Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Find an auspicious day nearby to give Liu Lang...

Fang Ying saw that it was getting late and that they had almost finished what they needed to talk about. It was really awkward for them to continue sitting opposite each other, so she suggested that they go to Li's place. "Someone came in the afternoon and said that Father and his men would be able to enter the city around noon tomorrow. Mother might have something else to tell you."

"Is there any definite news?" Ji Yanlang's heart was immediately moved when he mentioned his father whom he hadn't seen for more than three years. "I thought my father would send someone back to tell me, so I was just about to ask you."

He stood up as he spoke, "Let's go, then, to Mother's place. I've already asked for leave from the camp, and tomorrow we'll go and meet Father and my third and fourth brothers."

Fang Ying then stood up and walked to the hall outside. She put on the jacket that Lichun had brought, and went out with Ji Yanlang one after the other.

"But mother said that father has come to the city and he must go to see the emperor first." She replied slowly.

"I know. After I go to meet my father and send them to the imperial city, I can go to the camp on the way." Thinking of meeting his father tomorrow, Ji Yanlang walked with extra joy. "He will never have thought that I am taller than him."

"..." Fang Ying tried to hold back, but couldn't help asking, "How old are you?"

Ji Yanlang said without turning his head: "No more, no less, just one year older than you."

Fang Ying rolled her eyes at his back, but Ji Yanlang suddenly stopped and turned around. Fortunately, she saw the opportunity quickly and looked up at the sky, so he didn't see it.

Ji Yanlang thought she was checking the weather, so he looked up as well and said, "There's a sunset glow, so tomorrow will definitely be a good day."

"Yeah." Fang Ying couldn't think of any other words to answer except to agree.

Of course, Ji Yanlang didn't want to talk to her about the weather. He actually wanted to ask: "Have you seen my father?"

Fang Ying: "...Of course." Is he just making small talk?

Unexpectedly, Ji Yanlang asked, "When?"

"Don't you know?" Fang Ying asked back, "Didn't mother tell you that the wedding was presided over by father when he returned?"

Ji Yanlang was shocked: "Really? No... Mom never said that! I only heard that Dad was busy with military affairs these past three years and rarely came home..."

It turned out he didn't know. No wonder he was so naive before, thinking that by persuading Li, they could get a divorce. Fang Ying "kindly" told him: "After the two families agreed on the marriage that year, my father requested the emperor's order to return and personally went to ask His Highness Prince Qi to act as a matchmaker. I went in and paid my respects to my uncle and aunt before my father returned to his post."

Ah, yes, mother had said that it was Prince Qi who acted as matchmaker. Ji Yanlang had been a little puzzled at the time. How could mother have persuaded Prince Qi without his father? He had never expected that it would be his father who came back and personally went to invite him.

This feeling was quite strange. His wedding was held with such solemnity. Apart from his ignorance and absence, there was nothing wrong with it.

Ji Yanlang was walking and pondering when he suddenly saw a few people coming towards him. Leading them was none other than Aunt Fu. He slowed down his pace and waited for Aunt Fu to finish greeting him before saying to her, "I've already taken care of what Aunt Fu asked Che Er to tell me. Thank you for your trouble."

"It's just a message, no need to worry." Aunt Fu looked at the young couple with a smile, "Are you going to the lady's place? Go quickly, the lady is waiting."

After they said goodbye, Ji Yanlang suddenly remembered something. After Aunt Fu had gone far away, he said to Fang Ying, "I have a favor to ask of you."

Beg? It sounded like something bad, Fang Ying thought, but she still said, "If you have something to ask, just tell me directly. Why bother asking me?"

After she said that, Ji Yanlang spoke directly: "Can you please tell my mother not to let Aunt Fu and Aunt Du go to the Deng family again? These two have always lived a life of luxury and do not get along with Aunt Deng at all. They look down on Aunt Deng's behavior. Aunt Deng says they are slaves who bully their master..."

He smiled bitterly and said, "I can't afford to offend anyone, so I have no choice but to beg you."

"..." The two of them were now almost walking side by side. Fang Ying glanced at him sideways and asked curiously, "You've even learned to act pitiful?"

"I'm not pretending to be..."

Fang Ying interrupted him: "Is there a time when you, Ji Liulang, dare not offend others? Why does it sound so unreal to me?"

Ji Yanlang jokingly sighed, "I never thought that this day would come."

After sighing, as he was about to reach his mother's yard, he turned serious and said, "To be honest, I hired maids from outside from the beginning instead of choosing someone from home. I didn't want to end up in this situation. Our family and the Deng family are worlds apart. Even the servants have never had the kind of life that the Deng family has. So when they see Aunt Deng's behavior, they can't help but look down on her and criticize her."

But he clearly hired someone to serve the mother and daughter. How could he serve them well if he was doing it in such a confused way?

Fang Ying thought about Madam Du's evaluation of Madam Deng and nodded, "That's true. But Mother asked the two madams to go because she was worried that the maids she found outside wouldn't be suitable. Aunt Deng and her daughter are new here, and if there's anything they can't take care of..."

"That's fine, just change slowly. They're not that delicate. On the contrary, it's even worse now. The two maids saw what Aunt Fu and Aunt Du did, and they started to look down on Aunt Deng. If I hadn't thought they were honest, I would have fired them today."

