TGCFNM -Chapter 570 Extra 2 Sisters and Brothers Are Hard to Raise

Wan Xing felt a headache coming on.

He really had said before that he felt sorry for Xiao Ling and Sanjin, because everyone had poured so much effort into him that they had neglected Xiao Ling and Sanjin. So he thought he should properly make it up to them.

To that end, he decided to move the central operations of both Tianxia Zhi and the Wan family business to Sishui County, so he could stay close to them for longer.

Moreover, the Wan family’s parents had come along as well.

Wan Xing even specially bought a house and had it renovated—it used to belong to Zhang Yuanwai. After Zhang Yuanwai’s brother got into trouble and was arrested, their family property was confiscated, so Wan Xing bought it.

Just when Wan Xing thought everything was ready and he could finally make up to them properly, he started to regret it.

Because he simply couldn’t bear it anymore!

For example, right now, he was looking at a thick stack of papers on the table. At first glance, it seemed as if they had written them carefully in order to exchange for money, but if you looked closely, you’d notice that the first line and the second line were exactly the same.

At first, he thought it was just his imagination. But after looking at it longer, he was certain: it wasn’t a trick of the eyes.

So he decided to secretly observe, and then he discovered that Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin had invented a new kind of pen.

The new pen had a single shaft, but near the tip it forked into two prongs. This way, when dipped in ink, it could write two lines at once!

Wan Xing stared at the forked pen, dumbfounded. And then those two even plotted to make one with four prongs!

They didn’t even want to write letters properly anymore!

But, as the saying goes, “the higher the Tao, the higher the demon.” Wan Xing simply forbade them from practicing calligraphy and made them copy articles instead. The letters in each article were all different—let’s see what they could do now.

But the two of them got even cleverer: they learned to write backwards, then once printed on paper, it appeared correctly. This way, one sheet of ink could be used to print several more before it dried.

Wan Xing was stunned when he got his hands on it and even thought about tying them down under his watchful eye to make them write properly.

But after happily exchanging their money, the two went to the blacksmith’s shop to get hoes, then dragged Uncle Wu up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots.

Just when Wan Xing felt completely helpless, Lord Lu arrived.

Wan Xing pinned all his hopes on Lord Lu, who didn’t disappoint—those few finally learned to behave.

But, as always, Madam Lu was protective, so Lord Lu wasn’t invincible.

For example, right now, Lord Lu had strung up fish with straw rope and hung them around his neck, then patted Wan Xing on the shoulder: “Remember to pour the water back in, and buy some more fish to raise.”

Wan Xing looked up at the sky in exasperation: raising a sister and brother was really, really hard!

Still, they had their redeeming qualities.

For instance, the household vegetables either came from local villagers or they dug them themselves. As for fish and meat, they either fished themselves or raised mountain chickens in the hills—so the household really saved a lot on food costs.

The richest young master of the Wan family in Great Zhou thought: one must learn to be content and happy.

—

Tonight was Hong Shiyuan’s welcome banquet.

So Wan Xing put the ledger aside for the moment and went with everyone to the county office’s main courtyard.

Xiao Hua had specially enlisted the help of the cook to prepare a huge table of dishes, including Chu Ling’s longed-for spicy boiled fish—what a huge pot it was.

Everyone gathered around and chatted happily in small groups.

Wu Yong mentioned that the Yuanzhou military families he sent to the Heavenly Sword Sect were now planning to settle in Sishui County. They had already chosen their plots of land, and all that was left was to cultivate the wasteland.

Lu Shi also spoke about the new officials—they had been doing a good job. Particularly, the newly appointed Ye Bisi and his wife Wu Xiaoxiu had been doing very well with agricultural affairs, so this year was expected to be another bountiful harvest.

Chu Ling also mentioned the students she had encountered; after settling down, they often wrote letters to her.

Shangguan Shi had managed Yuchuan quite well. Shangguan City had grown considerably, and its residents were running small businesses to support their families, since government appointees who donated positions received no salary.

Sister Song Yu had adopted several homeless orphans. They were busy but happy, and the young ladies of the Shangguan family often went over to help.

Yang Huaishan and Lu Anming were separated by distance but kept in frequent correspondence. Lu Anming also took his younger brother Lu Shiming with him and taught him carefully.

Sun Yang went to Anma County. Because of Chu Ling’s connections, he got along well with the local people, and new trade routes had been opened. His achievements were going well, and with the three-year performance review coming up, he might even get promoted. Still, he wrote that he preferred to stay in Anma County.

At this point, Hong Shiyuan suddenly remembered something and handed Chu Ling a letter. “While passing through Changzhou, Lord Lu also asked me to deliver a letter to you.”

Chu Ling took it and saw that it was from Lu Zheng. It seemed that Lu Zheng was also doing well now…

“Lord Chu, I hope this letter finds you well. I wonder if you still remember the black dog you saved for me long ago? I’m not sure if it was fate, but that day my wife and I went out for a spring outing and came across a newborn black puppy. When it saw us, it rushed over recklessly, rolling over with its tiny legs.”

“I felt a connection with the little dog and decided to adopt it. My wife named it Mo Zhi’er. Sometimes it would respond, sometimes not. One day, the steward called out ‘Wangcai,’ and the dog happily wagged its tail and ran around the steward. My wife got quite jealous, so we renamed it Wangcai.”

“There’s one more thing I’d like to share. My wife and I welcomed our first daughter on the eighth day of last month. Holding my wife and daughter in my arms, I felt that after a lifetime of hardships, sweetness had finally arrived. We named our daughter Lu Xi, wishing her a life of health and happiness… Meeting you and achieving what I have in life feels like divine favor. I wish you peace and prosperity, and may we meet again if fate allows.”

Chu Ling rubbed the letter gently and murmured, “May we meet again.”

“Lord, are you crying?” Wan Sanjin asked in surprise.

Chu Ling sniffled. “Spicy.”

Wan Sanjin realized. “Ah, that makes sense. But Lord, if you don’t start eating, the boiled fish will be gone soon.”

Startled, Chu Ling looked at the big iron pot. Half the fish was already gone, so she immediately joined the fish-grabbing frenzy.

Wan Sanjin did the same.

Wan Xing shouted helplessly, “I’ll divide it, I’ll divide it! You two be careful.”

The parents of the Wan family watched the scene, arms linked, smiling with tender satisfaction… until Wan Sanjin accidentally flung a fish eyeball onto Father Wan’s face.

Father Wan silently picked the eyeball off and glared at Wan Sanjin, baring his teeth. “Your allowance this month is gone!”

Wan Sanjin wailed in pain. “No! Father!”

Su He calmly wiped his mouth and pulled Wan Sanjin down, his gaze serious. “While everyone’s here, I have to ask… How many times a month does Madam Wan celebrate her birthday?”

Without hesitation, Wan Sanjin held up five fingers.

Su He silently glanced at Chu Ling, who’s eyes darted around. “With so many family members, celebrating several times a month is normal, right?”

Lu Shi narrowed his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re using birthdays as an excuse to make Su He buy gifts for you and make money?”

Su He nodded heavily. “I’ve been making mosquito repellent for almost two months straight!”

Wan Xing, helping divide the food, suddenly stopped. “Now that the county office is quiet and you’re free, come with me tomorrow. I’ll keep an eye on you all myself and see what mischief you can still get into!”

Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin wailed in anguish. “Nooo!”

Wan Xing smiled with satisfaction. Finally, he could keep them in line!