Chapter 622: Cautious
Fan Zijin pondered the matter in silence. After a while, he asked, “Do you want me to monopolize this business so that the Miao people will listen to you and me in the future, or do you want the Miao people to submit to the Imperial Court?”
“Of course I want them to obey the Imperial Court,” Qi Haoran said without hesitation. His heart skipped a beat and he asked, “Do you intend for the government office to be in charge of this matter?”
Fan Zijin nodded. “We can go to Jiangnan and the north to look for merchants who are willing to buy herbs. We can set a time for them to come over to buy herbs every year during the harvesting period. The government office will be the middleman. In the end, with the help of the herbs, the other businesses in Qiannan will definitely develop. With more people in employment, life will be easier for the people of Qiannan.”
Qi Haoran deduced the possibility in his heart. After a while, he said with a smile, “This idea is not bad, but we can’t give up eating for fear of choking. For the planting of medicinal herbs, we can only use wasteland and mountains. The land currently used to grow grains can’t be used to grow medicinal herbs.”
Otherwise, once people saw that planting medicinal herbs was profitable, everyone would swarm over to plant the herbs. If no one planted grains and the price of grains increased, wouldn’t the commoners be the ones to suffer ultimately? In the end, the country would probably be in chaos.
Ah Ling often said that grains and the people were the foundation of the country.
Qi Haoran had always remembered it in his heart.
The two of them discussed some important matters before finalizing the matter of going to the Miao stockade the day after tomorrow. “Are you bringing Sister-in-law along?”
Fan Zijin frowned. He did not like to bring his family out.
Qi Haoran urged him. “Since Ah Ling is going, bring Sister-in-law along too. Let her go out and relax.”
Hence, when they set off that day, Little Madam Xia came over to accompany Mu Yangling. She pinched Little Bear’s face and said with a smile, “It’s only been two days since we last met, but this child has gained weight again.”
Mu Yangling said with a smile, “He has a good appetite, and children of his age grow up quickly. He looks a little different every day.”
Little Madam Xia teased Mu Yangling. Seeing that she was wearing the Miao costume, she touched the fabric curiously. “It looks quite nice.”
“Their colors are very gorgeous, right? I think it looks nice, too. If you like it, I’ll get Cousin to buy you a set later.”
Little Madam Xia’s face was slightly red, but her eyes were a little sad. She was not Mu Yangling, and Fan Zijin was unlike Qi Haoran. How could she dare to ask?
Seeing this, Mu Yangling encouraged her, “You have to say it out loud so that he will know what you want. Although he’s usually quite intelligent, he’s actually not very enlightened when it comes to knowing what women want.”
Mu Yangling always felt that Fan Zijin was lonely. His father didn’t love him, and his mother didn’t dote on him enough. Although Qi Haoran was his good pal, Qi Haoran worked one-third of the day, slept one-third of the day, and the remaining one-third was occupied by Mu Yangling, Little Bear, and the everyday tasks like eating and grooming. There really wasn’t too much time that he could allocate to Fan Zijin.
She had been to the military camp to see the two of them work. Qi Haoran trained the soldiers and would go to the arena to fight with the soldiers from time to time. On the other hand, Fan Zijin sat in a room from morning to night, dealing with official documents. Occasionally, he would go out for work. According to Little Madam Xia, when Fan Zijin returned home, he spent most of his time sleeping and the rest of his time in the study.
He typically only exchanged a few ordinary greetings with Little Madam Xia. She could tell that Little Madam Xia admired Fan Zijin, so she hoped that she could be braver and warm Fan Zijin’s heart. This way, he would have another person who cared for and loved him.
Mu Yangling was willing to encourage this couple for the sake of Qi Haoran, if not for the friendship they had growing up together.
Tempted, Little Madam Xia started to look outside.
Mu Yangling smiled and lifted the curtain. Seeing Fan Zijin sitting on the horse drowsily, she shouted, “Cousin Zijin, why don’t you get in the carriage and let Little Bear and I ride the horse?”
Little Bear, who was swaying and about to fall asleep, instantly woke up. He crawled to the car window on all fours, revealing his round head. His black eyes stared at Fan Zijin, filled with desire.
Fan Zijin felt as if his heart had been shot by an arrow. The sleepiness on his face immediately dissipated, and he felt a numb sensation setting in. Ignoring Mu Yangling, he opened his arms to Little Bear and said with a smile, “Come, Little Bear, Uncle will ride with you on the horse.”
Little Bear chirped happily and reached out to climb out of the carriage window. Mu Yangling quickly grabbed him. This child was a little fat now and was wearing an extra shirt. What if he got stuck in the carriage window while trying to climb out?
Mu Yangling carried the child to the shaft of the carriage and handed him to Fan Zijin. She said regretfully, “Are you really not going to take the carriage?”
Did he look that weak?
Fan Zijin rolled his eyes and carefully placed Little Bear against his chest before making the horse go forward.
Qi Haoran had already ridden up and was protecting them from the side. His eyes did not move as he stared at Fan Zijin’s arm that was holding his son. When Fan Zijin saw this, he said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure your son doesn’t fall.”
“You have no idea, but this kid is very naughty and strong. The last time I brought him on a horse, he suddenly jumped up and I almost couldn’t catch him. I was so frightened that I broke out in a cold sweat.” Qi Haoran stared at his son and said to Fan Zijin, “Why don’t I carry him? I’m strong.”
Fan Zijin rejected without thinking. “No.”
Qi Haoran wrinkled his nose and said rudely, “This is my son!”
Fan Zijin snorted and clamped his legs together, making the horse speed up. Qi Haoran hurriedly followed. Feeling the wind blow gently upon his face, Little Bear enjoyed it very much and gazed around with his round eyes. However, when the wind became less intense and the horse’s speed slowed down, he immediately slapped Fan Zijin’s hand in dissatisfaction to make him speed up.
Fan Zijin smiled and rode faster. Little Bear cried out excitedly. Qi Haoran, who was watching from the side, was terrified. In the end, after running for more than two miles, he really couldn’t take it anymore. Only after snatching the kid from Fan Zijin and holding him in his embrace did Qi Haoran feel relieved and wipe the cold sweat off his forehead.
Fan Zijin mocked, “What a loser. When my son is born, you can play with him however you want.”
Stunned, Qi Haoran asked, “Sister-in-law is pregnant?”
“No.” Fan Zijin said confidently, “But it won’t be long.”
Qi Haoran pursed his lips and did not comment on this. “Am I someone who treats his nephews like a toy? I dote on them and play with them.”
Seeing Fan Zijin glance at Little Bear who was sitting in his embrace, Qi Haoran immediately hugged his son tightly and said, “Little Bear is strong and you’re weak. How would I dare to let you ride with him on a horse? What if you fail to catch him and he falls?”
If it weren’t for his excellent martial arts skills last time, he almost wouldn’t have been able to catch this kid. Not only was the kid strong, but his movements were also fast and unexpected. Because of this, Qi Haoran had given his son a good spanking and Little Bear only forgave him yesterday.
The group of people chatted and laughed as they arrived at the Miao stockade. Chief Ji’an and the other Miao stockade chiefs were already standing at the entrance of the stockade, preparing to welcome them. When they saw Qi Haoran wearing the Miao costume, a smile immediately appeared on their faces. Although they had yet to start the negotiations, Qi Haoran’s willingness to wear the Miao costume was a clear indication of his attitude that he, too, wanted to build a good relationship with the Miao people.
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