Oh no! Seven kids at the start, all yellow and skinny.

Chapter 426 The Han Family's Despicable Acts

The people in the study naturally heard the commotion. Han Cheng was so frightened that he almost collapsed. He hurriedly stuffed the naked Magpie into the cabinet behind him, and of course, he didn't forget to stuff her clothes in as well. He then hurriedly tidied his own clothes, but because there was no mirror, he didn't notice a bright red mark on his neck.

After taking a few deep breaths, I opened the door.

"Yan'er, what brings you here?"

Chen Xueyan squeezed his hand briefly, but quickly put on her usual gentle smile: "I had something I wanted to talk to my husband about, so I came over. Did I bother you?"

"How could that be?" Han Sheng came out and took Chen Xueyan's hand. "I'm tired of reading too, let's take a walk together."

Chen Xueyan's gaze fell on Han Sheng's neck, and she took out a handkerchief and reached out to wipe it.

A splash of red appeared on the white handkerchief.

Han Sheng's brow twitched, and he raised his hand to touch his neck, laughing awkwardly twice: "Um... wait for me a moment." Then he turned and went into the study, but came out quickly, holding a box of rouge in his hand, and handed it to Chen Xueyan, "I went to Qiubofang to buy you a box of rouge. I wasn't sure if it was the color you liked, so I tried it on and tricked you into wearing it."

I thought to myself, thank goodness I bought a box of rouge to appease the magpie; now I can get away with it.

Chen Xueyan, suppressing her nausea, accepted the rouge: "My husband is so thoughtful."

Han Sheng looked at his wife, who seemed normal, but he still felt uneasy. However, he couldn't ask her anything. After all, although Chen Xueyan was a concubine's daughter, she held a high position in the Chen family, especially since she had a good relationship with her eldest sister, Consort Chen, in the palace. He would have to rely on her in the future, so he couldn't afford to fall out with her for the time being.

"Husband." Chen Xueyan didn't give the other party a chance to speak, after all, she was too lazy to listen to his sophistry. "Lian'er's wedding is coming soon. Although she will be a concubine, she will still be marrying into the royal family. So, I was thinking of asking for more on the dowry."

"Madam can handle it as she sees fit." Han Sheng had no objections, after all, she didn't have much money. If Madam wanted to bring up her daughter's dowry, it would all be from her own dowry.

"Something's happened to Chen Rui from the Chen family. What do you think?"

Han Sheng was taken aback: "This...maybe I don't have that kind of luck?"

Chen Xueyan lowered her eyes, concealing the sarcasm in them: "My husband is right." Then she turned around, "I'm a little tired, I'll go back first."

Han Sheng opened his mouth, but found that the other person had already walked quite a distance, so he could only chase after him: "I made an appointment with my colleagues earlier, so I won't be having dinner at home tonight."

Chen Xueyan responded and then quickly left. As soon as she returned to her courtyard, she thought of the scene she had seen through the crack in the door, her stomach churned, and she turned around and vomited violently.

Everyone in the courtyard was terrified. The wet nurse even wanted to call the doctor, but Dujuan stopped her: "Granny Yu, the lady just saw something disgusting and felt nauseous. She'll be fine after a rest."

Upon hearing this, Granny Yu didn't say anything more and hurriedly poured a cup of tea and handed it to her, saying, "My second young lady, you must take care of your health."

Chen Xueyan took the teacup, glanced at Granny Yu, and said, "I'm sorry to have worried you, Granny." She then took a sip of water and added, "I'm fine now."

"What would you like to eat? I'll make it for you."

"Let the kitchen do it," Chen Xueyan smiled. "Granny, Xique is eighteen now, practically a young lady. Do you have a suitable family in mind?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Yu's face stiffened, and her smile became somewhat forced: "My second young lady, it's already a great blessing for Xique to serve by your side. To be honest, since following you, her ambitions have risen, and she looks down on ordinary people."

Chen Xueyan's heart sank. After all, Granny Yu was her wet nurse and had always treated her well, which was why she had brought Xique to her side. She originally thought that Xique and Han Sheng were unaware of their affair, but now it seemed that Xique was aware of it as well. Since that was the case, then she shouldn't blame herself for being ruthless.

Du Juan had been by Chen Xueyan's side for many years, and she could tell from the other woman's expression that the magpie wouldn't live much longer.

Sure enough, less than a month later, the gardener in the manor discovered that Magpie was sleeping with the groom in the backyard. She originally wanted to ask Han Sheng for help, but Han Sheng was away on official business and would not be back for three days. So she was forced to marry the groom and died of domestic violence in less than a year.

Of course, these are all for later.

Xiajiazhuang.

It was harvest season for the villagers, and everyone in the village was busy.

The college is on holiday, and the children need to go back to help the adults with farm work.

Zhou Jinghan came with Yun Yi's letter and went to find Zhou Jingyu and the Xiao family.

"Send Qibao to the capital?" Xiao Tai'an frowned. "What does that girl want to do?"

Zhou Jinghan smiled and said, "She thinks it's normal for a widow to have a child."

Ahem! Everyone couldn't help but cough a few times.

"Ah Lin, what do you think?" Xiao Tai'an looked at Zhou Jingyu.

Zhou Jingyu's given name is Zhou Lin, and Jingyu is his courtesy name.

In ancient times, there were specific rules for a man's given name and courtesy name. The given name was given by his elders after his birth and was used by them to address him. The courtesy name was given after he came of age, symbolizing adulthood and representing respect. It was also the name that his friends and acquaintances usually used to address him.

In normal history, men would take their courtesy name at the age of twenty, which signified adulthood.

However, this Great Zhou Dynasty is a fictional era, different from the official history, and the rules are also different. Here, men, especially royal nobles, are given a nickname at birth, and three months later, their elders officially name them and include them in the family genealogy.

You can take a name after enrolling.

The children here are mostly enrolled at the age of seven or eight. Of course, some child prodigies may be able to enroll at the age of three or four and can also be given a courtesy name.

Those ordinary people who couldn't afford to go to school didn't have such customs. They might have names like "Little Dog Egg," "Cat Egg," "Iron Pillar," and "Shuttle Boy" that would accompany them for their entire lives. There were no such customs regarding names and courtesy names.

Xiao Tai'an is Zhou Jingyu's maternal grandfather, so it is appropriate to call him by his name.

"It's too lonely for Xiao Qi to be all alone. Should we send a few more over?"

Zhou Jinghan was taken aback: "Second brother, you don't mean to send them all over there, do you?" That would be too tiring for his wife.

“How could that be? At least Da Bao can’t go.” Zhou Jingyu glanced at his younger brother. Da Bao was becoming more and more like him. If he went to the capital, he would easily be exposed.

"So who do you want to go?"

"Erya."

Zhou Jinghan fell silent. Er Ya was quite a feisty girl, especially with her mouth. If she went over there, she could help look after Qi Bao, which was a good idea.

“I think it’s a good idea too, but to avoid any conflicts, I think it’s better to let them draw lots,” Xiao Tai’an suggested.