They had less farmland and naturally could not plant as much as the Mo family.
Moreover, their hearts were as clear as a bright mirror. They knew that the crops planted by the Mo family could be exchanged for a large amount of silver. Since the Mo family was kind enough to let them plant together, they certainly could not ruin the Mo family’s business.
Therefore, without Mo Jiuye having to remind them, the Fang and Xie families automatically stored the harvested sweet potatoes in their own granaries for food during the winter.
Even so, the two families were already very satisfied.
They were not nobles now, just people exiled by the emperor. To be able to live such a comfortable life in the northwest was entirely thanks to the care of the Mo family.
If they did not know better and took the favor given by the Mo family to seize the family’s business, wouldn’t that be repaying kindness with enmity?
In short, Fang Chuanzhou and Xie Tianhai understood this matter very clearly, and would never do anything detrimental to the Mo family’s interests.
Moreover, they were really satisfied now. The womenfolk at home made dolls with the Mo family. Not only was the income high, but it was also stable, allowing the family to have steady income.
Except for working in the fields during the busy farming seasons, the men could go out to teach, so although the days were not as glorious as when they were in the capital, they were comfortable.
Hu Cong did not even need to be mentioned. He also planted sweet potatoes and corn with the Mo family. He had mastered the technique of building siheyuan courtyard houses, and his orders were already more than he could handle.
Moreover, he had so many workers under him who needed a lot of food every day. The sweet potatoes and corn he planted were kept entirely to feed his workers, and he had no intention of selling them at all.
In short, the corn that appeared at the Mo family banquet today moved everyone present.
The villagers were even more regretful. The Mo family had not harvested much corn yet, so they did not know the yield.
Just based on the delicious taste, it had already moved them.
Although Meng Huaining was anxious to talk to Mo Jiuye about the government purchasing corn seeds, he was not an inappropriate person.
After all, Jiu Ge and Jiu Mei had already promised him that the Mo family’s high-yielding grains could all be sold to the government as seeds for next year.
Even if he was anxious, it wouldn’t make a difference in one day. The full month celebration for the nephew and niece was most important.
Tang Mingrui and Meng Huaining had almost the same thoughts, but they endured without saying anything because of the occasion.
The two little treasures were fast asleep, with Grandma Mo and Madam He holding one each in their arms.
The weather was neither cold nor hot this season, so there was no need to worry that the little ones would feel uncomfortable.
Smoothly giving birth to twins was rare enough in the Great Shun, let alone a boy and a girl like the Mo family. In the eyes of the common people, this matched up to make a good word. The Mo family’s good fortune was limitless.
They even believed Zhu and Mingzhu were born with good fortune as lucky babies.
To get a little of the babies’ good luck, everyone wanted to squeeze closer to the two little ones.
With so many people, there would inevitably be noise even with care.
Zhu was sleeping soundly in his grandmother’s arms. Feeling something wrong, he frowned and opened his eyes.
Seeing her cute frowning grandson, Madam He laughed immediately.
She said to Grandma Mo next to her, "Mother-in-law, look, my good grandson is awake, and even knows how to frown."
Grandma Mo leaned over holding Mingzhu to look. Indeed, as Madam He said, Zhu was frowning at her. He looked clearly unhappy. If it were another child, after frowning they would surely wail loudly.
However, Zhu did not. He was just unhappy, and would not cry easily like his sister.
This expression melted the hearts of both elderly women.
"My good grandson, if you’re unhappy, just cry it out. Don’t force yourself."
Thinking of her nine sons, every one of them was strong like this since childhood. When they grew up and went to battlefields, no matter how heavily wounded, she had never seen them shed a tear.
At the time, she as a mother even felt proud that her sons were all emotionally tough, seldom shedding tears.
What did this toughness bring about?
It brought about the imperial order exiling the entire Mo family, the new daughters-in-law being secretly poisoned as soon as they married in, and the sons being secretly sabotaged one by one...
The current Grandma Mo now understood. In the future, the Mo family would no longer raise their sons to be so tough, and should be like children in ordinary families, with their own joys, angers, sorrows and delights.
But her precious grandson was naturally tough. Since his birth, the number of times he had cried could be counted on fingers.
Even when hearing a baby’s cries, they were always from Mingzhu. Zhu was just unhappy, at most frowning like now.
Madam He did not experience the piercing pain that Grandma Mo did, and did not think of that layer.
"Our Zhu is tough, like the Mo family men. He’s so little but won’t shed tears easily."
As the two elderly women talked about Zhu here, seeing the guests come over, Madam He revealed Zhu’s little face for everyone to see.
Upon seeing Zhu, villagers immediately praised:
"My god... this is the first time I’ve seen such a fat and white baby!"
"That’s right, just look at this baby’s brows and eyes, how could they not be extremely good-looking?"
Their tone was somewhat exaggerated, but it was indeed so.
Not to mention Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran were both exceptional in looks, such premium genetic inheritance was something others did not have.
Just the food He Zhiran supplemented during pregnancy alone, things unavailable in this era. The villagers lived bitter lives, often unable to eat their fill when pregnant, let alone any supplements.
The villagers really were seeing such a good-looking baby for the first time, and all felt it was heaven’s favor to the Mo family.
At this time, He Zhiran, who had just finished her confinement, came over surrounded by her sisters-in-law.
Not just the villagers thought this way, even the Mo family themselves did.
Eldest Sister-in-Law looked at Madam He holding Zhu fondly, and gently said, "Our Zhu and Mingzhu are a month old already, and still don’t have proper names. These treasures are heaven’s blessings to my Mo family. Their names must not be too casual."
"That’s right, our Zhu and Mingzhu must have meaningful names," Second Sister-in-Law chimed in.
When it came to naming the babies, everyone looked towards He Zhiran as the mother.
Grandma Mo said, "Ranran, when the children were born your father already said their names should be decided by you and Jiuye. I asked Jiuye the other day, and he said to listen to you. Why don’t you give names to my precious grandson and granddaughter now?"
"That’s right Sister-in-Law, you’re the most knowledgeable among us sisters-in-law. The names you pick will definitely be good sounding," Eighth Sister-in-Law said, nudging He Zhiran.
Of course He Zhiran would not shirk naming her own children. She had thought of many names boringly while confined, but eventually denied them all herself.
She admitted she was useless at naming.
Now with so many people urging her, plus the babies were already one month old without proper names, which was rather unsightly.
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