Too high to reach

Chapter 143 Lifting a weight is easy
When he got home, Mo Ruhai was waiting for him.

After recounting the banquet, Mo Yi quietly asked, "Father, I mentioned my second brother to the Prince, hoping he could help me find a position. The Prince agreed to go back and take a look. Later, the Prince even asked me, 'What are your thoughts on this?'"

Mo Ruhai was delighted to hear this. He blinked and thought for a moment before saying, "Father isn't a man of great ambition. To be honest, I'm quite content with my current life. I read books, run a small business, and spend time with you all. But, daughter, I'm afraid you'll feel bad if I act like this!"

"What are you saying? The prince isn't after our family's wealth. Even if the prince were to find a way for you, the scope would probably be limited. After all, he can't go too far. I just want you to live comfortably."

"I understand now. I'll think about it some more, Father."

Mo Yi smiled.

At dinner, Mo Yuan took out her little gold pig to show off. "Look at this gold, how shiny it is! The quality is absolutely amazing! So many people came, and everyone got one! Sigh..." She was about to elaborate further when she remembered Mo Yi's personality.

That's enough.

Mo Qing's eyes widened immediately upon seeing this. "Fifth Sister, why didn't you invite me to this great opportunity?"

Hearing this, Mo Ruhai chimed in, "You hide whenever we ask you to learn manners. You won't learn anything, so how dare you go out with Granny Zhao?"

Mo Qing muttered, "It's just attending a birthday banquet, why do I need to learn any rules..."

"It's a birthday banquet. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager both sent their personal attendants with gifts. How could it be an ordinary birthday banquet?" Mo Yuan showed off even more.

"Then... when I learn it again later, can't I go with you?"

Mo Yi then said, "Several months have passed, and you've already learned the basics. Haven't you noticed that Fourth Sister has been skipping classes quite often lately?"

Wang kept her eyes down and didn't say a word. Now, when eating, she was no longer the talkative woman she used to be.

She thought to herself: That's right, he's an ingrate. He's doing well for himself, but he doesn't help his sisters at all.

……

That day, Granny Zhao came to talk to Li Jing with a stack of accounts.

"These past few days, we've taken stock of the Empress's dowry. Here's the breakdown of the accounts."

Li Jing glanced through it. Although she knew that Granny Zhao and the others were very dedicated, she was still surprised when she saw the list of properties and the amount of silver.

He had a rough idea of ​​how much his mother had left him.

Wow, that's beautiful! The amount of cash... it's making my mouth water.

"Thank you for your hard work, you did such a good job."

Granny Zhao said with some pride, "If it weren't for the renovation and expansion of several shops, we would have much more cash. However, in its current state, whether we rent it out or run it ourselves, the profits will be even better."

Li Jing sighed, "As Anian grows up, the places where we need money will increase."

“You save a sum for him every year. We also acquire property for him here. Our Nian-ge’er is already richer than most princes. He’s even richer than our Fourteenth Prince!”

Thinking of Li Chang's appearance, Li Jing shook his head and smiled: "His mother didn't have much dowry to begin with, and over the years, her rank hasn't risen. He has no reason to live on that meager allowance, so of course he has a hard time."

"The Fourteenth Prince is a reliable person and doesn't squander money. Besides, there's you here too."

"By the way, what about Zhou's dowry?" Li Jing suddenly remembered.

"It's always been Consort Feng who's in charge. As agreed, she reports the accounts to the Zhou family every year. I've met Madam Zhou twice, and I haven't heard her express any dissatisfaction. She seems to be quite well-behaved."

"Hmm. The Feng family is quite reliable."

Granny Zhao glanced at the careless prince. "Consort Feng manages the household, so there's nothing wrong with her. But Your Highness... she gave birth to your eldest son. He'll be spending time with Miss Mo in the future..."

Li Jing didn't take it to heart. "The distinction between wives and concubines is clear. As long as the Feng family follows the proper rules, no one will be treated unfairly. Even though my eldest son is born out of wedlock, I can still make proper arrangements for him. When Shao Ge'er is two years older, I'll put him in the front courtyard. When he does things, he can be influenced by what he sees."

Granny Zhao sighed inwardly, deciding to take it one step at a time.

"You mentioned last time that you would allocate a piece of property to Miss Mo. My younger brother and I discussed it. What do you think of Qizhenlou? My brother said that Miss Mo has a lot of talent in this area, and the small business that Father runs is also related to it."

