"Xiaofeng."

Gu Baishuang concealed her emotions and summoned Nie Xiaofeng, who was waiting in the courtyard, to come in.

Nie Xiaofeng dropped the disrespectful look on his face and respectfully greeted Tong Huaqiong, warmly calling her Grandma.

Tong Huaqiong’s mouth twitched, feeling indifferent toward her eldest grandson.

"Mother, I discussed with Mr. Su, and Xiaofeng is not suited for studying. He’s more suited for a military path. Now, I really don’t want him to enlist. Our Lai Fu knows martial arts, so why not have Xiaofeng attend the private school in Qinghe Bay to learn to read while learning martial arts from Lai Fu?" Gu Baishuang said somewhat embarrassedly to Tong Huaqiong.

Furthermore, Gu Baishuang was worried that Nie Xiaofeng might be led astray by bad influences in town, as Qinghe Bay’s environment is relatively simple and unsophisticated, and he wouldn’t learn bad habits in the village.

Tong Huaqiong: "..."

Does this mean Nie Xiaofeng will be staying with the Gu Family from now on?

Nie Xiaofeng unabashedly said to Tong Huaqiong, "Grandma, I heard you often go to the provincial capital and other counties to open pastry shops and deliver pork to butcher shops. I can be your bodyguard in the future."

As spring began, Nie Xiaofeng had changed into lightweight clothes, revealing his strong muscles.

He indeed looks like a bodyguard in the making.

Tong Huaqiong said, "Let’s not talk about being a bodyguard yet. First, follow Lai Fu and learn martial arts properly."

Nie Xiaofeng grinned and ran out.

Gu Baishuang gave an apologetic smile to Tong Huaqiong and said, "During the New Year, I was arranging silver for Man Er and the others, and my two stepsons and their wives accused me of setting them up. Xiaofeng had a quarrel with them. Ever since Xiaofeng was born, those two have been dissatisfied. When Xiaofeng entered the private school, they insinuated that I was biased. Now that Xiaofeng has fallen out with them, I worry they might scheme against him and intentionally lead him astray. So, after thinking it over, since his academic performance isn’t great, I’ll just let him stay in Qinghe Bay to collect himself. Mother, you’re the elder. If he misbehaves, feel free to punish him. He’s afraid of Taohua, so having Taohua keep him in check should prevent him from going astray."

Tong Huaqiong sighed. The Gu Family is certainly growing more prosperous.

Besides Nie Xiaofeng now joining the family, there’s also Mr. Su.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, when the private school in town reopened, Mr. Su would visit the Gu Family during his breaks to help Pandi with Hua Er, sometimes even staying over under the guise of supervising studies when Gu Jingzhe had to return home.

At the Gu Family, he either taught Duer to write or held Hua Er.

His face radiated spring joy, clearly revealing his affectionate feelings.

Even Mrs. Hong noticed his interest in Tong Pandi and privately discussed Mr. Su’s virtues and character with Tong Huaqiong, considering it could be a great match if Tong Pandi and he got together.

Tong Huaqiong understood Mrs. Hong’s thoughts.

Though Tong Pandi initiated the divorce, to outsiders, she appeared a pitiable woman abandoned by the Wu Family and her husband. The best way to counter their narrative was to find someone better than Wu Musheng.

Mr. Su was the most respected teacher in the Black Dragon Pond area of Yan Guan Town, young and elegant, and matched well with Tong Pandi.

If Tong Pandi were to marry Mr. Su as a divorced woman with two children, it would be like a modern female empowerment narrative.

Just imagining how much it would shame the Wu Family is satisfying.

Mrs. Hong’s thoughts were well-intentioned, but she hadn’t considered Tong Pandi’s perspective.

Based on Tong Huaqiong’s understanding of Tong Pandi, she wasn’t sure if Tong Pandi was aware of Mr. Su’s feelings, as they hadn’t communicated. However, she knew that Tong Pandi currently was not interested in romantic relationships.

