Chapter 42: The Triplets

Chapter 42

The Triplets

When Nie Shuang opened her eyes again, Xiao San exclaimed with joy,

"You Furen! You’re awake."

Nie Shuang still couldn’t move, only sweeping her gaze around the room.

"My children..."

Her voice was raspy, and Xiao San quickly poured warm water to offer her, speaking with a bright expression,

"The babies are so adorable. I’ll go get Xiao Tong and the wet nurses to bring them in for you. Earlier, we took them out because we were afraid their crying might disturb your rest."

Nie Shuang had known she was expecting twins, so she had prepared two wet nurses ahead of time. Being a first-time mother, she was worried she might not produce enough milk for them. But when Xiao San returned, there were three babies in the bundles!

Triplets!

Nie Shuang felt faint in an instant. Her business was booming, and she had been enjoying it immensely. And now, out of nowhere, the heavens had gifted her with three children! How was she supposed to raise them all on her own?!

"Let me see them,"

She called, asking them to bring the babies closer. One of the wet nurses gently placed the eldest son in her arms, and the second child was also handed to her. Nie Shuang hadn’t been able to pay attention during the birth to know the gender.

"Is this another boy?"

"Yes, Young Furen,"

Xiao Tong replied as she stepped forward with another bundle.

"And this is the youngest, a little girl,"

Xiao Tong said with a smile.

Nie Shuang’s heart swelled with emotion, and tears streamed down her face. They were such beautiful, tiny beings, each one small and wrinkled like little kittens. No wonder the doctor had said to nourish them after birth. If they had been large, plump babies since in her womb, she would have died during labor. The babies were sleeping peacefully in their wraps, their soft, warm bodies emitting a fragrant scent. She couldn’t help but wonder who they resembled.

Two boys and one girl... it was going to be quite chaotic, she thought with a smile.

The little girl, who hadn’t fed yet, began wriggling toward her chest. The wet nurses quickly took the two boys away, encouraging Nie Shuang to nurse her daughter. Her milk hadn’t come in fully yet, and the baby girl suckled in frustration, almost on the verge of crying.

"Xiao Hua Hua, don’t cry..."

Nie Shuang soothed the baby girl gently, filled with love and compassion. After some effort, her milk finally flowed, and she watched her daughter contentedly feeding.

Although the confinement period was somewhat dull, Nie Shuang didn’t let herself be idle. She had the ledgers from her various businesses brought to her. The protection agency had started generating its own revenue and was even turning a profit. By the end of the year, she expected a good share of the profits. Da Shi passed on a report through Xiao Tong, saying that some of Yan Zhan’s brothers had heard about the reopening of the protection agency and had come to join him. Now they had over ten more guards, allowing them to take on more jobs. Additionally, some merchant’s sons, who weren’t necessarily looking to become guards but simply wanted to learn martial arts, had requested to join the school. Yan Zhan asked how much they should charge for the tuition.

"Let Yan Zhan handle that decision. The children who come to learn are practicing alongside others anyway, and we’re not incurring extra costs. If Yan Zhan wants to let them study for free, I have no objection. But if he wishes to charge them, let him give the fees to the instructors,"

Nie Shuang replied while closing the ledger. She then picked up the account book for Xiangyun Tea House and reviewed it. After a moment, she said,

"Have Yan Zhan send two people to guard the Jiang family’s tea plantation. I can’t go anywhere at the moment, and I don’t trust the Ding family."

"Yes, Young Furen,"

Xiao Tong answered. As Nie Shuang reviewed the tea house’s ledger, she found that its income exceeded her expectations. Even after accounting for the renovation costs, the business was still profitable. Of course! She had been selling tea at ten times the price of the tea from the Chun Shui Shop. And when counting the hot tea sold in the tea house, the profit margin was even higher. She had sent her maids to learn tea-brewing techniques from Jiang Ru, hired the daughter of a poor scholar to play the zither, and found the cook from a nearby village. These women, who had once depended on farming, the weather, and their husbands, having almost no income of their own, now became the primary breadwinners of their families, eagerly coming to work. After her confinement, she planned to launch a new scheme to attract even more customers. Nie Shuang thought with determination.

Now, she no longer needed to dip into her dowry to cover household expenses. Soon, she would have enough savings to reinvest in other ventures. How exciting...

In the military camp, a large map was spread across the wall, with several points marked by pins. Song Qilin pulled out all the pins from the upper left side of the map and spoke to his subordinates,

"We don’t need to search the western part of the region anymore. Withdraw the troops from there. She likely didn’t go that way. It’s too risky due to the threat of tribal invasions—it’s not a safe destination. Focus on the eastern and southern parts. Spread the troops to search the major cities, and then expand to the surrounding areas."

"Yes, General."

For the past year, the General had relentlessly searched for his wife. His subordinates knew well how much he had despised her initially. The entire army was aware that the General had been forced into marriage, and many resented it on his behalf. But soon after their marriage, the General had fallen deeply in love with her. Even now, he kept her disappearance a secret, claiming that she had joined him at the border.

"And what of the warhorses? What news from the royal court?"

Song Qilin changed the subject.

"It seems the royal treasury doesn’t have enough funds. The horses from the western regions are of superior quality, but purchasing such a large number will take time since the court can’t gather the required funds quickly."

"Ever since Princess Jie Wu married the ruler of the western Xi Region, she has favored sending large amounts of tea. It seems that now, the Xi Region’s nobility has developed a taste for the tea from our Da Ye. I recently sent a letter to inquire with the Minister of Finance, and he suggested that if the plan to purchase warhorses is delayed, they could petition the Emperor to negotiate an exchange of tea for the warhorses instead. If His Majesty approves, it’s not impossible."

"In Nan Fang region, which is governed by Kang Wang, they have vast tea plantations. If Kang Wang is willing to assist by supplying tea at a reduced price, it wouldn’t be difficult. General, weren’t you and Kang Wang familiar with each other in the past?"

Feng Ying, Song Qilin’s close aide, asked with hope in his eyes.

"Mm. Let’s wait for the Minister of Finance to submit the petition first. It seems I may have to make a trip to Huangjing City soon," Song Qilin replied.