“She did tell me about it when we last met,” Li Jing said with a smile.

"Really?! Her little business is doing quite well. I got a shield-shaped pendant from her for Nian-ge'er. He really likes it!"

"That little guy likes to play with knives and guns."

"My younger brother's idea is that if Miss Mo can get Qizhenlou up and running, he wants to go southwest. He's always been thinking about going there to take a look. He said that if this road is successful, it would be quite remarkable."

“But Mo Yi is so young… that’s fine too! Let’s settle on this then.” Li Jing made the decision.

"That's perfect. In a couple of days, April 29th will be Miss Mo's sixteenth birthday."

"Then find a piece from Mother's jewelry and give it to her as a birthday gift." "Will you deliver it yourself?"

"No time."

"Your Majesty..."

"Oh, so they've arranged for her son, Mo Fan, to be in the Imperial Guard. If he's capable of holding his own, that would be quite good. Hehe... I feel like this news makes her happier than if I personally wished her a happy birthday."

"What are you saying?" Granny Zhao scolded playfully.

But as it turns out, that was indeed the case.

Recently, business at the shop has been stable and good. Mo Ruhai was pleased with himself and sent Wang Qing to the market with some silver to buy a lot of fish and shrimp.

They also brought two large jars of fine Shaoxing wine.

"Hey, Second Brother, what's the good news?" Mo Rushan knew as soon as he entered the dining room. He had even trimmed his beard neatly recently, making him look much younger.

"I was craving this, so I bought some," Mo Ruhai said calmly.

Mo Rusong smiled and personally went to warm the wine.

"Big brother, the day after tomorrow is Yi Yi's birthday. How about we go out to eat?" The old father looked like he was rich and powerful.

Mo Fan and Mo Bao cheered loudly upon hearing this!

The chubby boy said, "Let's go eat roast duck!"

There were two children sitting over there, who were also happy to hear that they were going to a restaurant, but they didn't dare to say anything.

Wang sat there listening, and felt something was wrong: Where did he get the money?

After the couple broke up, she simply stopped paying her husband's allowance.

The husband keeps his meager salary on his desk every month, so he probably doesn't have any money on him.

However, I haven't been home all the time lately. What have I been doing out there?

But no matter what you do, money is essential. Even drinking a large bowl of tea costs at least a copper coin, doesn't it?
Look at all this stuff I bought today, and now I'm going to eat out... Where's the money coming from? I hope I'm not going to pay for it myself?

I've been so busy with Mowen lately that I haven't had time for him.

Mo Rushan, however, acted as if it were a big deal: "Alright! Let's go eat roast duck! It's on me!"

"Great! We're benefiting from Fifth Sister's success!" Mo Fan shouted, leading the way.

Mo Wen smiled, but his eyes were cold.

Mo Yuan flattered, "I need to think about a birthday gift. What would you like?"

Mo Bao exclaimed, "Uncle, shall we go to Hong Zhang Ju on the front street? My classmate said their ducks are the most popular in the capital! We have to book them the day before, or there won't be any seats left!"

"You fatso, you're not going to class, you're going to find out about dinner parties?"

Mo Yi smiled and said, "Second brother, and Mo Bao, you should eat less tomorrow, so as not to affect your appetite the day after tomorrow."

"Fifth Sister, it won't affect anything!" Mo Bao said quite seriously.

“Then let’s have someone call Mo Da back first thing tomorrow morning. Let’s make it lively!” Mo Rushan said.

Wang finally "understood": it must have been Mo Rushan who got promoted because of Mo Yi's connections. He must have secretly slipped money to her husband…

Hmph, so many good things, can you really get them all back in one meal?

By then, the wine was warmed up, and the dishes were served.

Fresh river shrimp, marinated with salt and wine for a while, then lightly coated with cornstarch and fried in warm oil, are crispy and fragrant, perfect for the brothers to enjoy with their drinks.

It's stir-fried with soy sauce, scallions, and ginger, and served with rice for the boys.

Some of it was steamed with the fish, which was the kind of fresh flavor that the girls loved.

Mo Rusong was pouring wine with a smile on his face.

The gatekeeper suddenly came in: "Master, someone has arrived outside, saying he's from Prince Qi's entourage..."

(End of this chapter)