At some point, the faint sounds of a zither and running water began to play, and the lights dimmed.
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "Okay, let's start again... Lord Min, please lie down, close your eyes, and relax. I know that you are already very relaxed in your heart, and your body should also relax..."
With Xu Lanyin's magical language hint, Minhu fell asleep in less than a quarter of an hour.
This time it took less time than the previous two times.
Butler Hao was so happy that he wanted to laugh out loud, but he quickly held it back.
Xu Lanyin tiptoed out of the hall and came to the west wing, where Zhao Wu was drinking tea.
The two of them talked quietly for a while, and Xu Lanyin went to the living room to check on Minhu, who was sleeping very soundly. Xu Lanyin took Zhangqi back to the courtyard where Minjia lived.
Xu Lanyin was awakened by the chirping of birds and the sound of sweeping the floor. She opened her eyes and was a little dazed at the unfamiliar environment.
Looking out the window through the green gauze curtain, although she could not see the rising sun, she could see a little morning glow and unfamiliar corners of the sky, which filled Xu Lanyin's heart with joy and novelty.
She was used to getting up early and couldn't sleep, so she lay in bed thinking about her worries. This time, she helped the big boss sleep well and made the young master, who hadn't smiled in three years, laugh several times. Coupled with that shocking case, her relationship with the boss became closer and closer. With the big boss's protection, no one dared to disrupt her business no matter what she did...
It was around noon when Xu Lanyin sat up and started to dress. The chess master in the south room heard the noise and hurried over to say, "Young lady, you're up now. It's time to ask the servants to come and help you get dressed."
He looked very nervous, as if he was afraid that he would lose his job if he didn't serve his master well.
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "I'm used to taking care of myself. Go get me a basin of water."
Zhangqi came in with some water, and Banyue followed in. After they helped Xu Lanyin wash up, Banyue combed her hair herself.
Afterwards, the maid brought breakfast.
The breakfast was very exquisite, with a small bowl of silver thread noodles, a small bowl of steamed egg custard, two small steamed buns, and two small dumplings.
Xu Lanyin had already made an appointment with Zhao Wu yesterday. She would accompany the little girl this morning, and then go to the street to look at teahouses in the afternoon. Tomorrow they would go to buy some new home decorations, and then go to the Hu family, and return home the day after tomorrow.
At the beginning of the morning, Min Jia woke up. She opened her eyes and sat up, her first action being to look towards the living room. Seeing Xu Lanyin standing outside the bedroom door, waving at her, her eyes filled with joy, and she grinned.
As soon as the little girl put on her clothes, she ran out and took Xu Lanyin's hand into the bedroom to see the cat and the duck's home.
We can’t let the little girl focus all her attention on her mother and the baby. Xu Lanyin smiled and said, “Sister, eat well. Aunt Xu has something more fun.”
Hearing that there was something even more fun, Min Jia obediently let Mother Liu wash her up, ate her meal well, and then looked at Xu Lanyin eagerly.
Xu Lanyin led the little girl to sit on the Luohan bed and asked the chess master to put the checkers on the table. She explained and demonstrated the rules of checkers, and the little girl watched very attentively.
Xu Lanyin was secretly happy. She said, this child has a strong concentration and is smart. He will definitely like this colorful and fun chess game.
From the second time on, the little girl tried to play with her.
By the third time, the little girl had roughly understood the rules, started to practice seriously, and enjoyed it very much.
When Mother Liu saw her successful little master, she clasped her hands together in joy and chanted Buddhist scriptures continuously.
The two of them worked until noon, and the maid put lunch on the table.
The little girl was in the middle of a playful game, but when she was interrupted, she frowned and got angry. She stood up and tried to sweep the food off the table. Xu Lanyin hurriedly stopped her, saying, "Sister, don't do that. Aunt Xu will be angry if you do that. Take your checkers and go home now."
Min Jia didn't dare to move anymore, and big tears fell down.
Faced with such a child, Xu Lanyin was extremely helpless. She could only say, "Sister, eat your meal and take a nap. After lunch, Aunt Xu will continue to play checkers with you."
Min Jia was unwilling and confronted Xu Lanyin, who looked at her gently, showing no intention of compromising.
After more than half a minute, Min Jia weighed the pros and cons. She chose the former over the latter: she could continue playing chess in the afternoon and leave immediately with Aunt Xu, and she sat down at the table to eat.
After dinner, Minjia was also sleepy, so Mother Liu helped her to go to bed.
Xu Lanyin asked the chess master to go to the outer courtyard and tell Zhao Wu that she couldn't leave today and would go tomorrow. She also taught Min Jia's two personal maids, Qingyin and Miaoyu, how to play checkers, and asked them to play with Min Jia after she left.
Usually Min Jia would get up at the beginning of the afternoon, but today he got up at three quarters past five in the afternoon, and then played chess with Xu Lanyin.
Xu Lanyin, just like in the morning, mostly gave the little girl the benefit of the doubt. After three games, she won two. The little girl's chess manners were quite good; when she won, she'd smile broadly, and when she lost, she'd pout.
The news that his sister loved playing chess had spread throughout the Min Mansion, and even the housekeeper Hao from the outer courtyard had heard about it. He was a little skeptical and came to see if it was true. He didn't dare to enter the house, but only looked out the window and saw that Min Jia was really playing chess seriously and solemnly.
Although he didn't know what the colorful chess pieces were and had never seen them before, seeing the young master so serious, Butler Hao was still excited and his nose was sore. He hurried to the outer courtyard and pulled Zhao Wu to make friends. He always thought that Zhao Wu and Xu Lanyin were cousins, and wanted to use Zhao Wu to keep Xu Lanyin here for a few more days, or even move to the provincial capital. With Miss Xu here, all the masters, big and small, will benefit. When the Fujian household was about to leave the government office, he ran to the gatehouse to wait, wanting to tell the master the good news as soon as possible.
Min Jia and Xu Lanyin played chess until sunset. They had developed from two people playing chess to three people, but Min Jia was still in high spirits.
Xu Lanyin saw that Minhu had already come here, but Minjia's attention was always on the chessboard and he didn't notice him.
Minhu waved to Xu Lanyin and the servants, telling them not to greet him as he wanted to watch the chess game.
Checkers is a simple game, and Minhu learned it in no time. He made a gesture to Qingyin, meaning, you go down, I'll take over.
Qingyin, who was sitting on the brocade stool, quickly moved aside and Minhu sat down.
Minjia's mind was all on chess, so he let Minhu sit down and continue playing.
Min Hu is a man who dotes on his daughter. He deliberately blocks Xu Lanyin's way and clears all obstacles for Min Jia.
Xu Lanyin said deliberately, “In a real war, brothers are close, and in the battlefield, fathers and sons are soldiers. Lord Min plays chess like this. If you stop me, you must go to the end.”
Minhu smiled and said, "My daughter comes first, Miss Xu comes second, and I come last. Haha, I'm happy."
Seeing Aunt Xu pouting in anger, Min Jia considerately patted her hand with her little hand to comfort her.
The three of them played a few more games, and every time, Min Jia came first, Min Hu last, and Xu Lanyin was in the middle. Min Jia couldn't help but smile, and the corners of his lips kept curling up.
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