place in the autumn of that year.

Shanli’s wedding was held in the twelfth lunar month of the same year.

To prepare for their weddings, both Lady Liu and Su Qingruo were extremely busy that year.

Later, perhaps out of concern that the two might mishandle things and bring shame upon the Yun family, the eldest branch sent people to assist, ensuring their weddings would be properly celebrated.

By this time, Lou’er was growing up, so Yun Changxie arranged for him to have two tutors—one for civil studies and one for martial arts.

Though Lou’er preferred martial arts over studying, he couldn’t grow up illiterate.

Illiteracy wouldn't do him any good.

Since he disliked studying, Yun Changxie didn’t force him to read advanced texts, but he still had to learn the basics.

Reading brings enlightenment and wisdom.

Lou’er didn’t have to treat academics as his means of advancement, but he still needed to grasp the foundations.

Because the child was still young, Yun Changxie couldn’t be too strict with him.

Lou’er studied for fifteen days a month, with just one hour of reading and one hour of martial arts practice each day.

As he grew older, his study time would gradually increase.

For Aicao and Shanli’s dowries, Yun Changxie prepared equal provisions.

Each received two hundred taels of silver, a shop, and a manor.

The silver wasn’t much, but the real value lay in the shop and the manor.

A shop in the capital and a manor in the suburbs were far more valuable than plain silver.

No matter how their lives turned out, having a shop and a manor would ensure they wouldn’t be oppressed by their husbands' families.

Yun Changxie was doing well in the Ministry of Public Works and seemed unlikely to be transferred to another post.

While preparing dowries for his siblings, he also acquired two shops and a manor for the family.

Now that Su Qingruo could speak, he needed to learn household management and how to oversee the shops—knowledge he would acquire in time.

With Lady Liu still able to advise him, he had someone to rely on while learning.

That autumn, after Aicao’s wedding, Yun Changxie was dispatched to oversee construction of a dam in the south.

Su Qingruo could not endure separation from him, so he accompanied Yun Changxie on the trip.

Lou’er wasn’t taken along—partly because the trip wouldn’t last too long, and partly because caring for a child on the journey would be troublesome. Staying in the capital was far more comfortable for him.

In the capital, he had Lady Liu and Aunt Liang to look after him, as well as the eldest and second branches of the family to watch over him—much better than accompanying them to the dam project.

Perhaps worried that Lady Liu might not raise him properly, Lou’er was later taken in by his great-grandmother—Yun Changxie’s grandmother—from the eldest branch.

The old lady doted on children, and despite her advanced age, she loved taking care of the family’s youngsters.

Under her watch, Lou’er became more unruly.

Once, in his mischief, he even beat up a cousin from the second branch.

Yes, despite being two years younger, he managed to make the other boy cry.

...

That winter, Yun Changxie and Su Qingruo didn’t return for the New Year, so they couldn’t attend Shanli’s wedding.

This upset Shanli, who took it to heart and even shed a few tears in private.

Fortunately, apart from her eldest brother and his husband, she still had her second sister and brother-in-law in the capital.

Even if her eldest brother and his husband weren’t around, having her second sister there was enough.

Besides, her husband's family treated her well, so she quickly forgot her unhappiness.

On the third day after her wedding, she and her husband returned to her family home for the customary homecoming visit.

Naturally, they went back to the Yun residence.

As the young couple rode in their carriage, they happened to pass by another wedding procession.

Shanli peered out from behind the curtain and caught sight of a distantly familiar figure.

Her husband, noticing her gaze, asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Do you know them?”

Shanli shook her head as she lowered the curtain. “No, I don’t.”

The man leading the wedding procession outside was a tall, imposing military officer.

It was none other than the officer Yun Changxie had included among the three potential suitors for her.

The one she had almost chosen after just one meeting.

Shanli hadn’t expected him to marry so soon. She wondered what his wife was like.

At this thought, she shook her head slightly.

It mattered not. She was already married, and so was he.

What kind of person he was no longer her concern.

Yun Changxie and Su Qingruo returned in the fourth month of the following year. By then, Su Qingruo was three months with child.

The child had been conceived just days before their return, which came as a surprise to both of them.

Unlike women, male carriers didn’t have monthly courses, making pregnancy harder to detect early.

Unaware of the pregnancy, they had traveled hastily at first.

Only when Su Qingruo began feeling unwell did they realize something was amiss.

In recent years, Su Qingruo’s health had improved greatly, and he rarely fell ill. So his sudden discomfort was quite noticeable.

Yun Changxie had a doctor examine him during their journey, who confirmed Su Qingruo’s pregnancy.

To accommodate Su Qingruo’s condition, they slowed their pace, which was why they didn’t return until April.

Back home, Yun Changxie had a month of official leave, which he spent entirely tending to Su Qingruo's pregnancy.

When the two of them first returned, Lou’er moved back from the main household.

At first, the little child seemed to miss his father and daddy dearly.

But once that initial wave of longing passed, he started begging to go stay at his great-grandmother’s house again.

He had recently made many playmates there—children from both the main and secondary households.

He had also befriended quite a few kids from the neighboring households.

Especially one particular boy from a nearby family, who was exceptionally pretty, almost like a delicate young man.

Lou’er adored playing with him, and the boy’s grandfather even suggested arranging a childhood betrothal between them.

As for Lou’er, still so young, playing with this little scamp, Yun Changxie didn’t say much.

He simply instructed Lou’er’s wet nurse and caretakers to keep a close eye on him.

As long as no one messed with Lou’er, he saw no need to restrict the boy’s freedom.

Yun Changxie’s only real concern was that some brat might exploit Lou’er’s innocence, tricking him into kissing or touching.

It wasn’t that Yun Changxie was being overly suspicious—some families actually took pride in their sons’ early interest in romance, even considering it a point of pride.

To prevent such incidents, Yun Changxie had Su Qingruo, the wet nurse, and Lady Liu teach Lou’er about personal boundaries early on.

He could play with other boys, but they weren’t allowed to touch his face or body.

Lou’er didn’t quite understand why, but he listened carefully to Su Qingruo and Lady Liu’s instructions.

Whatever they said was allowed or forbidden, he remembered well.

However, what Yun Changxie never expected was that one day, upon returning from duty,

Lou’er excitedly dragged a fine-featured little boy up to him and announced, “Father, can I marry him so he can live with us?”

Yun Changxie glanced at the boy.

“You… are a *ge’er*?”

The clear-skinned little boy tilted his chin up proudly.

“I’m a man!”

“Oh? So you’re a man? And you’re fine with him marrying you?”

The boy replied, “Sure! He says he’s rich. If I marry him, I’ll have an easy life.”

Yun Changxie couldn’t help but laugh at their kids' talk.

“Whose child are you? If you two want to marry, your parents must agree first.”

Lou’er panicked. “Then, Father, hurry and go ask for his hand right now!”

Pushed forward by Lou’er, Yun Changxie laughed. “What's the hurry?”

“I have to hurry! If I don’t marry him now, he’s going to the border with his father in a few days.”

The borderlands were cold and miserable, and the boy, unwilling to go, had came up with this marriage idea to avoid going.