The repeated calls of "Mother" melted Yun Li's heart. Holding the little child in her arms, she stepped out of the space.
"During the day, Mother will have to leave you in the space, but I'll come in to keep you company whenever I have time. At night, you can sleep with Mother, okay?"
Since unexpectedly becoming a mother, Yun Li couldn't help but speak much more gently.
"Mhm, okay, okay! I'm a good baby, I'll listen to Mother!"
She gently placed the child on the inner side of the bed, leaning against the outer headboard herself. Recalling everything felt like a dream. Her hand rested on her stomach—there was still another treasure here…
Ah, becoming a mother so unexpectedly had caught her off guard. It seemed she needed to start planning many things now, especially leaving the Prime Minister's Residence…
She was still the Third Miss of the Prime Minister's Residence, unmarried and living in the inner chambers. Suddenly having two children in this ancient era—unwed motherhood—would be enough to drown her in scornful gossip…
Not to mention in the treacherous backyard of the Prime Minister's Residence…
And the two children would eventually have to be seen by others; otherwise, it wouldn't be good for their growth. So leaving this place was the best option.
Time was running short for her. In three months, her belly would start to show, and by then, hiding it would be impossible. In these three months, she had too much to do.
She needed to earn a lot of money and also train some highly skilled shadow guards. Otherwise, when her belly grew larger and during childbirth, safety would be an issue. After all, there were several people in the Prime Minister's Residence who had their eyes on her…
She decided to soak in the Spiritual Spring Water every day from now on. Earlier, while getting dressed in the space, she noticed her skin had become much fairer, smooth and delicate. There was also a feeling of lightness from the inside out, along with abundant energy. Once again, she marveled at how miraculous the Spiritual Spring Water was!
She also needed to produce more defensive Poisons. At the very least, she had to ensure the safety of herself and her two children. Although she had a Weapons Warehouse in her space, she didn't want to use Thermal Weapons unless absolutely necessary. They were too conspicuous and not as handy as a dose of Poison.
Soft, shallow breathing came from beside her. Turning her head, she saw the little child had already fallen asleep.
Yun Li leaned over and kissed the child's cheek. The chubby, soft face was irresistible, and she couldn't help but give it a gentle pinch.
"Tsk tsk~ Such a lovely feel! Sleep well, my good baby…"
She took a small silk quilt from the space and gently covered the child with it.
Lying down herself, her mind kept racing with plans for the future and thoughts about the two children. As she pondered, she gradually fell asleep…
She dreamed of two exquisitely beautiful little boys and girls calling her "Mother." The two little children played happily in the space, laughing and frolicking…
…
Early the next morning, Yun Li opened her eyes. The first thing she did was turn her head to look at the little girl beside her. The child was still peacefully sleeping with her eyes closed, confirming once again that it wasn't a dream.
"Mother, you're awake…"
The little girl's sweet voice echoed in Yun Li's mind.
Yun Li leaned over and kissed the little baby. "Mhm, Mother is awake. How did you sleep last night, baby?"
"Being with Mother, baby slept very well… Baby loves Mother's scent… hehe."
Yun Li picked up the little baby, cuddling and squeezing her left and right. Although the baby couldn't move much, the soft, plump flesh felt warm and cozy, like a chubby white doll. Yun Li couldn't get enough, kissing her again and again. After playing for a while, she felt it was about time.
"Alright, shall Mother send you back to the space?"
"Mhm, okay! I'm a good, obedient baby. Mother can go do her work, but remember to think of me…"
"Of course! Mother will think of you."
With that, she flashed into the space with the little child in her arms, placing her on the sofa on the first floor of the villa inside the space. In front of the sofa was a large floor-to-ceiling window with transparent glass, so she could see the child as soon as she entered the space.
If her baby weren’t a Magical Treasure, she really wouldn’t feel at ease leaving a child just a few months old in the space…
Yun Li reluctantly left the space.
…
She had Ying Tao summon the four maidservants they had brought back yesterday.
Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse—after some tidying up, they truly looked different. The four maidservants were radiant, smiling, and full of energy.
Yun Li was very pleased! Among these four women, she named the one skilled in medicine Angelica.
The one skilled in cooking was named Strawberry, the one skilled in needlework was named Raspberry, and the one skilled in accounting was named Blueberry.
These four would stay by her side from now on. She would have Ying Tao guide them for now, and when she had time, she would slowly teach them cooking, medicine, and other skills.
After changing her clothes, she visited Zhao Momo and then went out with Ying Tao.
Over the past few days, she had deeply felt that if Su Meixian and Yun Ran didn’t cause trouble for her in the Prime Minister's Residence, her life would truly be carefree. After all, Prime Minister Yun paid no attention to Wutong Courtyard, as if it didn’t exist at all…
This deepened the doubts in her heart, making her wonder whether she was truly Prime Minister Yun’s biological daughter…
Forget it, she wouldn’t dwell on it for now. The matters at hand were most important. She could ask about these troublesome things once Zhao Momo woke up.
She went to the bookstore and had the shopkeeper close for business. After discussing with him, she explained her renovation and remodeling plans. Fortunately, the shopkeeper was somewhat capable and sensible, able to understand her intentions.
Both floors of the bookstore needed to be renovated. If time weren’t so tight, she would have set aside a few days for a clearance sale of the existing books, but time simply didn’t allow it.
She sent Ying Tao to the courtyard in the east of the city to bring over the maidservants and guards she had bought yesterday, having them help move all the books to that courtyard.
Once the shop was completely cleared out, she had the shopkeeper immediately hire workers to renovate the store according to her requirements.
The existing layout of the first floor would remain unchanged, with only shelves for skincare products to be installed on the walls.
The renovation of the second floor would take a bit more time. In addition to displaying high-end skincare products, she planned to partition three separate rooms according to her ideas.
One would serve as her temporary resting place, and the other two would be high-end skincare and beauty rooms for VIP members. Later, she would train a few maidservants, teaching them skincare, beauty, and massage techniques, allowing the young ladies of the capital to experience modern spa treatments!
She told the shopkeeper to pay the workers double to ensure everything was completed within a week!
As for the jewelry shop, she had the jewelry packed up. Jewelry didn’t take up much space, so she could take it with her later.
Only minor adjustments were needed to the layout and display shelves inside the shop, securing them properly. Once she prepared the glass products from the space, the shop could open for business at any time.
She ordered three new signboards. The skincare shop would be called Yueyan Fang, meaning "women dress up for those who appreciate them"! The shop selling glass products would be called Liuli Ge! The clothing store would be called Caizhi Ge!
There was no use rushing the tailor shop; it all depended on the speed of the embroiderers. She had everyone move all the fabric to the courtyard in the east of the city. Among the maids she had purchased, six were skilled in needlework. She gave them the design drawings printed from the space.
For usable fabric, they would make do with what was available on-site. As for some missing special high-end materials, she would buy them from other shops in the market. The priority was to produce the finished pieces first so she could take a look.