"There's also this..." Fang Ying thought for a moment and asked again, "But if the two maids don't go, Aunt Deng will still secretly not feed the two maids enough. When Father comes back, you won't be able to go every day if you're busy..."

"I don't think so. I've already told Aunt Deng that since the maids don't have enough work, I'll find some work for them, like sewing winter clothes and pickling vegetables. I even had someone buy some second-rate rice and told her to give it exclusively to the maids. I also specifically told my sister to repeat it, and she's more tactful than Aunt Deng."

Fang Ying asked: "Sister, can you make the decision? From what you said, Aunt Deng seems very..."

"Fierce." Ji Yanlang said with a smile the word that she was not good at saying. "My sister doesn't like to talk, but she has her own ideas when encountering things. Aunt Deng can't get her to agree with her."

Fang Ying remembered that Aunt Fu had also said that Miss Deng had a strong character, so she finally nodded: "Okay, I'll try to talk to Mother."

"Thank you very much." Ji Yanlang thanked him immediately, "No matter whether it succeeds or not, I will remember your kindness."

"I'll pay you back later." Fang Ying's tone sounded like a joke, but she was serious in her heart.

"Okay, okay, I will definitely pay it back." Ji Yanlang thought it was simple. At worst, he could just buy her more meat from outside.

After the two of them had decided on this matter, they also arrived at the gate of Li's courtyard. Ji Guangting would be returning home tomorrow, and everyone in the courtyard was in high spirits. They both walked in with smiles on their faces. Li knew at a glance that the relationship between the young couple was different from before, and she became even happier.

"Ying'er told you, your father sent someone back to report the news." She asked her son first.

Ji Yanlang nodded and said, "I told you, tomorrow morning will come. I have already asked for leave from the camp. I will go with my second brother to welcome father tomorrow."

Mrs. Li was very satisfied: "Your father will be happy to see you." When she said this, she couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat and tears in her eyes as she thought of the three years of separation from her son and how she felt when she didn't know if she could see him again.

Fang Ying saw this and quickly used Ji Yanlang's words to cheer her up: "On the way here, Liu Lang was saying that father would never have thought that he would be taller than father."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Li burst out laughing and pointed at her son and said, "You..."

Ji Yanlang: "...I just said it casually, why are you still complaining to mother?"

"Ying'er, this isn't a complaint," Mrs. Li noticed her son was trying to please her and jokingly followed their lead, "You're clearly trying to please your parents with your colorful clothes."

"I've finally figured it out. The way you look at me now is just like the way my second sister-in-law looked at my second brother after he came into the family. Now that you have a daughter-in-law, you no longer love your son." Ji Yanlang complained in a half-truthful manner.

He was willing to say this, which clearly showed that he had cleared up the misunderstanding with Fang Ying and truly accepted her as his wife. Li smiled and said, "It's good that you figured it out. Be more tactful next time."

Ji Yanlang sighed in a pretentious tone: "Okay, okay, my son knows what's good for him. He's willing to be a nobody from now on."

The maids in the room all laughed approvingly, and Fang Ying also smiled silently. Li smiled at her and replied, "Don't worry, someone will love you."

Ji Yanlang then looked at Fang Ying. Seeing her smiling face, she looked so well-behaved and gentle. She was surprisingly similar to the young wife he had longed for. While he felt a little moved, he was also quite puzzled: Do people's temperaments change drastically as they grow up? Or was her fierce and aggressive side only directed at him?

Seeing him staring at Fang Ying in silence, Mrs. Li smiled and called for dinner. After dinner, they chatted a bit about her husband's return home the next day. Then, she sent the young couple away and said to Xinmei, "I've finally gotten over most of my worries."

Xinmei knew Madam was talking about Liu Lang and his wife, so she smiled and said, "I saw today that Liu Lang and Liu Niang were getting along very well. How come Madam said only half of them were gone?"

"The remaining small portion..." would have to wait until the marriage was consummated. Thinking of this, Li immediately ordered, "Go tell Er Niang to tell Er Lang to go to the Imperial Astronomical Observatory and find Master Lu to calculate the nearest auspicious day when he is free tomorrow, so that Liu Lang and his wife can hold the wedding ceremony."

At this time, Fang Ying and Ji Yanlang were on their way back. They didn't know that Li was already anxious for them to consummate their marriage. They were trying to find some topics to talk about other than the Deng mother and daughter to avoid the embarrassment of having nothing to say on the way.

"By the way, I met your cousin in the camp today." Ji Yanlang suddenly remembered something to say.

Fang Ying paused: "Cousin? Which cousin?"

Ji Yanlang smiled and said, "He's your uncle's cousin in the cavalry camp. Do you have any other cousins?"

Fang Ying became alert when she heard about her uncle. She didn't want to joke with him anymore and asked, "How did you see him? Did he come to see you?"

"No, we met by chance." Seeing that she was nervous, Ji Yanlang remembered her evaluation of her uncle and told a little lie.

Unexpectedly, Fang Ying immediately exposed him: "Are you kidding me? It's such a big cavalry camp, how could you just happen to run into him? Besides, doesn't he need to train? Would the generals allow him to run around freely?"

Seeing that he couldn't deceive her, Ji Yanlang had to admit: "I went to find him." This young lady was always very powerful in front of him. "We are all relatives. Since I know he is also in the Cavalry Camp, I have to say hello."

Thinking back to the last time she talked to him about her uncle's family, Fang Ying understood: "Mom asked you to go, right?"

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