Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 569: Chapter 569: Change
 

“Hmm! Since you can’t sleep, why don’t we do something else?”

Di Yelei’s deep, mischievous laughter reached her ears.

Something else?

Still groggy, Liu Sisi hadn’t fully processed the situation when she found her position changed, being embraced by Di Yelei, and lying directly on top of him. Immediately, his large hands wrapped her up, leaving her struggle to end abruptly.

Grinding… biting… entangling…

Heavy breathing intertwining…

A gentle night of tender rain, lingering affection.

As the sky began to brighten, Liu Sisi had already fallen into a deep sleep, but Di Yelei seemed lively, as if he could still go on for a couple more rounds.

He firmly embraced Liu Sisi’s gradually filling petite figure, then collapsed dejectedly onto the pillow.

Sisi is indeed tired, she needs a good rest.

Fighting to contain himself, he held her tight, forcing himself to sleep.

By the time Liu Sisi woke up, Di Yelei was no longer in the room.

After casually washing up and heading out, Liu Sisi saw Di Yelei and Di Cheng standing under a plum tree from afar. Di Yelei’s hand was on Di Cheng’s shoulder as they seemed to be in deep conversation.

The morning sun shone on Di Cheng’s face, lighting up a brilliant, sunny smile that was unlike his previous self.

Liu Sisi also felt relieved, she had forgotten to tell Yelei about Di Cheng’s situation yesterday.

However, from what she could see now, there was no need for her to say anything.

Later, Di Yelei led Liu Sisi and others on a visit to the official residence, which was nearing completion. Inside, the artisans were busy putting the finishing touches on the building, and it would soon be ready to move in.

The group toured the house for a bit, which wasn’t particularly large, being only a quarter the size of County Magistrate Su’s residence, yet comparable to the size of a wealthy family’s house in the small town. Liu Sisi grew more satisfied as she looked around.

A house too large would be wasteful, while too small wouldn’t accommodate the entire family. Liu Sisi also inspected several hidden passageways in the residence, one led to the black prison, one to the outside of East City gate, and another directly to the small house they had stayed in the night before. However, what piqued her interest the most was the spacious cellar.

It was notably segmented, with sections for ice storage and other items.

Moreover, the cellar was quite deep, capable of storing a fair amount of supplies.

Her mind stirred, and she immediately thought of the grain stored in the temporary cellar they had rented in Liuping Town.

Even if she were to move all the grain here, the storage wouldn’t even be a quarter full.

“Sisi, take a look at the official residence and see if it’s missing anything. Make any changes you want, and add more furnishings if necessary.”

Di Yelei also liked the serene environment, although it was incomparable to those grand mansions. It perfectly suited his taste, especially seeing Liu Sisi’s satisfied expression in the darkness of the night.

“No need to add more furnishings. A house is for living, not for comparison. Besides, you’re now an official of the imperial court. If you were criticized for building your mansion too big and luxurious, wouldn’t it be counterproductive? Why not take this silver, buy more grain, and occasionally provide relief to the civilians? Isn’t that better?”

Liu Sisi replied casually.

It instantly made Di Yelei’s eyes light up!

“Good! Sisi, your idea is great. After we move into this residence, we can distribute porridge every day to help the poor families around us.”

“Every day? Isn’t that too much? If we do that, we might be nurturing parasites. Just like how you spoiled your Second Sister-in-law in the past, she would come to your house every day for food, yet when have you heard her praise you or thank you for your hard work?” Liu Sisi couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well…what should we do then?” Recalling his Second Sister-in-law’s ungrateful acts, Di Yelei also realized this was a big issue.

“In fact, I might have a good idea.”

Liu Sisi thought for a moment: “You now have the power to control the military of Macheng County, right? You can also recruit some refugees! These recruited refugees can be arranged to work in exchange for three meals a day. At the end of the month, their wages can be paid directly in the form of grain instead of silver. Isn’t that a win-win solution?”

“Great idea!”

Di Yelei excitedly slapped his thigh and praised: “The question is, what kind of work should we arrange for them?”

“Where do you think there’s a shortage of manpower now? Or what needs to be improved the most?”

“I haven’t really noticed…”

Di Yelei frowned and pondered: “Maybe, I can…”

“No rush, there’s still plenty of time to think about these things later.” Liu Sisi already had an idea in mind but understood it was too early to discuss this matter at the moment.

When Di Yelei and his group returned to the small town, they received a completely different treatment from before.

Starting from the east side of the town, a large crowd was gathered, waiting expectantly at the intersection.

Old Cheng, who was driving the carriage, was taken aback by the sight!

“Old Master, Madam! There are so many onlookers at the entrance of the town, what should we do?”

“What’s going on? Is it because today is Market Day?” Di Yelei casually pulled back the carriage curtain.

“It doesn’t seem so. Third Uncle, wait a moment, Cheng’er will go and have a look.”

Di Cheng, sitting beside Old Cheng, quickly got off the carriage and ran in the direction of the crowd.

According to the local custom, children who were adopted from their brother’s family should address Di Yelei and Liu Sisi as Dad and Mom. Di Cheng found it awkward to call them that way, and Di Yelei was not used to it either, so they continued with the old way of addressing each other.

It didn’t take long for Di Cheng to come back: “Third Uncle, these people are here to see you!”

He looked excited!

Apparently, after Di Yelei resumed his official position, the news quickly spread back to the small town. Those who used to avoid him like the plague were now flocking back to him, along with others who were simply happy to see County Magistrate Su fall from grace, and those with unknown intentions… In any case, everyone had heard that Di Yelei was returning today and gathered at the entrance of the town, eagerly awaiting his arrival.

“Old Master, what should we do now?”

Old Cheng felt uneasy, as he seemed to be at a loss for what to do with so many onlookers!

“Old Cheng, drive the carriage forward slowly and be careful not to hurt any pedestrians.”

Liu Sisi said casually while opening the carriage curtain to look outside.

As the carriage moved slowly forward, more and more people crowded around, making it almost impossible for the carriage to move.

There were cheers, excited noises, applause, and curious onlookers, who all but swarmed the carriage, making it inch along.