I bring bad luck to my husband, you bring bad luck to your wife.

The second day of the Lunar New Year is traditionally the day for parents to visit their wives' parents' home.

Yang Tongshan took Mingle and gifts and went back to her parents' home early in the morning.

Xiangxi didn't go to Xiangqiang's place because she was still in her postpartum period and it was inconvenient for her to go out.

Unexpectedly, my sister-in-law brought Bao'er and Gui'er over in the morning.

Bao'er has grown a lot taller, and Gui'er has become much stronger.

With Xuebao included, the three little radishes huddled together in one room, making it quite lively.

Yang Tongchuan deliberately left the west wing so that Xiang's sister-in-law could have a private conversation with Xiang Xi.

Xiangxi took out the red envelopes she had prepared in advance for the two children. These red envelopes were originally intended to be given to Yang Tongchuan when he went on patrol the next day.

The eldest sister-in-law didn't refuse, because she had also prepared a red envelope for Xuebao.

Reciprocity is key.

"Are you still holding the temple fair this year, brother and sister-in-law?" Xiangxi can't help this year, so it's up to her brother and sister-in-law to do it themselves.

"Hey, you've made a lot of money at the temple fair these past few days. Your older brother has already started making candied hawthorns at home today." The sister-in-law chatted with Xiangxi for a while. The Yang family invited her to stay for lunch, but she declined and took her two children home.

She also had to go home to cook for Xiang Qiang.

During the past few days of New Year's greetings, the Yang family has been constantly visited. In addition to visiting relatives, most of them came to wish Yang Tongshan and Yang Tongchuan a Happy New Year.

The Yang family's sons have finally risen to prominence.

Before we knew it, it was the Lantern Festival, the time to eat glutinous rice balls.

Xiangxi felt that she had fully recovered, had no postpartum illnesses, and was fine.

But Yang Tongchuan didn't think so and insisted that he stay indoors.

"Do you want to go out and have some fun?"

"No." Xiangxi wouldn't admit that she was feeling cooped up and wanted to go out for some fresh air.

"Hang in there for a few more days. It'll be Xuebao's one-month celebration soon. I'll take you out for a stroll then."

"Where are we going for a stroll?"

"Where do you want to go?" Yang Tongchuan held Xiangxi on his lap, his hands around his waist.

"I don't know, I just wanted to go out and get some fresh air."

"There's a market in the west of the city at the end of the month, organized by a foreign merchant. It has a lot of imported goods. How about I make time and take you there to buy some rare items?"

Yang Tongchuan was willing to spoil Xiangxi.

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Three days before Xuebao's full moon celebration, Yang Tongchuan brought back some good news.

Officer Wang's recommendation came in handy.

The county constable agreed to let Yang Tongchuan temporarily take over as constable after Wang left.

Although it was only a temporary position, Yang Tongchuan was still confident that he could make a name for himself as a proper constable.

This will significantly increase Yang Tongchuan's income.

What was originally a simple full moon celebration has been forced to become a grand affair due to the arrival of this good news.

We need to set up more tables, invite our colleagues from the government office, and also invite the Xiang family.

Even Duan Ziqiu had sent a message in advance, saying that he would attend the full moon celebration.

This is the first time I've ever witnessed such a grand celebration. I don't know how to handle it, and I'm a little nervous.

Fortunately, Yang's mother was experienced.

She patiently taught Xiangxi how to arrange everyone's seating and how to book the banquet.

"In this situation, we don't need to cook ourselves. I've hired a professional chef specializing in banquets to take charge of the cooking."

Yang's mother had already prepared the menu for the full moon celebration and showed it to Xiangxi, telling him how to arrange the dishes in a way that would be polite.

"We'll definitely need some wine. Your older brother has already contacted the winery, and they'll deliver it tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow morning, you'll come with me to buy groceries and order meat."

"Mother, it might not be appropriate for me to take Xuebao out."

