It was quite a coincidence.
Zheng Ruqian left Fengjing at the end of January, arrived in the northern frontier in March, and set off from Anshui County in April. According to the original plan, he should have stayed in the south for three months and returned to Fengjing in July or August.
While passing through Lingnan County, Zheng Ruqian encountered ripe, tender, and juicy fruits. One bite of their sweet and soft texture was simply irresistible. Sensing a huge business opportunity, he rushed back without stopping.
My little sister, who was so big and fat, is gone.
"How did you take care of her? What kind of brothers are you? Can't you be as steady and mature as me?" The still ragged Master Zheng roared and shouted, his hands behind his back, spitting everywhere.
I felt incredibly relieved after yelling, but also a little uneasy.
After all, their elder brother was among those who were being criticized.
From the moment they met in the dilapidated temple, Xu Mo defeated him with a pen and became the boss. It took him four and a half years to finally rise from the ashes and sing his praises.
Xu Mo felt conflicted, and after a long pause, he finally managed to utter, "Second brother..."
Originally intending to apologize, Zheng Ruqian deflated like a Kongming lantern that had run out of oil, his angry expression turning into fawning, "Brother, I didn't mean you, I I I I, I was talking about the two of them."
Zheng Lao Er pointed with his big hand, and his still somewhat frail fourth and fifth brothers bowed their heads in unison.
Xu Mo was both amused and exasperated. "It's not my brothers' fault. It's my fault. My sister only returned to the Jiang family because of me."
He recounted the ups and downs of the past few months in a calm voice.
In early March, during the first round of the imperial examination, the Jiang family revealed Jiang Sheng's true identity, but did not acknowledge her.
In early April, the results of the imperial examinations were released, and Xu Mo failed. He then discovered that his exam paper had been switched.
At the end of April, Xu Mo filed a complaint with the Fengtian Prefecture and was forced to retreat step by step by the Fang family. It wasn't until the Jiang family helped him that he was able to get a chance to retake the exam in the Golden Palace.
In May, Jiang Sheng thanked the Jiang family and voluntarily returned to be the Jiang family's obedient granddaughter.
And the one who started all of this...
"Damn the Fang family! I don't think they're any good. Back in Anshui County, that Steward Fang suddenly helped my brother. He probably had something up his sleeve." Zheng Ruqian slapped his thigh and cursed. "Stealing handwriting? Why doesn't he just steal people? He could just adopt my brother as a descendant of the Fang family. That would save him the trouble of cheating in the meantime."
Xu Mo's lips twitched.
"You son of a bitch, you bastard, your whole family is heartless. Sooner or later, wild dogs will carry off your corpse, and sooner or later, you'll be struck by lightning and die..."
Zheng Ruqian was still cursing when Xu Mo suddenly covered his mouth. Only then did he remember that he had a younger brother with the same surname, Fang. He quickly swallowed the swear words he had learned while traveling around the country.
The thought of his beloved little sister, whom he had raised with such care, being gone just like that, and the fact that they were from two different social classes and he might have to greet her with a bow and call her "Miss Jiang," filled Zheng Ruqian with grief, and he burst into loud sobs.
"Waaaaah, my little sister, my little sister is gone. She was my only little sister. We've come this far together, how could she just disappear like that?"
"Who will compensate me for my sister, Fang Laosan? Our sister is gone."
Xu Mo, who was usually very restrained and could best suppress his grief, also felt a lump in his throat and a sore nose at this moment.
Wen Zhiyun's eyes were already brimming with tears, ready to spill large golden beans at any moment.
My dear sister, who wouldn't miss her?
Chang Yan lowered his head, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, then released them.
When sadness pervades the air, and dark clouds hang over the entire two-story courtyard, it seems as if sorrowful raindrops could fall at any moment.
Several bright and cheerful teenagers were all feeling sad in their own ways.
In the blink of an eye, the thick bolt on the door suddenly cracked open, and the courtyard gate swung wildly to both sides. A chubby little girl spun around and rolled on the ground before finally sitting up, looking bewildered.
Behind her stood a shocked elderly woman in her sixties, and a young maid who couldn't stop smiling.
Dizziness and a sore buttocks were Jiang Sheng's first sensations.
She just pushed hard, how did she manage to break the door open? That was my second thought.
When he turned around and saw four pairs of surprised eyes, all he felt was ecstasy and excitement.
"Second brother, you're back!" Jiang Sheng scrambled to her feet and rushed over like a shooting star.
Zheng Ruqian thought about many things in that instant.
Siblings should be kept separate; children over seven should not sit together, and hugging is not appropriate.
But after not seeing her for almost half a year, the sadness of losing her, mixed with the ecstasy of regaining her, made him miss his sister even more.
In that moment of hesitation, Jiang Sheng had already pounced on him.
Zheng Ruqian had no thoughts left. Holding the heavy little girl in his arms, only two words echoed in his mind: "So heavy..."
"My sister is back." Wen Zhiyun cried tears of joy, finally letting her long-held tears fall.
Xu Mo and Chang Yan couldn't help but crowd around.
That's great.
Madam Jiang stared blankly at this scene.
Three slender boys surrounded the girl on either side, while a burly and disheveled boy in the middle held the equally disheveled girl. They were close but not ambiguous, their chatter was full of concern, and their smiles were genuine and radiant.
Jiang Sheng laughed so hard her eyes disappeared, a sight she had never shown before in the Jiang family.
"Madam, our young lady does have some skill." Tan Yue hadn't recovered from her earlier astonishment. "Only our young lady could knock the door open with her butt."
This also proves that she was really anxious and eager to see her brothers.
Madam Jiang sighed deeply, recalling the calm yet profound words spoken at the small banquet.
In the crowd.
Xu Mo was the first to react and apologized politely, "Please forgive me, Madam. My brother and sister haven't seen each other for almost half a year. I was a bit rude. Please come inside and sit down, Madam."
Wen Zhiyun and Changyan also quickly came over. Jiang Sheng jumped off her second brother and shyly slipped back to Old Madam Jiang's side, saying, "Grandmother, please forgive my embarrassment."
Using her buttocks to open the door, and then rushing onto her brother at the age of eleven, is indeed improper and not the behavior of a young lady from a noble family. It also contradicts the dignity that Yao Siqing repeatedly emphasized.
If she were just Jiang Sheng, she could confidently put her hands on her hips and say, "That's my brother. He's had too many bad habits, why does he love meddling in other people's business?"
But now she is the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family. Although she has not yet been included in the family genealogy and met the family members, she still has to restrain herself, learn to be a young lady of a prominent family, and be a legitimate granddaughter who can satisfy her grandmother.
"I was too excited just now," Jiang Sheng stammered, "It won't happen again, it definitely won't."
Grandma Jiang didn't say anything, but just patted her little head and brushed the dust off her clothes.
The group sat down in the main hall of the second courtyard for receiving guests.
Aunt Zhang went to the workshop, and Xiao Zhu took over Wen Zhiyun's duties at the clinic. There wasn't a single person in the entire courtyard who could make tea.
Xu Mo was about to boil water himself when Tan Yue stepped forward and said, "Sir, please sit down. Leave this to me."
Before long, they brought up seven cups of tea.
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