I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 470 Popularizing Knowledge

This guy is usually quite shrewd, and he never expected his wife's gold ingots to be so tempting.

As he spoke, he took the hemostatic powder from his wife, rolled up his trouser leg, and sprinkled the powder on the wound.

Fortunately, it was just a superficial abrasion.

Dongfang Jin took out several gold ingots and handed one to each of them.

Finally, squatting down in front of Zhao Pengyu, he glanced at the wound and heard Ruyi say that the wound would heal in a little while.

She was relieved: "Good, you didn't cry."

Zhao Pengyu grinned, glanced at the scraped skin on his knee, and accepted the large gold ingot: "Thank you, Aunt. A real man doesn't need this little injury."

Gu Chenglin praised, "Excellent! A true man sheds blood, not tears!"

Gu Yongqing's chest heaved violently, his breathing became heavy and labored, and he took the gold ingot from Dongfang Jin's hand.

"Me, I have one too? Thank you... thank you, Auntie..."

Zhao Pengyu looked up at his aunt. He had taken the pills his uncle had given him and was no longer panting.

"Auntie, we all have them, do the younger sisters have them?"

Dongfang Jin looked at the four little heads that were all looking at her in unison: "Yes, all of them."

"Get up quickly, you guys go with Jinbao to take a shower, then come back and continue eating barbecue."

The boys all said in unison, "Okay."

……

After dinner, Dongfang Jin began to explain to the children the potential problems that might arise at the banquet.

In ancient times, when foreign powers provoked us, in addition to cultural and technological contests, common forms of conflict included...

For example, military deterrence can be demonstrated by displaying weapons and battle formations (such as cavalry charges and crossbow volleys), or by showcasing combat power through hunting and martial arts competitions.

Another aspect is diplomatic debate, where one uses language, logic, and classical allusions to refute the other side, such as the "Yanzi's Mission to Chu" style of witty debate, to uphold the dignity of the nation.

Calendars, a contest of technology, showcasing the accuracy of calendars (such as predicting solar terms and celestial phenomena) and craftsmanship (such as metallurgy and architecture), highlight the level of civilization.

Another thing is the performance of ritual music, which is rare but we still have to be wary of it.

The most likely scenario, and the one that appears most frequently in every TV series, is the display of local products.

They could present rare treasures (such as luminous pearls and fine horses) and local specialties (such as spices, textiles, and medicinal herbs) to imply a powerful nation.

……

The girls listened intently, while the boys quickly took notes.

Finally, Dongfang Jin also encouraged the children to learn more about couplets, and she wrote quite a few herself.

The most difficult one is the couplet that uses the five elements to match: "Upper line: Smoke locks the willows by the pond, Lower line: Cannons guard the city tower by the sea."

There are also characters that are split and radicals are symmetrical, implying the infighting in the imperial court. "First line: Qin, Se, Pipa, the eight kings with the same appearance; Second line: Chimei, Wangliang, the four little devils with their own hearts."

In mathematics, the most common type of problem is the "nine-square grid".

Objects? Most of them are "nine-linked rings".

Dongfang Jin explained the "difficult problems" one by one, then left the boys behind.

Yu Ying took a few girls to the hot springs, while she went to her room to wash up and go to sleep; she was too tired after the day.

……

Ruyi Realm

Dongfang Jin sat in a rocking chair, watching the man plowing the field with a tractor: "I must say, this old man has a really good physique."

Ruyi sat next to her in a small rocking chair, rocking it back and forth, and rolled her eyes at her.

Holding a bunch of grapes in one hand and an egg tart in the other, she took a bite of a grape and then a bite of an egg tart.

"Your man is really great. Such a good man, are you really not planning to have a child with him?"

Dongfang Jin put down the book in her hand and stared at Gu Chenglin: "This matter can't be rushed."

"If you don't hurry, he'll be holding his grandson by now." The implication couldn't be clearer.

Upon hearing its words, Dongfang Jin sat up straight abruptly, her eyes shining as she stared at Gu Chenglin.

"Gu Jingye is twelve this year, right..."

If you see Dongfang Jin like this, you'll know what she's thinking.

He quickly interrupted her, "Come on, it'll be at least five years before Gu Jingye gets married."

Dongfang Jin seemed to have made a decision, narrowing his eyes: "Letting him hold his grandson is definitely better than letting him hold his son."

