Su Jin rented a shop near the city gate. The shop was not big, but the bun shop didn't need to be very big. Apart from the cost and wages, you can earn three or four taels of silver in a month. Zhangcheng is not as rich as Yangzhou, and there are not as many customers who buy buns as Yangzhou. However, the big men in the north can eat it and buy enough at one time. By offsetting this, the income is similar to that in Yangzhou.

In addition to the bun shop, Su Jin also spent ten taels of silver to buy two acres of fertile land and rented it to ten taels for the tentacles. She kept it without moving in case of emergency. As for the 200 taels of silver that Xiao Zhen gave her, Xiao Zhen was reluctant to pick the housekeeper. Su Jin helped him find a smart and capable person, and then handed the 200 taels of silver to the housekeeper. From then on, she and Xiao Zhen each took charge of their own accounts.

When Xiao Zhen learned about it, he thought Su Jin was calculating.

Su Jinzhen said: "Adults are not young, and they will definitely marry their wife in the past two years. I don't want to have a bad time with their wife because of the accounting." It is difficult for her sister-in-law to get along with her, let alone her righteousness.

Xiao Zhen sneered, not thinking that he was not considerate, but blamed the little woman for thinking randomly. His wife must be virtuous and wise.

Since Su Jin didn't want his 200 taels, Xiao Zhen instructed the newly appointed steward to give Su Jin's three girls two taels of money every month.

The children's Su Jin accepted it, and returned it to his own.

Xiao Zhen was annoyed by her, so he simply followed her.

The two of them lived their own lives and often met each other a few days later. However, every evening when Xiao Zhen came back, Su Jin would ask Aunt Liu to bring her daughter to Xiao Zhen to hug her, knowing that Xiao Zhen liked the little girl.

A year passed by, as if in a blink of an eye, Aman would leave. The little girl who was about to pass one year old was white and fat, with a combed brain, walking quickly and her mouth was a coincidence. She could call out one or two words if she tried it twice.

The weather turned colder in September, and Aman suffered a minor illness, and he became very attached to his mother when he was sick. Even Su Jin went to Gongfang, the little girl had to follow him.

That night, Xiao Zhen came back. Aunt Liu should have taken Aman to the front yard, but Aman wanted to have an adoptive father and mother, so he stayed in his mother's arms, hugged her mother's neck with one hand and pointed to the front yard with the other.

Su Jin had no choice but to carry the little girl over in person.

Xiao Zhen was drinking tea. When he saw her coming, he immediately put down the tea bowl and stood up and called, "Your brother and sister are here." He was as serious as ever.

After living together for so long, Su Jin was no longer as respectful and restrained as he had at first. He hugged his daughter and sat down, and explained helplessly: "Aman is so angry that he insisted on me to carry her." After that, Su Jin put his daughter on the ground and gently patted his daughter's little butt: "Okay, the adoptive father is back, go and find the adoptive father."

Aman grinned and stretched out his two fat hands and walked towards the man on the main seat, very anxious.

The little girl thought of him so much that Xiao Zhen couldn't help but leave the seat, walked forward two steps, then raised the girl high and held it in his arms.

"Dad!" Aman said crisply, looking at Xiao Zhen with bright eyes.

Aman couldn't say "adopted father", so Aunt Liu taught her to call her godfather. Aman didn't say "great father" either, so she called her dad.

To be honest, Xiao Zhen loves listening because he has already loved Aman as his biological daughter. However, Su Jin is also present today, and Aman calls him his father again, which makes him feel a little strange.

Xiao Zhen secretly looked at the little woman on the chair next to him.

It is normal for girls to act coquettishly and to be closer to boys. Su Jin didn't take it seriously, raised his head and observed curiously how to get along with one big and one small. Xiao Zhen suddenly glanced over and looked at him with his eyes facing him. Xiao Zhen immediately avoided him. The man's discomfort in his heart was inexplicably spread to Su Jin.

It’s not right for a father, a mother, and a daughter, as if a family of three were three.

At this moment, Archer returned from school. The seven-year-old child wearing a blue shirt already had the steadiness of a young man. After entering the house, Archer saluted Xiao Zhen respectfully: "Sir."

