Exiled to Lingnan, the Crown Prince's wife raises children, cultivates the land, and leads the

"Sister Zhuang, Xiao Nian, come on, it's time to eat."

Cheng Qiqi warmly led Zhuang Sanmei to the table.

Lin Nianzhou was pulled by Jin Yanzhi to sit at the table next to the men. Jin Yanzhi handed him a full bowl of rice, saying, "Eat up! My sister-in-law's cooking is amazing! This Sichuan peppercorn and pickled cabbage fish is something you've never had before!"

The numbing and spicy taste is his favorite!

"Thanks."

Lin Nianzhou felt embarrassed; looking at the overflowing bowl of food, he was too shy to pick up any more.

"Don't just eat rice, eat some vegetables too."

Jin Yanzhi took the initiative to serve food to Lin Nianzhou.

"This fish is a bit spicy, you should try it."

Jin Yanzhi enthusiastically introduced, "Stir-fried eggs with toon leaves, stir-fried dried rabbit..."

"That's enough, that's enough."

Under Jin Yanzhi's enthusiastic encouragement, Lin Nianzhou couldn't finish the food in his bowl.

"belch."

Lin Nianzhou let out a burp and said, "I really can't eat anymore."

He had never eaten so heartily or been so full since he was a child!

I never eat fish properly, and I always find it fishy. But this spicy fish is just so delicious.

And the stir-fried eggs with toon leaves are even more delicious.

Stir-fried rabbit, after the rabbit meat is smoked, smells incredibly delicious.

"You're too thin. You need to eat more to grow tall."

Jin Yanzhi shoveled the food into his stomach, swallowing the last grain of rice before patting his round belly. He felt so happy to eat his sister-in-law's cooking every day!

"Qiqi, your cooking skills are really amazing, even better than Master Chen who cooks big banquets in the village."

When Zhuang Sanmei ate Cheng Qiqi's cooking for the first time, she asked, "This spicy fish is the first time I've ever eaten it."

"It's Sichuan peppercorns, but I've heard that Fuzhou has Sichuan peppercorns, which are even more fragrant than Sichuan peppercorns!"

As Cheng Qiqi chatted with Zhuang Sanmei, she learned that Zhuang Sanmei was quite knowledgeable about cooking, for example, rice cakes...

"To be honest, my specialty is making rice cakes. Little Rice Cake... I named him Little Rice Cake because I was making rice cakes when he was born."

"His father said that Lin Nian Gao (林年糕) didn't sound good, so he named him Lin Nian Zhou (林年舟) instead."

When Zhuang Sanmei mentioned the deceased man, her tone was calm. She leaned forward and lowered her voice, saying, "Qiqi, you are still young. There will definitely be many people who want to marry you in the future. You have to keep your eyes wide open."

"..."

Cheng Qiqi paused, glanced at Liu Suyi and the others who were already clearing away the dishes and heading to the kitchen, and asked, "Have you...never thought about remarrying?"

Zhuang Sanmei has been a widow for nearly ten years and has never thought about remarrying.

"I've thought about it, of course I've thought about it."

Zhuang Sanmei sneered and said, "Once, the date was set, but who knew... I heard the other party say that after I married into the family, they would kill my Xiao Nian and then make me give birth to a son."

"Xiao Nian is already pitiful enough without a father, she can't be without her mother too."

Zhuang Sanmei whispered a reminder: "That's why I'm telling you to open your eyes wide and look carefully. Some men are just good at pretending!"

"Thanks."

Cheng Qiqi lowered her eyes. The days of raising her daughter in the Marquis's mansion were happy and joyful, except for the lack of freedom.

After being exiled, her life as a widow was actually similar to her life in the Marquis's mansion, except she had more freedom.

The climate of Lingnan is not something that people from the capital city are used to, but Cheng Qiqi adapted to it quite well. She had only one goal: to raise her daughter.

As for marriage...

She's not mentally ill.

In modern times, she had a hard life and could make a scene whenever she wanted. But in ancient times, once you married into a family, you were treated like a slave!

The Jin family treats her well now, why not give up this good life and go find a man to serve her?

If, like Zhuang Sanmei, she were to encounter a man who is two-faced, wouldn't her An'an be bullied?

That's absolutely unacceptable!

"I have no intention of getting married right now; I just want to raise my daughter."

Cheng Qiqi looked up and her gaze softened as she looked at Zhuang Sanmei. Zhuang Sanmei had a bad reputation in the village; she was too ruthless. But she had a young son to raise. If she wasn't ruthless, how could she protect herself and her son?

"That's good. I was just reminding you that you're still so young. If your in-laws are willing to help you take care of the children..."

Before Zhuang Sanmei could finish speaking, Cheng Qiqi interrupted, "Sister Zhuang, does your son go to school?"

She changed the subject, saying that she and Zhuang Sanmei weren't close enough to talk about such things.

Besides, she and her daughter will never be separated.

"no."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Sanmei seemed shocked and said, "There's only one school in the county, and the tuition is exorbitant every year. We also need to buy writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Everything costs money, and I simply can't afford it."

"Don't even mention that I can't afford it. In the village, only the Leng family and the village head's family can afford it."

Zhuang Sanmei glanced at her and said, "Your daughter doesn't need to go to school either. What's the point of a girl studying and learning to read?"

"Daughters also need to be educated and understand principles. Otherwise, how can you keep track of the shop's accounts? Also, as the shop grows with more and more items, we'll need to put up signs. If you can't even read, how will you do your job?"

Cheng Qiqi disliked Zhuang Sanmei's dismissive attitude towards her daughter.

"Qiqi, you're right. I'll study hard when we get back."

Zhuang Sanmei belatedly realized what was happening and said, "You are from the capital, so it's only natural that this girl is more precious than the ones in the village. It's also only natural that she should be able to read and write."

After saying this, Zhuang Sanmei, fearing that she might make a mistake, took Lin Nianzhou home.

As Cheng Qiqi watched their departing figures, she felt a little depressed. Why couldn't her daughter learn to read and write?

Her daughter will not only be able to read and write, but also learn martial arts, so that no one will be able to bully her.

"daughter."

Jin Sui'an excitedly brought over the newly woven grasshopper to Cheng Qiqi and said, "Mom, look, isn't it pretty?"

The grasshoppers woven from straw are a vibrant green and exceptionally beautiful.

"nice."

Cheng Qiqi played with Jin Sui'an. That night, when it was time for bed, Liu Suyi reminded her, "Qiqi, An'an must have been frightened today. She might be scared tonight. If anything happens, just call us."

"it is good."

Cheng Qiqi entered the room, and Chuntao, who was making the bed, said, "Sister Qiqi, An'an just fell asleep, but I noticed her body kept twitching. Was she frightened today?"

"Yes, I think so. I've put a pot of porridge on the stove in the main room. You can boil some hot water later."

Cheng Qiqi reminded her.

"I'm just about to boil a kettle of water!"

Chun Tao said with a smile, "An An was frightened. She'll probably have a fever tonight. We can use hot water to wipe her body then."

Having served Jin Sui'an since childhood, they knew her personality very well.

At night, Cheng Qiqi was half asleep and half awake when she felt as if she had touched a stove.

She did indeed develop a fever.