"I'll take Xuebao with me. You go shopping with your mother. Your second brother has been promoted to head constable, so there will be many gatherings and parties from now on. You should learn from your mother. Your father-in-law's social interactions when he was young were all handled by your mother. There's a lot to learn about it." Mingle didn't understand these things before. When Yang Tongshan first started going out with his employer for social events, she even threw a tantrum. Later, it was Yang's mother who explained the pros and cons to her.

A successful man can't be constantly chasing after his wife. Xiangxi will understand this sooner or later.

The next morning, after breakfast, Mingle took Xuebao away.

Xuebao, who is almost a month old, is growing faster than the Yang family expected. This morning, she weighed over ten pounds.

Ming Le needs to be held for a while and then switched arms to rest.

Xiangxi changed into her outdoor clothes and followed Yang's mother out the door.

Whose fish is fresh, whose meat is weighed accurately, and whose vegetables are cleaned thoroughly?

Yang's mother gradually accepted these relationships with Xiangxi.

Several vendors recognized Xiangxi.

He kept praising the Yang family, saying that Xiangxi had been completely transformed.

Xiangxi herself didn't feel anything special, but she felt a little embarrassed by the compliments.

No one dislikes flattery, and Yang's mother felt incredibly pleased after hearing it.

In the early years, those voices questioning the Yang family and those slandering Yang Tongchuan were shattered with the appearance of Xiangxi and the birth of Xuebao.

The two got tired and sat down to rest at a tea stall by the roadside.

They happened to bump into Duan Ziqiu, who was strolling on the street observing the market.

"Auntie, Xiangxi, what a coincidence!"

"Ziqiu, I heard from Tongshan that your shop is already showing promise," Yang's mother said, gesturing for Duan Ziqiu to sit down.

"I guess so. The broker that Brother Tongshan introduced me to is quite good. He recommended a lot of good shops to me. I've got my eye on one of them, but they only sell, not rent. I'm still hesitant." Duan Ziqiu is currently living off her savings. She's a bit hesitant to spend a large sum of money to buy a shop.

"Come early for Xuebao's full moon celebration. Friends from Tongchuan Yamen will be there. Ask them if the shop is any good. If it is, you can buy it. After all, renting a shop is not as convenient as buying one." Yang's mother thought that the constables who patrol the streets all day knew best whether a shop was good or not.

Whether the shop is clean or not, whether any incidents have occurred, and whether the landlord is a troublemaker—no one knows better than them.

Duan Ziqiu had the same idea.

After chatting for a while, they realized it was getting late and parted ways.

As soon as Xiangxi got home, she went to find Mingle to look after the children.

"Look how anxious you are. Change your clothes first and get rid of the cold before you hold the baby." Mingle put Xuebao on the crib and kept an eye on the baby while embroidering a handkerchief.

Xiangxi thought it made sense, so she went back and changed her clothes.

After bringing the child back, Xiangxi timed it carefully and fed the child goat milk first.

Yanzi then brought over a bowl of brown sugar and eggs.

"You left in a hurry this morning and didn't have time to drink it, so I've been keeping it warm for you."

"Yanzi, you don't need to prepare this for me starting tomorrow. Let's stop."

"That won't do. Second Master said you have to drink for at least a month."

"I told him, listen to me, don't do this tomorrow. Also, this red envelope is for you, you've worked hard taking care of Xuebao this month." Xiangxi prepared a small red envelope for Yanzi, containing a reward of one hundred coins.

Swallow was surprised to receive a reward and happily accepted it.

Swallow had a hard life. She was given away after she was born, and when she was seven or eight years old, her adoptive parents sold her to human traffickers.

Because she wasn't good-looking, no family wanted her as a child bride.

The slave trader saw that she couldn't fetch a good price, so he wanted to sell her at a low price. Yang's mother happened to see this and signed a contract to buy her back.

Having worked for the Yang family for so many years, Yanzi had long regarded the Yang family as her home.

He never slacked off and served the men, women, and children of the Yang family wholeheartedly.