Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 247 - 22: Hami Welcomes You (Part 2) (Second Update)

Chapter 247: Chapter 22: Hami Welcomes You (Part 2) (Second Update)

Susu felt quite shocked by what Hong Sheng said. After all, even in the fertile lands of Jiangnan, having a surplus of a thousand taels of silver after taxes and rent is already quite remarkable.

And now Hong Sheng says he can earn ten to eighteen thousand taels of silver, which naturally leaves Susu stunned!

Hong Sheng chuckled and said, "At first, I was also quite surprised, but you get used to it! Apart from the 500 mu of wasteland given by the military camp that must be used for growing grain, the other 500 mu, I plant all cotton. When the time comes, merchants come to buy it, so there’s no worry about sales. Two estates, one is a winery, and the other raises antelopes and dozens of Yiwu horses. A few thousand taels of silver is just a small deal."

After saying that, Hong Sheng lowered his voice and whispered in Susu’s ear, "Qin Dusi (Commander) has two large horse farms in the Northwest, with annual trade figures reaching hundreds of thousands of taels. I’ve heard he also has a large winery in Turpan, and his wine is sold overseas. How much silver do you think that amounts to?"

Susu moved awkwardly, feeling her ear itch, "Speak properly!"

Even a common household head like Hong Sheng knows these things, so it seems it’s not a secret in the Northwest. It might even be that in the Capital, people also turn a blind eye, so why secretly whisper about it!

Betrayed by his wife’s insight, Hong Sheng wasn’t embarrassed; instead, he moved closer to Susu, pulling her onto his lap, laughing as he said, "Now we can really talk!"

Since that embarrassing incident that night, Hong Sheng had become increasingly thick-skinned. If Susu didn’t use her trump card, she really couldn’t deal with him.

However, since a trump card is called the ultimate weapon, it naturally can’t be used whenever she wants. Otherwise, it would lose its effectiveness. So most of the time, when it comes to shamelessness, Hong Sheng has the upper hand.

Susu’s image as a fairy in front of Hong Sheng had completely collapsed, activating her little fox mode.

Fortunately, Susu’s external image is still virtuous and gentle, kind-hearted; otherwise, Susu would definitely fight with Hong Sheng, that shameless rogue!

At this moment, Susu was helpless and could only go along with him. She reasoned with him, he responded with physical strength; Susu argued with physical strength... heh, she didn’t stand a chance.

Susu wasn’t the kind to make unreasonable arguments. What could she do? The beauty trap was quite effective, and things indeed went according to her plans, smoothly.

But being devoured completely as the beauty, almost exhausting her to death, that was the cost! Facing Hong Sheng, the seasoned driver, Susu was indeed quite distressed!

Susu pushed away Hong Sheng’s stubbly chin that was starting to prick her, "Let’s talk business. You’re pricking me!"

Hong Sheng quickly looked at his wife’s little face; sure enough, there were some red spots, her skin tender like a baby’s, and his stubble could actually hurt her, probably no one else like this.

Thinking about his wife with skin as delicate as a baby’s that couldn’t even bear a touch, Hong Sheng felt a tightness below, quickly stopping his thoughts from running wild; his wife’s face was thin, and if she sensed anything, she’d surely get angry. He’d end up sleeping on the floor again!

"Unless there’s something special, from now on we’ll probably live in Hami County. Before I went to the Capital, I already had someone tidy up the house; I just don’t know what kind of layout, decor, and furniture you like, so apart from my study in the outer courtyard, the other courtyards are still empty. When you get home, you’ll need to sort them out slowly."

Regarding the home where she would live for several years, Susu was naturally quite selective, and Hong Sheng’s arrangement suited her intentions.

"Oh, by the way, Scholar Leng and the others say that when they reach Hami, they’ll directly return to the households, and when the house is ready, they’ll come over for a feast."

Hong Sheng seemed quite helpless towards his subordinates, but his tone was full of laughter.

"Later, I’ll have to trouble you to prepare some things for them to take back. Once we’ve settled in, we’ll invite their families over for a meal."

