At the Baling Bridge, Cao Xin said goodbye to Guo Fengxiao and asked the coachman to drive home.

In the back bedroom of General Cao's residence, a crane-billed incense burner with a long neck spewed out scented mist. There was a deer-headed fire cauldron beside the bed, and red charcoal was burning in the cauldron, creating a warm atmosphere.

Gan Yuniang was sitting crookedly on the soft couch, with a quilt covering her long legs. She was sewing a soft satin lining with a needle and thread in her hand.

This lining is made of more than ten layers of satin wrapped in calfskin. The stitching is fine, soft and strong. This special lining can block hidden arrows and stray arrows, and is suitable for wearing on the battlefield.

Gan Yuniang sewed two pieces last year. Last night she saw that Cao Daguan's body was much thicker and his muscles were stronger. The two linings earlier were too restrictive and did not fit.

Eager to have some free time today, she picked up her needle and thread to make clothes for the high-ranking officials. She was worried about letting others do the work.

Beside the bed, two little civet cats were rolling a ball of thread. The maid who was rolling the thread patted her little paw and quickly let go of the ball.

Dong dong dong~

"elder sister!"

Zou Liniang called outside the door.

"Liniang, come in quickly!"

Gan Yuniang smiled slightly, put down her needle and thread, and waved to the door.

Gan Yuniang was happy that there were many women in the back house. Men were supposed to have three wives and four concubines, and a large family had to take in more women in order to keep the population prosperous and the descendants of the family to continue.

The general is a marquis, the prefect of Nanyang, and a general of Weilu. His salary is two thousand dan, which is a very high official. However, she is the only one in the back house and has not yet given birth to an heir.

Gan Yuniang often felt worried and frightened because of this. She tried many times to persuade senior officials to take concubines, but the senior officials only said that she would rather eat a mouthful of fairy peach than chew a basket of apricots. She was not in a hurry.

This time the general brought back Zou Liniang, who was handsome, well-educated, and of good character. Although she was a bit older at twenty-four years old, she had a plump figure, wide breasts and big hips, and she looked like she was a good childbearer.

Gan Yuniang was quite satisfied with this sister, and only hoped that she could give birth to an heir for the general as soon as possible, so that the general's family would be more prosperous.

"Sister, are you feeling better?"

Zou Liniang walked in with a smile on her face, wearing a silk embroidered skirt, a light blue gown, a jade hairpin on her temples, red rouge on her lips, which looked like cherries, and her makeup was richer and more festive than when she arrived.

Behind him were two maids carrying food boxes.

"I'm not in trouble, I'm just lazy and don't want to move. Sister Lao is worried about me."

Gan Yuniang said as she pulled up her clothes to cover the few red marks on her white jade skin.

Zou Liniang curled her lips and said, "I heard that my sister hasn't eaten yet, so she made meat porridge and a few side dishes. Would you like me to try it?"

"That's good. I'm sorry to trouble my sister."

Gan Yuniang took the maid's hand and sat up, her beautiful eyebrows slightly furrowed. Seeing this, Zou Liniang hurriedly gave her a hand and said with a chuckle, "I'm sorry for my sister. Last time in Wancheng, my little sister couldn't get up for two days.

I think my sister is like this too."

Gan Yuniang's face turned red, and she pulled Liniang to sit down beside the collapse and smiled, "This is not suffering. The general is working hard on the battlefield, with swords and swords flashing, and it is extremely dangerous. When he comes home, he wants to have some fun. Our sisters try to follow him as much as possible and just rest.

A day or two doesn't matter, it will be much more enjoyable than a general on the battlefield."

Zou Liniang nodded slightly, blinked her bright eyes and said with a smile, "I often heard the general say how gentle and virtuous my sister is. Huizhi Lanxin is a first-class good woman. When I met my sister, I found that she was even better than the general said.

, it is my blessing for my little sister to be able to serve the general with her elder sister."

"My sister is also very good. I look so friendly, and I look like a biological sister."

Gan Yuniang smiled with curved lips, pulled Zou Liniang, and spoke more cordially. She also took off a mutton-fat jade bracelet from Hao's wrist and put it on Zou Liniang herself.

Zou Liniang happily thanked her and looked at the jade bracelet with great fondness.

After the maids put the food on the table, Yuniang and Liniang sat across from each other and ate. On the table were nine small plates of exquisite hometown dishes, some sour and spicy, paired with soft and glutinous corn and fish porridge, which tasted delicious.

The two chatted while eating, becoming more and more interested in each other.

——

"Jade Lady Liniang, I'm back."

Official Cao walked back to Houyingchun Pavilion with eight steps, and saw two sisters, Yu Niang and Liniang, sitting on the couch, drinking tea and chatting.

One wears a red skirt, has slender legs, is naturally jade, and has a dignified appearance; the other wears a blue coat, has a plump figure, a peach-shaped face, and is charming and charming.

The two sitting opposite each other can be said to be like lotuses in the fairy world and flowers of wealth in the human world.