A boy with a complicated background only wants to leave his father's title to his best adoptive father.

Others may think that Archer is ungrateful, but Xiao Zhen admires the boy's love for his father and backbone. He held Aman back to the main seat and asked Archer what he had read today.

Archer memorized the newly learned article carefully.

Xiao Zhen recognized his words and liked to read military books. He actually may not know much more about the articles taught in the school than Archer. He listened with a serious face, and never carefully said a few words of praise after listening to them.

The four of them sat for a while and were about to prepare a meal. Aman didn't want to go to the backyard with his mother, nor did he want his mother to leave. He insisted that his father and mother both accompany her for dinner. Because he just looked at Xiao Zhen, Su Jin felt that it would be better to avoid suspicion. Since she was about to take her daughter away, Xiao Zhen softly persuaded her, and Su Jin made up his heart and threw her crying daughter to Xiao Zhen, and went to the backyard by himself.

My mother left, Aman wailed with his head up, and tears as big as beans fell one after another, and his mouth was so wide that he could stuff an egg in it.

Xiao Zhen felt distressed. He couldn't coax him even if he tried various methods. He wanted to blame Su Jin for being cruel, but then he thought that Su Jin and he were polite and could not blame him for avoiding suspicion.

"Sir, let your sister down and I'll coax my sister." Archer couldn't hear his sister crying so wrongedly, and said with his head raised.

Xiao Zhen looked at the boy and squatted down on one knee.

Archer grabbed his sister's fat hand, wiping her tears, bent down and coaxed, "Sister, stop crying, brother, take you to find your mother."

Hearing "Mother", Aman really stopped crying and turned to his brother.

Archer held his sister and wanted to take her away.

Aman grabbed Xiao Zhen's clothes with his little hands, wanting his father to go too.

"Mom is afraid of adults. When adults go, mother will cry." Seeing her mother fooling her sister many times, Archer was well aware of the essence of "coaxing" and lied seriously.

When Aman heard this, he looked at Xiao Zhen blankly, as if he wanted to find out where Xiao Zhen was scared by his mother.

Xiao Zhen has no words.

Archer urged his sister: "Let's go and see if my mother is crying."

Of course, Aman liked her mother the most. Finally, he let go of Xiao Zhen and handed his little hand to his brother, and was taken away by his brother obediently.

Xiao Zhen still maintained a squatting posture, looking at the backs of the brother and sister leaving, not knowing what it felt in his heart.

On the eighth day of the lunar month, Aman captured Zhou.

Su Jin was a little nervous because she wanted to know if she hadn't set up a stall for a year and her reputation was better.

This year, a lot of new things happened in Zhangcheng. All kinds of news came and went, almost diluting the sensation that Su Jin caused in Zhangcheng. The officials could not hear her gossip and guessed that Su Jin wanted to be a real official wife. Although he still looked down on Su Jin's background, who made Xiao Zhen the only brother and sister in the back house?

Xiao Zhen is not well-established, but he holds an important position and is highly valued by the commander Li Yong and Li. Some people want to make friends with Xiao Zhen through Su Jin. Those officials dare not go to Xiao Zhen to flatter him, so they have to send their wives to make friends with Su Jin.

This time when Aman arrested Zhou, except for Li Yong's wife, all other invited female members of the Hakka were here. On the one hand, it was because of Xiao Zhen's relationship, and on the other hand, Su Jin's gossip went away.

Su Jin was very satisfied, which showed that her efforts were not in vain. She didn't want other officials to look down on her, and she just didn't support her children.

Xiao Zhen was rough and Li Yong, the commander of Zhangcheng Guard, was a meticulous person. When he returned from the Xiao Mansion, he said to his wife Yang: "There are many female relatives going to congratulate today. When the summer is in the air, you are going to celebrate with your mother Sun Shikai's birthday. This time, Xiao Zhen's family will hold a wedding ceremony but you won't go. What do Xiao Zhen think? He will treat him again next time, so you can give him some face."

Sun Shikai and Xiao Zhen are both commanders and officials of the same level.

