A family banquet

According to the previous accounts based on age, she thought that she and Miao had not seen each other since they were expelled from the sect.

Why are there still things that Yueling hasn't told me?

No, Xu thought to herself that the month-old age was probably very little that she had told herself.

Unlike what Sui Zhixu was thinking, the scene was completely silent; you could hear a pin drop.

The old lady looked at Cui Wan quietly.

Two similar faces gazed at each other; the innocent and lively Chu Erniangzi described by the Empress Dowager was very similar to Cui Wan's personality.

As Xu Zhixu's face showed a thoughtful expression, he was suddenly hugged from behind by Cui Wan.

"Waaaaah—"

Sui Zhixu gently patted Cui Wan's head, letting her cry freely.

"Good child, cry it out, and then forget about it." Cui Wan's mother, Madam Chu, stopped bothering the young ladies and went out with the Grand Madam and Minister Cui.

Sunlight streamed through the window lattice onto the floor tiles. Dan Hong stood in the Prime Minister's kitchen, watching Cong Lan cook with boredom.

"Danhong, help me chop some scallions."

Dan Hong replied listlessly, "Yes."

"Ah Hui and Dan Hong, you two stay here. Get out of here and don't get in my way."

When Cheng Zhijie came of age, Cong Lan took his courtesy name from him.

Dan Hong: "..."

I don't want to stay, I don't want to stay, where is my wife? Where is her wife? Waaah, why did she only take Liu Lü with her?

Dan Hong learned to maintain Sui Zhixu's expressionless face, muttering a thousand thoughts in her mind while remaining completely calm on the surface.

"I'm back."

Dan Hong put down the unpeeled scallions, rushed out of the kitchen, and forcefully pushed Sui Chengyu aside in front of Sui Zhixu.

"My lady, you're finally back! Waaah, Danhong has been waiting for you for so long."

Upon smelling the strong scallion odor, especially when Dan Hong reached out, Xu leaned back, giving her a warning look, "Did you peel scallions?"

"Oh, my lord, please let me peel a few."

"Are you done peeling?"

"No, we're still short a few."

Cong Lan slammed the knife down on the cutting board with a clang. "She didn't just miss a few; she clearly didn't finish peeling any."

"Oh dear, it must be some rat that stole all the scallions I peeled!" Dan Hong huddled together, her face wrinkled and looking quite comical.

Cong Lan was the first to laugh, and her laughter spread to those around her. Sui Zhixu couldn't help but chuckle as well.

She patted Danhong's head and said, "Good girl, your wife's dinner depends on you."

Dan Hong went back crying and resigned herself to peeling scallions.

When Xu and Cong Lan's eyes met, he laughed and said, "Hey, look at your maid. She listens to no one but you and won't let anyone say anything bad about you."

"What are you saying, sir? My wife is the best wife in the world, it's all someone else's fault!"

Dan Hong accidentally splashed some scallion juice into her eyes, and she ran to the sink to rinse them, crying.

Liu Lü stood to the side, sword in hand, watching Dan Hong's flustered efforts with cold eyes.

Xu Zhi didn't bother with their lawsuit; let them deal with it themselves.

Cong Lan kept sending Cheng Zhijie his years of experience in coaxing his wife, but Cheng Zhijie found it all absurd. She glanced at Xu Mingyi and saw that she had buried her head in her chest, her ears bright red.

He plucked a few blades of grass, crumpled them together, and threw them at Cong Lan's head, saying loudly, "Father, do you want Mother to come over now?"

"Pah, pah."

Cong Lan plucked a blade of grass from her head and praised, "Your aim is good. There's no need to call your mother. She's busy. Just call her when your father has finished cooking."

Xu Youyou was picking vegetables that Cong Lan was growing in the yard, poking at the large leaves, which made Cong Lan angry. She came out and called out to her, "Go away, go away, go and ruin your master's life, don't ruin my vegetables."

"oh."

Sui Zhixu plucked a cucumber, waved it casually, and ran off, making Cong Lan angry. She called out to her again, "You, you've plucked my vegetables and pulled my cucumbers! They're not even fully grown yet!"

"As long as it's edible, it's fine."

Cong Lan was both amused and annoyed. Perhaps even Sui Zhixu herself hadn't realized that she was becoming more and more uninhibited at home.

