"Sui Sui, Yue Ya Tou!" Aunt Su's voice arrived before she even entered the house.
"Auntie, why are you the only one who came back?"
Jiang Shuyue hurriedly went out to greet them, and saw Aunt Su and two unfamiliar maids walking towards them, but she did not see Su's father and Nannan behind them.
"Su Nan took his father back to the East Courtyard to settle down. He'll be back in a bit."
"Auntie, you must be tired from your journey. Come in and rest." Jiang Shuyue saw that Aunt Su looked travel-worn but was still in good spirits.
"Greetings, Madam." Qiuju bowed.
"I heard from Ajin that you got married. Qiuju is so lucky. I'll give you a gift another day."
Aunt Su stepped through the door with a smile.
Sui Sui heard Aunt Su's voice and entered the flower hall, picking up a handkerchief from the coffee table and wiping her hands haphazardly.
"Grandma Su! Sui Sui misses you so much."
Sui Sui bounced into Aunt Su's arms like a little dumpling.
"Sui Sui, look up quickly, let Grandma take a good look." Aunt Su squatted down and picked up Sui Sui, her eyes welling up with tears.
Sui Sui raised her little face and winked playfully.
"Oh my! Our little Sui Sui is getting prettier and prettier. Her little face is so rosy, just like a flower."
"Grandma, flowers represent girls, and years represent boys. Uncle said we can use trees as a metaphor, such as 'a handsome tree in the wind' or 'a beautiful tree with orchids and magnolias'."
"puff!"
"Hahaha……"
Sui Sui's words made everyone laugh.
Chang Le's laughter was especially loud.
Aunt Su looked up and saw Chang Le laughing so hard she was doubled over. She quickly put down Sui Sui and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Princess."
Chang Le couldn't possibly accept Aunt Su's courtesy, so she quickly jumped aside and waved her hand, "Madam Su is an elder, please don't make Chang Le feel uncomfortable."
"Your Highness is too kind. There is a distinction between ruler and subject, and it is only right that I, as a subject, should show courtesy."
“Auntie, please don’t stand on ceremony with Chang Le. There are no outsiders here, so there’s no need for formalities. Auntie must be tired from your journey, please sit down and have a cup of tea.”
Jiang Shuyue pulled Aunt Su to sit down, and Qiuju quickly brought up more teacups.
Aunt Su sat down and turned to the two maids not far behind her, saying, "Come over here and greet the princess, the young lady, and the young master."
The two maids came over and greeted her. Jiang Shuyue rewarded each of them with a few silver ingots.
Aunt Su, understanding that the two maids had worked hard to take care of her along the way, asked them to leave and return to their rooms.
The group exchanged pleasantries and recounted what had happened since they parted ways.
During their conversation, Jiang Shuyue was genuinely pleased to learn that Su Hui was living a happy life.
Aunt Su took a letter out of her bosom and stuffed it into Jiang Shuyue's arms. "This is a letter Hui'er wrote to you. Read it slowly when you get back."
"The prince treated her very well. The day before we left, the prince personally brought Hui'er home to see us off and sent two maids over. I didn't want to accept them."
The prince said that the two girls had no parents and it was alright for them to leave Yannan; he just wanted me to find them good husbands in the future.
Qiuju smiled and continued, "That's easy. All the servants in the Jiang family are handsome and were personally selected by Miss."
Jiang Shuyue smiled and said, "Don't worry, there are plenty of good young men in the capital, and the young men in Juxian Pavilion are no less impressive."
I met Su Huai-ren in the dining room at lunchtime, and we inevitably had another round of reminiscing and small talk.
"Yue'er, your uncle was able to return to the capital and be reinstated, all thanks to you. A simple thank you is not enough to express the help you have given to our whole family. Your uncle will offer you a cup of wine to express his gratitude." Su Huai-ren raised his wine cup with both hands.
Jiang Shuyue quickly stood up and raised her glass, "Uncle, you flatter me. We are closer than family."
