Chapter 8 Songhe Hall

The next morning, Xu Shuyao got up early. After washing up with the help of her maid, she planned to go to the right wing to call her younger brother.

When she looked up, she saw Xu Shuheng walking out of his room and coming towards her.

A little boy of about eleven or twelve years old followed behind him, and the maids Yuzhu and Molan originally assigned to him were standing a foot away with awkward expressions. Xu Shuyao felt a little surprised.

But before she could open her mouth, the boy in front of her said somewhat embarrassedly: "Sister! Can I not have a girl serve me? Didn't you say that Heng'er is already a man?"

Xu Shuyao smiled helplessly, so that's it!

Several maids also tried to hold back their laughter.

After helping his brother straighten his clothes, Xu Shuyao said, "Brother Heng is a little man, and he needs people to take care of him before he grows up!"

Unexpectedly, the little guy actually muttered, "I'll need a woman to serve me when I grow up."

Although the voice was soft, Xu Shuyao heard it clearly and thought she understood quite a lot.

But she was not in a position to agree to A-di's request on this matter.

Firstly, this is the Duke's Mansion, and the young masters and young ladies have a fixed number of servants; secondly, Yuzhu and Molan were sent here to serve my younger brother, and if they were sent back, their situation would be awkward.

Besides, Heng'er is only seven years old and really needs someone to take care of his food and daily life.

But since he didn't want a maid to serve him, Xu Shuyao took Qiao Wei and Hui Xiang with her, and also let the eleven or twelve-year-old boy follow him.

This time they had breakfast before going out, which was also the special instruction of their aunt yesterday.

The Duke's Mansion is huge, and it would take an unknown amount of time to return after all the hassles of going back and forth, so Old Madam Xiao asked the younger generations to have breakfast before going there, so that they wouldn't get hungry after paying their respects.

When Xu Shuyao and her group arrived at Jinhua Hall, the second lady Xiao Jinyi and the fourth lady Xiao Jintong were already there. Xiao Jinyi smiled and said to her, "You must be tired from walking. Come and sit down with us!"

The distance from her Jiyunzhai to Jinhuatang was indeed not close, but it was within the tolerable range. Xu Shuyao felt slightly hot from walking, so she sat down on the stool brought by the maid and said with a smile, "It's good, I can just take in the scenery of the mansion."

Xiao Jintong doesn't like to talk much and looks a little timid.

Xu Shuyao and Xiao Jinyi exchanged pleasantries for a while, with Chen occasionally scolding them, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

After a while, the third girl Xiao Jinshan arrived.

Several people, along with their maids, went all the way to Old Madam Xiao's Songhe Hall. Xu Shuyao followed behind for a while and saw her own Jiyunzhai from a distance. Only then did she realize that Old Madam Xiao lived in the same direction as her!

Not far from Songhe Hall, they ran into the Third Madam Liu again. After exchanging pleasantries with Chen, Liu noticed a strange girl beside her and asked, "Is this your niece?"

She seemed to examine Xu Shuyao carefully before saying, "She doesn't look like you."

Chen gave her a glare and said, "My sister is naturally prettier than me."

Chen's father, Chen Jisheng, was once an old imperial physician in the palace. Later, he offended a noble and fled to the south of the Yangtze River. However, before leaving, he got a good marriage with the Duke's Mansion. This was because the old Duke was saved by Chen's father when he was young.

The Chengguo Mansion was already powerful, so when marrying a concubine's son to a second wife, there was no need to pay attention to the family background.

Even the third wife, Lady Liu, came from the declining aristocratic Liu family, but her brother was good at military affairs. After marrying into the Duke Cheng's Mansion, he rose through the ranks and is now the prestigious General of Ningxia.

Xu Shuyao was wearing a royal blue printed jacket today, and her hair accessories were also very simple. However, this simple and elegant outfit, coupled with the girl's delicate and picturesque facial features, had a unique kind of chastity and beauty.

Liu looked at her again, then glanced at the three girls from the Xiao family opposite.

She is indeed different from others. No wonder the servants in the mansion are saying that a beautiful cousin has come to the second house!