He angrily retorted, "If you ever have a daughter in the future, you must take good care of her and not let her be like me, always trying to steal my girls!"

Xu Mingyi looked up and then buried her head back down, the white jade pendant at her waist jingling.

Cheng Zhijie glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and smiled as he agreed to Cong Lan's words.

On the other side, Yueling was lying on the chaise lounge in Suihe's room, eating cherries one after another, with her legs crossed in the air, looking very comfortable.

He casually remarked, "It's so much more comfortable here. Ah Xu must be awful when he's disobedient; he's even more stubborn than you. Sometimes I really want to just leave him to Xiao Ni to manage..."

Yueling kept her eyes closed for a while and didn't hear Suihe speak. Feeling that the atmosphere was strange, she slowly opened her eyes and saw the cute little lady.

"You're talking badly about me behind my back again?" Sui Zhixu stood in front of Yueling with a stern face. "Drinking tea, playing with fish, and tending to flowers—do you have the demeanor of a master?"

"Not cute at all." Yueling pretended to pull Sui Zhixu's face, but she shoved her away and snatched the cherry away.

Yue Ling's eyes widened, "?"

"Your martial arts skills have improved?"

Sui Zhixu glanced at her, her small face cold and silent.

Without stopping, she eats cherries one after another, sometimes feeding them to Suihe, who eats them all as if they were still a month old.

"Ah Xu, you can eat by yourself. Is your father still in the kitchen?" Sui He picked up a pen, wrote a letter, and handed it to the maid beside him. "Send it to Jingzhou."

Xu nodded and then quickly finished off the remaining cherries.

Yueling tilted her head in dissatisfaction, "I'll send you to the academy tomorrow."

Xu ignored her and instead asked, "Are you staying for dinner tonight?"

Yueling seemed to have her lifeline controlled. She opened her mouth, "Tomorrow I'll go with you to see your senior sister and show you my care. What did your father cook?"

"Young Master Cheng has arrived with Madam Xu. Father will surely cook his signature dishes, right?"

As Xu spoke seemingly unintentionally, his sharp eyes caught Yue Ling's throat bobbing.

Yueling swallowed hard. "Did Xiaolan make gourd chicken?"

"Hmm? Gourd chicken? I don't know, but Father did slaughter a few chickens in the kitchen, maybe he made yellow hen soup too."

Sui Zhixu answered the question about the baby's age in a cold and serious tone, as if she knew nothing.

"Oh, Ah Xu is the cutest little lady in the world. Your master can't bear to part with you. Come here and let your master ravage you..."

Yueling grinned foolishly and pounced on her with her paws.

Sui Zhixu was on high alert. "Don't come any closer! Calm down! It's just a few chickens, is it really that big of a deal? Ah—"

"Don't pinch my cheeks, you'll tear them out of shape. You're old enough now, and in a few days I definitely won't go to Luoyang with you, I definitely won't go with you. I've heard that Luoyang has a lot of delicious food, I want to go to the manor to escape the summer heat, peel lotus pods, and eat a water banquet."

As soon as Xu's face was grabbed by Yueling, Yueling revealed a dangerous smile, "Hehe, you're too late. Your mother already asked me to go with you. Be good, it's not safe for a child to go alone, you still need me to accompany you. Don't worry about peeling lotus pods, I will definitely protect you. I'll also take you to eat all the delicacies of Luoyang."

Sui Zhixu: "..."

So who's going to be with whom?

"Does your junior brother have connections with a small country to the west of Jiannan?"

"Huh? I'd forgotten all about it. We did find something back then, but I couldn't find him. Who knows where he went?" Yueling wrapped her arms around Sui Zhixu from behind, continuing to tease her.

Sui Zhixu replied coldly and sarcastically, "That's not your problem. He's been crippled and you still can't find him."

"How can you blame me?"

Su Zhixu and Yueling were bickering and fighting over food at the dinner table, making a scene.

Sui Chengyu focused on eating, and with her cousin's master around, the meal was finished faster than usual.

She also picked some food for Xu Mingyi.

He was secretly puzzled, but said, "Eat faster. With the Imperial Advisor here, if you eat slowly, there won't be any left. Pick up a little bit and put it in your bowl first."

Sui Chengyu felt that this person was acceptable, and as long as he was better than Liu Xi, she could accept him.