Gu Baishuang returned after lunch.

Before leaving, she kindly asked Mr. Su if he wanted to catch a ride back with the Nie family’s carriage, but Mr. Su politely declined.

Clearly, he intended to continue staying at Tong Huaqiong’s house.

After feeding the pigs, Tong Pandi washed her hands, sat on a chair, and mended a long robe sleeve.

"Whose is this?" Tong Huaqiong asked.

Tong Pandi replied with a smile, "It’s Mr. Su’s."

Outside, Mr. Su’s clear voice could be heard as he held Hua Er and taught Duer spring poems.

Tong Pandi glanced outside and said with a smile, "Mr. Su is kind, has good knowledge, and is patient with children. It’s just that he’s not very practical in life. See, this robe’s sleeve was torn, and he didn’t even think to get it mended. So I asked him to take it off so I could mend it for him."

Tong Pandi appeared open and straightforward.

Her expression did not suggest she had romantic feelings for Mr. Su.

In Tong Pandi’s mind, Mr. Su was a respectable teacher, and she considered his kindness to her as a reflection of his noble character, never associating it with romance.

As Tong Pandi saw Mr. Su merely as a respected elder, there was no need for Tong Huaqiong to expose anything.

Letting things unfold naturally was best.

Spring had arrived, and each day grew warmer, melting the ice in the rivers and the snow on the ground, and the wheat sprouted vigorously.

The pigpen, wheat fields, and cotton seed cultivation... There’s much awaiting Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong had already realized before the year’s end that there wasn’t much cotton fabric in this era, mainly because cotton quality and weaving technology lagged behind. She’s considered improving cotton cultivation and weaving technology to profit from the cotton fabric business.

Since the weather warmed, she fully dedicated herself to cotton seed breeding.

In the courtyard, she had carved out a plot as a test field, planting seeds sourced from her space, which would be transplanted to the fields after sprouting.

Tong Huaqiong was busy but grateful for Gu Dahuan, a stepson skilled in farming, who eased much of her burden.

"Mother, I just went to the west side of the village to dig mud and saw the Clan Leader and some others cleaning and patching the windows at Grandpa and Grandma’s courtyard. I wonder what they’re up to," Gu Dahuan mentioned upon returning.

Tong Huaqiong frowned, and without Gu Dahuan’s reminder, she would have forgotten that in this world Tong Dajiao still had in-laws.

These in-laws had followed her brother-in-law to another place.

In the previous life, Tong Dajiao had a poor relationship with her in-laws, and after they left to live elsewhere with her brother-in-law, she severed all ties with them.

When Gu Jingzhe became a high-ranking official in the Capital, her in-laws and brother-in-law went to the Capital to see her, only to be refused entry by Tong Dajiao.

As a result, Gu Jingzhe was admonished by the Historian.

"Whatever they’re up to." Tong Huaqiong said.

Neither the previous life’s Tong Dajiao nor this life’s Tong Huaqiong got along with the Clan Leader.

But that wasn’t Tong Huaqiong’s fault; the Gujia Clan Leader was unfair and overbearing, and Tong Huaqiong wasn’t one to kowtow.

Thinking about how the Clan Leader attempted to manipulate her burial arrangements so that she would be interred alongside Old Gu angered her, and she was unwilling to interact with the Clan Leader more.

"I heard the Clan Leader wrote a letter to Uncle’s family before the New Year." Gu Dahuan shared what he had gleaned from the clan with Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong didn’t dwell on it.

The Clan Leader maintained a good relationship with the brother-in-law.

It’s normal for the two families to correspond.

Since they corresponded, the Clan Leader would inevitably share updates about Tong Huaqiong’s family with them, leading her to suspect that her in-laws might be returning. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Otherwise, why would the Clan Leader clean and patch the windows at their house, if not to welcome someone? That was obvious.