Yang comes from a scholarly family. He has been in contact with the ladies who follow the rules since childhood. Her husband often praises Xiao Zhen for being brave and capable. Yang also has a good impression of Xiao Zhen. If Xiao Zhen had a serious wife to arrange a banquet, she would definitely go, but what is a slutty widow who set up a stall to sell buns? Although the young widow has turned aside, Yang still disdains to join him.

"Unless he married a virtuous wife, I wouldn't expect me to climb the gate of the Xiao family." Faced with her husband's advice, Yang said authentically.

Seeing that his wife was so decisive, Li Yong stopped persuading her.

At the end of September, the sun was bright and the sun was refreshing. Li Yong called several of his generals to hunt and held a banquet at his home in the evening.

Xiao Zhen rode a horse to the banquet. When Xiao Zhen was about to get off the horse, two girls, one tall and one short, suddenly ran out of the gate. The girl in pink was ten years old this year. Xiao Zhen knew him and was the only beloved daughter under Li Yong's knees, named Li Huizhu, and another girl with a red dress of sixteen or seventeen. Xiao Zhen didn't know it. Due to the rules, he didn't look at it much.

"Brother Xiao is here." Li Huizhu raised her little face and said sweetly.

Xiao Zhen nodded.

Li Huizhu pointed to the girl next to her and introduced: "This is my cousin."

Xiao Zhen lowered his eyes to greet the girl in red, and bowed before Li Huizhu continued to speak, "Two ladies, please go and see the adults."

Li Huizhu nodded innocently.

Xiao Zhen entered Li's mansion.

Li Huizhu turned her head, but saw her cousin Yang Sulan staring at Xiao Zhen’s back blankly, her cheeks dyed with clouds.

Li Huizhu didn't understand what happened. Yang Sulan understood her thoughts and quietly asked her cousin who the eldest brother Xiao was just now. When she learned that the young man with a handsome and upright appearance had already become a fourth-rank military officer with military achievements, two levels higher than her father, Yang Sulan's heartbeats faster and turned around and revealed her thoughts to her mother at night.

Yang Sulan is the sixteenth year, and she is at the age of discussing marriage. The men of the Yang family have not been able to do their career since the old man died. This time, the mother and daughter came to Zhangcheng in the hope of finding a good marriage through their aunt Yang. Xiao Zhen is young and promising, and it is most suitable.

Yang thought this idea was good, so he discussed with her husband that Li Yong was willing to marry Xiao Zhen.

However, Li Yong and his wife were not the hasty Peng Baihu, so they couldn't do anything to ask Xiao Zhen directly whether he would marry Yang Sulan. After thinking about it, they still had to communicate with the only female relatives around Xiao Zhen.

For the lifelong event of her niece, Yang decided to feel wronged and sent someone to post to Su Jin, saying that the chrysanthemums at home were blooming well, and asked Su Jin to bring Aman to enjoy the chrysanthemums together.

Su Jin, who received the post, was full of confusion. Yang's mind was probably not looking down on her if she didn't come to Xiao's house as a guest. What's the point of asking her over now?

Su Jin sent the butler to inquire in secret, and then learned that Yang had only invited one of hers this time. The butler was indeed smart and reminded Su Jin that a cousin with a proper marriage age came to the Li family.

Su Jin suddenly realized that Yang's drunken man's intention was not wine, but Lord Xiao!

With a clue in her heart, Su Jin took the post to see Xiao Zhen. Because she and Xiao Zhen were not familiar with each other so much that they could make fun of anything. In addition, Yang asked her for a request for marriage, so Su Jin temporarily concealed her and the butler's guess.

Xiao Zhen has talent, but if Li Yong had not been willing to promote him and never robbed his subordinates of his military achievements, Xiao Zhen would never have been promoted so quickly.

Therefore, although Xiao Zhen was also confused about Yang's invitation and did not understand where Su Jin had caught Yang's eyes, he agreed happily.

The author has something to say:

Su Jin: Lord Xiao, your peach blossoms are in full bloom!

Xiao Zhen looked at the peach tree that had already lost all its leaves and asked: Where is the peach blossom?

Su Jin: It's right in front of you.

The little woman laughed and teased, her face was charming, and Xiao Zhen was so embarrassed for her: Don’t be too shameless with brother and sister!
Chapter completed!