"Thanks."

Soft and fluffy, like a gardenia with dew on its petals, Sui Chengyu felt a softening in her heart. "It's okay, you eat."

Cheng Zhijie leisurely picked fish bones from Xu Mingyi's bones, saying, "Don't be picky about food, eat some fish."

Xu Mingyi lowered his head and gave a curt reply.

At the table, Sui Zhixu and Yueling were arguing over their chopsticks. Sui Zhixu would deliberately pick up the gourd chicken, and each time he would just happen to cut off Yueling's beard.

Knowing that Xu liked chicken soup, the baby, just the right age, took the soup spoon before her.

After the meal, Sui Zhixu remained indifferent and silent, while Yueling was as aloof and composed as a fairy under the moon.

Cheng Zhijie helped Xu Mingyi into the carriage, bowed, and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you and your family today."

Cong Lan patted him with a smile, "Both of your junior sisters really like your fiancée, so you should treat her well."

"yes."

When he mentioned himself, Sui Zhixu looked up at Cong Lan, and their similar peach blossom eyes saw everything about each other clearly.

Sui Zhixu turned his head, his eyes indifferent.

Cong Lan rambled on as he imparted his grand plan to the students, while Sui He grabbed his arm and tossed it far behind him.

"He talks too much nonsense, ignore him. You two will make your own arrangements. Keep an eye on your mother, that's the most important thing." Sui He gave a few instructions and waved for them to leave.

As Xu and Cong Lan behind her locked eyes, she smiled slowly and calmly followed her mother's pace.

Cong Lan: What he said was clearly very useful; face is the foundation of everything.

The young lady is not cute at all.

Xu Mingyi lingered in the carriage, reluctant to leave, occasionally lifting the curtain to look back.

Cheng Zhijie, holding a bamboo slip, repeatedly put down the slip and pulled the person into his arms.

The fresh, sweet scent of gardenias lingered around his nose, greatly reducing the irritability brought on by the complexities of official duties.

He asked gently, "Can't bear to part with it?"

Xu Mingyi nodded slowly, "What kind of person is Lady Sui? Second Lady is gentle, but Lady Sui doesn't seem to be. She was very enthusiastic when she came in, but she looks extremely cold afterward."

"The teacher said she has a cool and aloof personality; she must really like you."

"Really?"

Xu Mingyi looked up, revealing her slender, fair neck, her eyes sparkling.

His eyes were unreadable. "Didn't you hear what the teacher said? The teacher knows Sui Niangzi well, and what he said doesn't seem like a lie. Besides, why would I lie to you?"

Xu Mingyi blushed, wrapped her arms around Cheng Zhijie's neck, and said coquettishly, "How could my wife like me?"

Cheng Zhijie picked up a few strands of her hair and played with them in his hand. "Mingyi is very well-behaved, so naturally many people like her."

He lifted the woman in his arms higher, his voice low and husky, "My dear Mingyi..."

"No, no, the wedding is still a long way off. What if I get pregnant?"

"It's alright, I took my medicine after the meal, I'll be fine. I have to go to Luoyang on business after today, and I won't be back until before the wedding." He whispered in Xu Mingyi's ear.

Meanwhile, the scent of gardenias inside the carriage grew stronger. The carriage stopped in the alley, and the soft sounds were drowned out by the night. It was very late when Cheng Zhijie finally escorted Xu Mingyi back to the Marquis of Anyuan's residence.

—

The unlovable young lady described by Cong Lan was dragged out of bed by Yue Ling early the next morning and thrown onto a carriage, ready to head to the Shan Hai Academy.

Danhong hurriedly picked up the items she had prepared the night before and followed the baby's age.

On the carriage, Sui Zhixu was fast asleep, his hand resting on the windowsill, his other hand covering his mouth as he yawned.

"Are there already students waiting in front of the academy at 3:45 AM?"

"Ah, of course. At this time, the students of the academy are already studying in the lecture hall. Unlike you, you little lazy pig, who sleeps until noon every day."

"Don't make things up. I opened my eyes at 7:00 AM. I only overslept once."

The carriage stopped, and Yue Ling grabbed Sui Zhixu. Using her light-footed skills, she leaped over the rooftop in a few quick movements.

Sui Zhixu: "..."

Why not use it from the beginning?