Gu Jingye will be fifteen in three years, but Yang Wenwen… Thinking of this, his body shriveled up like a wilted eggplant.

Yang Wenwen is just too young...

Hmph... Waaah...

Ruyi glanced at her, then called out to Gu Chenglin, "Gu Chenglin, your wife said..."

Just as she finished shouting, Dongfang Jin stuffed a grape into her mouth: "Shut up! You know you're just making things worse for us!"

Ruyi spat out the grapes and glared at Dongfang Jin: "Is it my business if you and your husband have conflicts?"

"Do you think Gu Chenglin will be happy with your outburst?" Dongfang Jin retorted, not to be outdone.

She was certain that once Gu Chenglin heard Ruyi's words, she wouldn't be able to get out of bed tonight.

Ruyi looked puzzled: "Why is he, a grown man, unhappy?"

"Stop asking questions! You're bringing up a sore subject. Just eat your food!"

"Hey, what do you mean by that? I'm just concerned about you!"

"Means nothing."

"It doesn't mean anything, so what exactly does it mean?"

"It's just boring, what else could it be?"

"You must explain your meaning clearly today!"

Dongfang Jin's temper flared up when she saw Ruyi arguing with her: "Hey Ruyi, are you deliberately trying to pick a fight with me?"

When did I argue?

Dongfang Jin felt a tightness in her chest from being choked. She glanced at the man who was still working foolishly, snorted coldly, and disappeared from the rocking chair.

This guy is infuriating!

When did a perfectly good spirit become a contrarian?

Serves you right for shrinking!

She stood angrily in the room, staring at the empty kang (heated brick bed), then climbed onto the kang and crawled into bed.

"Even a spirit of a weapon is urging me to have a child, it's simply absurd."

She sighed deeply, closed her eyes to sleep, but only felt the empty corner of the blanket.

He was about to enter the space again when he suddenly stopped. In a fit of pique, he wrapped the blanket tightly around himself, sullenly burrowed into the bed, and went to sleep.

……

Morning light filters through the gauze window, weaving shimmering gold, while birdsong from the eaves pierces the thin mist.

The dewdrop rolled on the tip of a blade of grass, then fell into the soil, splashing up the fresh scent of grass and trees.

As soon as Dongfang Jin opened her eyes, the cheerful laughter of Cang Yanchuan and the Second Prince came from the courtyard.

"So early."

"master--"

It was Yu Ying's voice. Dongfang Jin glanced at the alarm clock; it was 7:30. He was quite early.

"come in."

"My lord, the prince has arrived with two young masters and the second prince," Yu Ying said as she pushed open the door, carrying a basin of water for washing her face.

Dongfang Jin finished dressing and walked to the washstand: "The Crown Prince didn't come?"

"No, the Mid-Autumn Festival is just a few days away..." Yu Ying didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear.

Dongfang Jin understood immediately.

Yu Ying tidied up the bed: "I made porridge, and Lü Ying and An Lan brought fried dough sticks, steamed buns, and soy milk from the medicinal cuisine hall."

Yueying wrapped up some wontons and also gave Aunt Mei and the others some side dishes she brought back from her hometown.

When Dongfang Jin heard her say that, she knew that her adoptive father and three nephews had not eaten breakfast.

Ever since Yueying started following her, she has especially enjoyed being around Grandma Yu.

Xiao Bei and Xiao Chuan also really enjoyed the wontons she made.

As for pickles, well, she's been to quite a few places over the years.

The pickles made by Yang Zhu's family are the best, and all of them also have Qiankun bags on them.

When they returned to Beijing, Yu Ying and the others brought back a lot of things from their hometown, including pickled vegetables.

"Prepare more for lunch."

Yu Ying exclaimed in surprise, "Our master is truly insightful! The prince said that Prince Chen returned to the capital last night."

"After court, he'll definitely come over and ask us to prepare plenty of food."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jin nodded. There were only four days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival.

It seems that not only will the eldest brother return, but Changsun Lan and the others will also be coming back.

It's possible that Lu Yunqing and his nephew Gu Mingxiu will also come back.

The eldest sister-in-law had been looking forward to Gu Mingxiu's return for a long time, saying that if he could come back this time, it would be best to settle the marriage. In the blink of an eye, that boy is already twenty-two years old.

This banquet is probably also a matchmaking event for each family.