“Sis, you’re awake! Aunt said you hadn’t gotten up yet, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Seeing her sister walk in, Hai Tong stood up, greeting her with a smile.
“I woke up right after you got back,” Hai Ling said softly. “Yang Yang’s still sleeping. Let’s head downstairs, or you can walk with me outside.”
“What time did you and Brother Dongming set?” Hai Tong asked, worried her sister might be late.
Hai Ling chuckled. “At the earliest, we have to wait for people to start work, right? We set it for nine in the morning. It’s still early.”
The three left the children’s room and headed downstairs.
Zhan Yin stayed behind, while the Hai sisters stepped out of the main house to stroll in the courtyard.
The villa Hai Ling now lived in originally belonged to Zhan Yin. He had half-sold, half-gifted it to his sister-in-law.
Hai Ling had insisted on buying it, refusing to accept it as a gift, so he accepted a small payment to ease her concerns.
Zhan Yin’s villas were never small, and they typically came with courtyards.
However, the courtyard of this villa wasn’t particularly large. The sisters wandered around, mostly chatting.
“Sis, after you and Brother Dongming get married, will you have a second child?” Hai Tong asked, voicing a question the Lu family was eager to know the answer to.
Hai Ling was silent for a moment before responding, “I’m set to take over the Feng family. Since I’m taking charge, I’ll have to follow their rules for now. In the short term, I can’t just overhaul the traditions passed down by the Feng ancestors.”
“The position of Feng family head is passed to daughters, not sons. Right now, I only have Yang Yang. To ensure the Feng family has an heir, I’ll need to have a second child and try for a daughter. That way, I’ll have both a son and a daughter, and I’ll have an heir for the family.”
Mrs. Shang had told Hai Ling that once she assumed power, she could start reforming the Feng family’s rules.
But that would be a long process.
After all, the Feng family’s traditions had been passed down for countless generations.
Feng Yue had tried to revise some of the rules to free herself from their constraints, but even she hadn’t fully succeeded.
At the very least, the rule of passing the family headship to daughters, not sons, was something Feng Yue couldn’t change.
Nor did she want to, as her three sons lacked the ability to shoulder the burden of leading the family.
Hai Ling hadn’t yet officially taken over the Feng family, so the outcome of any future reforms was still uncertain.
One thing she shared with Feng Yue was a lack of strong motivation to change the rule of passing the headship to daughters.
At most, she might open other positions to the most capable and virtuous, regardless of gender.
“But I’m not planning on a second child this year. Next year, I’ll be very busy,” Hai Ling added.
The year was almost over.
It was the year after that she’d be swamped.
She wouldn’t have the time or energy to raise another child.
Even with Yang Yang, she was considering leaving him in Dongcheng.
“No rush, Sis. Focus on establishing yourself first. You’re still young, so there’s no hurry. I’m sure Brother Dongming won’t pressure you either.”
“He treats Yang Yang like his own. With Yang Yang, Brother Dongming already feels fulfilled.”
Of course, if her sister was willing to have a child with Lu Dongming, both she and the Lu family would be delighted.
Hai Tong felt it would be even better if her sister and Lu Dongming had a child together.