"The general is back."

Gan Yuniang and Liniang stood up and saluted.

"Haha, I should have come back a long time ago. Those boys from Cao Zhang and Cao Pi insisted on watching me practice martial arts, so I played with them for a while."

Official Cao stepped forward and helped Yu Niang sit down on the soft floor.

"General, you're sweating. Why don't you go wash up and change your clothes first?"

Gan Yuniang asked, stroking his back.

"Don't worry, I'll go to bed and wash up later. What are you talking about? Can I, a grown man, listen?"

Official Cao laughed.

"It's a business matter. Liniang and I talked about selling perfume. It turns out that Liniang also wrote letters to me. Did the general say it was a coincidence?"

Gan Yuniang took the warm towel from the maid's hand and wiped his forehead, chest and back.

"Haha, it's quite a coincidence. This is called not a family, and we don't enter the same house."

Cao Xin smiled.

Zou Liniang poured a cup of hot tea, held it for him to take a sip, and said with a smile, "General, I didn't know the big business the general did until I heard my sister say it again."

"It's not too big. We only have business in Yanzhou, Xuzhou, and Yuzhou. If the world were unified and there were hundreds of stores in nine states, that kind of business would be called big business."

Cao Xin waved his hand.

When he was a bandit leader in Langya Village, he led more than a thousand Langya troops to rob Qingzhou, Jizhou, Yanzhou, and even Guanzhong Hetao from Xuzhou, and robbed a lot of property from big dogs in various places.

Later, he came down from the mountains and became a good man. He used part of his wealth to buy land in Yanzhou, cultivated the fields and built farms. He successively resettled more than 100,000 refugees in the mountains, giving them food, clothing, and fields to cultivate.

The remaining goods are used for business. At present, he has more than ten shops and three teahouses and restaurants in more than ten cities in Xuzhou, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou, selling soap, perfume, liquor, and tea.

Last year's total income reached 200,000 guan. At the current market price, 5 baht can buy one stone of corn, 10 guan for one piece of linen, and 100 guan can buy a piece of fine Sichuan brocade.

According to the current level of productivity, one worker can weave up to three pieces of Shu brocade per year, and a person who stays awake all his life can only weave two hundred pieces of Shu brocade, which is 20,000 pieces.

200,000 yuan is an astronomical figure for most people.

This year, several soap workshops, wine making workshops, and tea frying workshops have been added to the farm. For this monopoly product, which is in short supply, the output has increased and the profits have been higher.

After making money, he invested in the farm, growing grain, fattening pigs, selecting and training Langya recruits on the farm, expanding trade routes, and forging weapons, armor, and horseshoes.

With Langya's new recruits, he has a stronger army, can win more battles, and plunder more wealth, creating a virtuous cycle.

"General, sister Liniang is good at arithmetic and accounting. How about letting Liniang help me with the accounting?"

In the evening, Gan Yuniang said as she undressed him.

"Okay, you two can come together and discuss things when they happen."

Cao Xin nodded.

The year before last, he and Mr. Cao Taigong set up a Huitong Trading Company, with Yu Niang in charge. Mrs. Ding and Mr. Cao Taigong were both members of the business, and the people in the business were all their own people. The shopkeepers in various places were smart people from the farm, Cao's family members, and Yu Niang's relatives.

.

The trading company has a security team of more than 800 people, responsible for protecting the farm and providing bodyguards.

Half of the team members are from the Langya Army who are old, retired or disabled, and the other half are trained Langya recruits, including cavalry and infantry. The old lead the new, and their combat effectiveness is not much worse than that of the Langya Army.

With these people here, Gan Yuniang only needs to arrange deliveries, reconcile accounts with shopkeepers in various places, collect accounts, and distribute accounts. Cao Taigong and Mrs. Ding are responsible for the government.

With Zou Liniang assisting, Yuniang's work will be much easier.

"General, I am useless..."

After entering the curtain, Gan Yuniang said softly, "Why don't you ask Liniang to serve the general?"

"Haha, no need, let's just talk."

Cao Xin put his arm around Yu Niang's shoulders and said.

"General, my sister-in-law came over a few days ago and said that the general is old and it is time to choose some maids for the general to give birth to. I thought so, so I picked ten and kept them in the yard. If the general wants to, he can pamper him at any time.

they."

Gan Yuniang said softly.

"Don't rush, don't rush. We are all in good health and can have children. It's just that you are too young, Liniang. Giving birth to children too early is not good for your health. Please wait two years before giving birth again."

Cao Xin kissed the beauty mark on the corner of her lips.

"General, I am eighteen years old, so I am not young anymore. My mother gave birth to me when she was sixteen years old."

"So your mother is physically weak. I don't want you to get sick. I want Lady Yu to live a long life and be as beautiful as a flower. I won't talk about having children for another two years."

"Well, I listen to the general."

Gan Yuniang leaned into his arms, her skin feeling slightly cool.
Chapter completed!