Xun Hui remained silent, but her mood had become somewhat complicated. How many things was this daughter keeping from her? First, it was starting a workshop, then buying land, and now opening a store and buying carriages...
My goodness, these were things she had never even dared to think about before, so how did they seem like child’s play to her daughter?
In the midst of everyone’s excited and complex emotions, the carriage finally entered the county town of Baihua County.
"Wow, there are so many two-story houses here..." Erni leaned on the window, looking out, "But I feel like they definitely aren’t as nice as our house..."
"That’s for sure, our house was designed by our eldest sister herself, and it even has ground heating. Eldest sister said that the floor will be covered with wooden planks, so you can walk barefoot on it in winter..." Sanni said with immense pride.
Soon, the carriage stopped in front of the Yuelai Inn.
The rooms booked were the best upper rooms, three in total. However, Yang Ruxin added another standard room for Qian Er, who drove the carriage, as there were still some errands to be run, such as finding out where there might be a suitable property and also inquiring about the price of Hundred-Year Wild Ginseng here.
Now, about the Fang Family.
The ancestors of the Fang Family were known for their scholarly achievements and had produced two Chief of Staffs. However, things changed with Fang Dehua’s father, Fang Jing. The old man, originally a juren, was of a straightforward temperament. Disdaining the deceit of officialdom, he returned to his hometown and quit the examinations. Nonetheless, he had strict expectations for his son: he did not wish to hold office himself, but he aspired for his son to become an official to honor the family.
He was quite a contradictory old man, indeed.
He married two wives in his lifetime. His former wife from the Feng Family bore him a son, Fang Decheng, but she passed away when the child was little more than a year old. He later married his current wife from the Ma Family, who gave birth to Fang Dehua.
The Ma family matriarch was a virtuous woman. Although she was a stepmother, she treated Fang Decheng, her stepson, quite well and raised him herself.
But Fang Decheng was not one for studying, so he barely managed to follow in his father’s footsteps for a few years: he learned enough to read and keep accounts. Nevertheless, his younger brother Fang Dehua showed an incredible natural talent for learning from an early age. The old man pinned all his hopes on him, and indeed, the son did not disappoint. Though he did not sweep the top three places in the imperial examinations, he ranked fourth in the palace examination, earning him a position at the Hanlin Academy.
By that time, he was already married to Yuan Mengzhu. Yuan Mengzhu was related to his stepmother; the two mothers were cousins, and their relationship was quite good. Fang Dehua and Yuan Mengzhu were childhood sweethearts, so their marriage was to be expected.
Everything seemed harmonious, yet who knew Fang Tianze would turn out to be so frail? Although Yuan Mengzhu later agreed to Fang Dehua taking two concubines, they still did not have another son.
As for Fang Dehua, he was shrewd indeed—capable of smooth and sometimes even sly dealings. Yet, in some respects, he resembled his father. When confronted with matters of principle, he could become quite obstinate and upright. Such a person, unless he had a strong patron, was unlikely to be heavily relied upon, and so out of necessity, he requested a posting. It was only after some manipulation with Silver Coin that he was assigned to his hometown of Baihua County as the County Magistrate. He had now served two terms, and by rights, it was time for a promotion, but...
He was talented and certainly not content with just being a minor magistrate. However, he could not find a powerful supporter nor was he willing to commit wrongdoings. As a result, he had spent these years caught in a struggle.