By the time Princess Linghe and Li Wuyu arrived, two months had passed.
And by then, it was already April.
Since it was their first time traveling far from home and they didn’t know the way, they took a long time on the road before they reached Hecheng County.
However, during these two months, An Jing and Xiao Changyi had accomplished quite a lot.
In late February, An Jing and Xiao Changyi planted rice in the fields.
Once the rice was planted, An Jing asked Xiao Changyi to teach her how to ride a horse. Initially, Zhuri was reluctant to let An Jing ride alone, but after being disciplined by Xiao Changyi a few times, Zhuri obediently allowed An Jing to ride alone. And thanks to Zhuri’s cooperation, it didn’t take long for An Jing to learn how to ride.
By mid-March, even when Zhuri ran at high speed and jumped over many obstacles, An Jing was able to sit steadily on Zhuri’s back without falling.
In late March, An Jing and Xiao Changyi poured fry into the paddy fields. They didn’t plan to raise and sell rice fish for money anymore; they only added a few fry to the fields to increase rice production.
In contrast, other families in the village raised quite a few in their fields.
Thanks to the kindness of the people in An Village, the knack for raising fish in paddy fields spread, enabling people from other villages to try it too, even those from Jiuping Village.
An Jing and Xiao Changyi didn’t say anything when they saw that everyone was raising fish in their fields.
They hadn’t intended to keep this a secret, and they had expected this day to come when they first told the people of An Village.
On the second day of the third month and the second day of the fourth month, Wang Youbao came to deliver money to An Jing and Xiao Changyi. Hundred Dishes Restaurant had become a branch of Qian Wei Tavern, so it was as if there were two taverns earning and sharing the profits, which meant that An Jing and Xiao Changyi received even more money.
On the second day of the third month, An Jing and Xiao Changyi received ten thousand taels from the tavern earnings; on the second day of the fourth month, they received twelve thousand taels. An Jing and Xiao Changyi were unfazed by how much Qian Wei Tavern was making. Every time Wang Youbao left, they immediately handed the money over to Meng Lanqing.
Under the guidance of An Jing and Xiao Changyi, Meng Lanqing opened another rice shop in the county closest to Hecheng County.
On the eighth day of the fourth month, which is today, Xiao Changyi sat in the courtyard weaving a bamboo basket, while An Jing sat beside him, watching him work and chatting with him, extremely happy.
Xiao Changyi would occasionally respond to An Jing, and if An Jing teased him too much, he would stop what he was doing and affectionately rub his forehead against hers. Occasionally, the two would exchange a kiss.
The breeze was gentle, the birds sang among fragrant flowers, the sun was strong but not hot, and one could lift their eyes to see the lush greenery on the mountains—the atmosphere was truly beautiful.
Suddenly, An Jing and Xiao Changyi heard the sound of approaching footsteps, along with a woman’s voice—
"Vice General Meng, is the prince really living here?" the woman’s tone was incredulous, laced with arrogance.
"In response to the Commandery Princess, it is indeed true," Meng Zhuqing replied in a tone that was neither humble nor haughty.
Only then did An Jing and Xiao Changyi realize that Princess Linghe and Li Wuyu must have arrived.
Soon, they heard Meng Zhuqing’s knock at the door.
However, neither An Jing nor Xiao Changyi went to answer it, nor did they respond. Xiao Changyi simply continued weaving his bamboo basket, and An Jing cupped her face, smiling as she watched her dear husband Xiao Changyi.
Meng Zhuqing knocked on the door again, and seeing that there was still no response or anyone coming to open it, he did not rush but stood respectfully at the entrance to the courtyard, waiting.