Upon hearing this, Susu sat up straight, "You need to tell me who all are in their families. They’re your brothers and subordinates. Being vague seems too polite, sending silver is sincere, but it’s too direct. Better to send something practical, which is both decent and intimate."

Hong Sheng felt that his wife was indeed considerate and thoughtful, feeling that marrying Susu was a blessing accumulated over ten lifetimes.

"Except for Li Si, who’s all alone, others either have their families or have established families in the Northwest. However, there are only a couple who are married; most of the women are either mothers or sisters."

"Like at Scholar Leng’s house, there’s only a widowed mother and a brother. They used to be well-off, and the scholar even attended academy for a few years. Later, they couldn’t survive inside the border, and coincidentally, there was a draft, so the whole family moved along."

"The one with the most family members is Yang Xiaoshan’s house. His family was among the first batch of Han people to migrate to Hami. Later, they joined the army, and for generations, they have been military households. The household alone has five brothers, he’s the fifth. Apart from the two married sisters, there’s still an unmarried younger sister. The whole family, not split, all live together."

"And there’s Zhang San..."

Hong Sheng detailed the family situations of his capable brothers to Susu.

After listening, Susu asked, "Did you previously allocate gifts according to how many people are in each family and their financial status? You want me to prepare things this way too?"

Hong Sheng was a bit bewildered. Isn’t that the way to give gifts? He rubbed his nose, "Previously, there wasn’t a woman in the house, so I didn’t think that thoroughly. I didn’t bother about small things, just gave some silver during the holidays, more if they had difficulties. Everyone isn’t doing it for this."

Susu was also a bit speechless, "Your way is free-spirited. If I act the same, it would seem informal and not presentable. I’d be losing face in the Great Northwest, falling for your trick?"

Hong Sheng felt a bit guilty, but hearing the latter part, he couldn’t help but chuckle, leading Susu to pinch his waist.

Hong Sheng pretended to wince in pain, hissing through his teeth, "Good wife, I don’t know the customs, you know I went out on my own from a young age, with no one to teach these things. Now that I have you, I’m relying on my wife to care for me."

That rascal was pretending to be pitiful and shameless; Susu massaged her forehead, reminding herself not to argue with him.

"We’re preparing things because you value these people. If it’s due to positions, altering the gifts is fine. But if it’s to give more because someone has a difficult family situation, or more family members, is that fair to others? After all, everyone’s efforts are the same. Should someone’s contribution go unnoticed just because their family is well-off? Once or twice is okay, but if it keeps happening, won’t it hurt the brothers’ feelings?"

After Susu finished, she paused, seeing that Hong Sheng didn’t object to her views, she continued, "Not just considering those who receive less, but more for those who receive more. A grown man being reminded constantly that his family is in need, requiring charity, and this becoming widely known. Put yourself in their shoes, how would you feel?"

At this time, Susu had already gotten off Hong Sheng’s lap and sat to the side. When she finished speaking, she saw Hong Sheng’s expression change, and then he formally offered her a respectful bow, "No wonder they say ’a wise wife brings less trouble,’ with such a wife, what more could a husband ask for!"

Susu didn’t expect Hong Sheng to be so serious in bowing to her, hurriedly turning aside, "What are you doing? We’re husband and wife; this is what I should do. You’re a big man; naturally, not as meticulous as a woman. I guess your brothers aren’t petty, and perhaps I’m being too small-minded, suspecting other people’s sincerity!"

Hong Sheng shook his head but didn’t explain further. Without Susu’s words, the brotherly bonds might have gradually worn out.

"Just tell me what to prepare, and I’ll instruct someone to handle it. If there’s anything missing, we’ll be passing through a town soon; they can buy it there."

Susu rarely felt a bit embarrassed, saying, "We already have everything; no need to buy more."

Haha, the convoy now has five more camel-drawn carts, all Susu’s ’spoils of war.’ She originally didn’t remember what she’d bought, and after organizing, she even found two live sheep.

Reflecting on her thoughts at the time, it was all for drinking sheep’s milk. If she encountered a dairy cow, she’d probably crave cow’s milk too. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Overall, there were plenty of ideas back then!