“Sister, Sui Sui always calls me and Su Nan ‘uncle’. Now that Father and Mother are here, if you have no other concerns, why don’t you start calling Father and Mother ‘uncle’ and ‘aunt’ from today onwards? Then you’ll have family on your mother’s side too.”
Su Jin picked up her wine glass and sincerely said what she had been thinking about for a long time.
Aunt Su, her eyes red with tears, chimed in, "Yes, your mother just happened to be a member of our Su family. It's all fate."
“Sister, now I can confidently tell others that the owner of Juxian Pavilion is my cousin, right?” Su Nan looked at Jiang Shuyue with expectant eyes.
In Jiang Shuyue's heart, she had long regarded the Su family as her relatives.
She was originally a wisp of soul from another world, who was alone and attached to the unlucky original owner.
Seeing the kind and expectant look in the eyes of Mr. and Mrs. Su, her eyes reddened, and she nodded heavily.
"To my uncle and aunt, I, Yue'er, offer this as a sign of respect."
Jiang Shuyue tilted her head back and drank the entire glass of wine in one gulp.
"Great!" Su Huai-ren was so happy he didn't know what to say, he said "Great!" and drank it all in one gulp.
Mrs. Su, who never drinks, wiped away her tears with emotion. "From now on, Yue'er is our precious niece. No one can bully her. I'm happy today, so I'll have a drink too."
Su Jin picked up the wine pot and poured a cup of wine for his mother. Madam Su, imitating Jiang Shuyue, drank it down in one gulp.
The tears were indistinguishable, whether from excitement or the spiciness of the alcohol.
Even though her tongue was burning from the spiciness, she kept saying, "The wine smells so good today, and the vegetables Yue'er grows in the greenhouse are delicious, much better than the vegetables we used to grow."
Jiang Shuyue knew that Madam Su never drank alcohol, so she quickly put a leek dumpling on the plate in front of her and said, "Aunt, have a dumpling to calm your nerves."
Just as Su Nan was about to reach for the wine pot, Jiang Shuyue grabbed his hand. "Nan Nan, don't drink. How about we, siblings, have tea instead of wine?"
"Let's listen to our elder sister and have some tea." Su Nan picked up her teacup and, mimicking the gesture of an adult toasting, clinked teacups with Jiang Shuyue's.
"Sister, when I grow up I will protect you and Sui Sui. Even if the Emperor tries to bully you, I will dare to take up a knife and fight him to the death."
Chang Le, who was sitting at the next table with Sui Sui, turned her head and glared at Su Nan. "Su Nan, don't underestimate my brother. He's not the kind of person who would bully a woman."
"I was just using an example, but if he really dared to do that, I wouldn't be polite to him either," Su Nan continued stubbornly.
Jiang Shuyue picked up a duck leg and put it into Su Nan's bowl. "I believe you."
During the meal, Mr. Su praised the greenhouse vegetables highly, and the plate of stir-fried green peppers and tender corn was completely devoured by everyone.
After a hearty meal and drinks, filled with laughter and joy, the family enjoyed a harmonious time together.
After dinner, Chang Le wanted to take Sui Sui to play in the street. Su Nan dared not let that unreliable ancestor do whatever he wanted, so he hurriedly followed her out.
Thinking of the hardships Su's father and mother had endured on their journey, Jiang Shuyue told the two elders to return to their courtyard to rest, and then bid farewell to Qiuju and Gao Mu and returned to her residence.
After leaving the Su residence and boarding the carriage, Qiuju was filled with emotion.
“Miss, Madam Su used to dress simply, but today she is dressed in fine clothes and has the air of a noble lady.”
"Silly girl, didn't you realize that your aunt was a natural beauty? She was also well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics. With a wealth of knowledge, she naturally exudes elegance and has an extraordinary demeanor."
The feeling of being recognized as family warmed her heart and made her feel very at ease.
Back at the Jiang residence, Nangong Zeyue's heart pounded with excitement upon seeing Jiang Shuyue.
If Qiuju hadn't been there, he would have loved to hold Yueniang's hand.
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