After Xu Shuyao exchanged greetings with Liu, she quickly turned her gaze to Liu Qingwan behind her.

This Miss Liu, who enjoyed a high reputation in the Chengguo Mansion, was naturally beautiful. Not only were her facial features impeccable, but her figure was also very tall and well-proportioned. Moreover, she wore a primrose-colored embroidered dress and had palace flowers of the same primrose color inserted in her hair. She looked like a young willow growing in the wind, and people couldn't help but use all the beautiful words they could think of to describe her.

Liu Qingwan also walked over with a smile and greeted Xu Shuyao. She had only heard that another cousin had come to the mansion before, but until she saw the real person, a serious look appeared in her eyes, which had been calm at first.

Faced with such a woman with a gentle and reserved smile but extraordinary beauty, Liu Qingwan felt the familiar sense of crisis among her kind.

Xiao Jinshan has always been the one who cares about Liu Qingwan the most. Since she came, no matter whether she is the elder or the brother, they all praise her for her beauty.

The third daughter of the Xiao family was not convinced, thinking that the sister of the Liu family was just prettier and usually acted pitiful.

She had thought before that if this cousin from the third house saw someone who was more beautiful than her, she wondered if she could still keep her expression.

Sure enough, just a moment ago, she saw a hint of stiffness on Liu Qingwan's face as she wished.

Others might not notice such a subtle change, but for the third daughter of the Xiao family who had been observing Liu Qingwan, it was enough.

Songhe Hall is adjacent to the rockery on the easternmost side of the mansion. The front of the hall is paved with bluestone, and there are several symmetrical flower beds on both sides. In addition to several vigorous and upright five-needle pines, there are also some precious flowers planted.

Seeing Xu Shuyao's eyes looking at the peony, Xiao Jinshan kindly reminded her: "Let's go!"

Xu Shuyao withdrew her gaze with some surprise and entered Songhe Hall with everyone else.

After all the granddaughters had paid their respects one by one, Chen led Xu Shuyao and her brother to Old Madam Xiao.

"Mother! These are the two children left behind by my poor sister. Shu Yao! Shu Heng! Come and meet the old lady quickly!"

Xu Shuyao knelt on the ground respectfully and kowtowed several times, wishing the old lady well!

Then she was helped up by the maid beside the old lady.

Madam Xiao looked quite energetic, and her eyes were bright. After carefully examining Xu Shuyao, she nodded and said, "Well, not bad! Yesterday, I heard from the maid in my courtyard that a fairy had come to the mansion. I didn't believe it at first, but now it seems that she is really not bad."

Xiao Jinshan said coquettishly at this time: "Grandma's eyes are fixed on the pearls, and I'm afraid she will forget her granddaughter's fish eyes."

She acted like she was very sad, which made everyone laugh.

Madam Xiao glared at her and patted Xu Shuyao's hand. "Good girl! You've suffered a lot. From now on, just live in the mansion with peace of mind. If you need anything, just tell your aunt. Don't treat yourself as an outsider."

Xu Shuyao felt the warmth on the back of her hand, and then looked into the old lady's compassionate eyes, and almost couldn't hold back her tears.

She lowered her head and said softly, "Thank you, Madam, for your pity. Shu Yao will."

Old Madam Xiao spoke to her for a few more words before letting Xu Shuyao go. She then teased Shu Heng for a few words and asked about the child's schooling. She stopped talking after hearing her daughter-in-law Chen say that the second master Xiao had already asked someone to arrange it.

Now that everyone has had breakfast, there is no rush to go back.

Old Madam Xiao seemed to like these granddaughters very much. Even Liu Qingwan was very familiar with the old lady.

Xu Shuyao sat at the bottom, listening to Old Madam Xiao and Third Madam Liu talking about Liu Qingwan.

"Her father is not around, so you, as her aunt, should take her out more often to meet the ladies and let others know that we have such a capable girl."

Xu Shuyao looked up and saw that Liu's smile seemed a little forced.

She didn't know the reason, and when she looked at Liu Qingwan, she seemed to be in a state of panic.