Xu Lanyin quickly picked him up and said, "Auntie loves Xiao Xingxing so much that I don't want to let you go. There are so many people here today, and I'm afraid some beggars will sneak in. If you get kidnapped again, I'll cry my heart out."
After hearing Xu Lanyin's words, Zhao Xingchen choked up and said, "I know that my aunt loves Little Star, and Little Star is also afraid of being beaten."
Xu Lanyin's heart was completely soft, and she felt ashamed for deceiving the child. What could she do? She couldn't bear to return him to the Chai family. It would be great if he could be her son forever.
After they had their meal, Xu Ershi also came back. He was accompanied by Yang Zhong to drink in a tavern outside. He drank so much that his face turned red and his legs were shaking.
The next day, Xu Lanyin took Ding Xiaoran to the teahouse by car, and the mule cart turned a corner to pick up Wang Sanni.
Xu Lanyin went to the teahouse today mainly to deal with some post-match matters and listen to the accountant's report. She also wanted to wait for Liu Zhaohou, fearing that he would come to the teahouse again.
Participants in the chess competition also had to pay, with each finalist receiving two taels of silver. A total of 164 taels of silver were collected, which, after deducting the prizes, the judges' wages, and the free tea and snacks provided yesterday, meant the teahouse was financially in the red since it couldn't operate. However, the significance of the chess competition was far greater, and this one was unlike any other; the intangible advertising effect was enormous.
However, by early noon, Liu Zhaohou and Chai Jun hadn't arrived either, but Min Nan and Qin Hongyu had. They said they had sent Master Liu and Master Chai away early that morning.
Last night, they discovered that the silly champion in double chess was actually the Fourth Prince, Liu Zhaohou. Chai Jun had reportedly taken the chess pieces back and given them to the Fourth Prince, who loved playing chess. Unexpectedly, the Fourth Prince took to them, delving into them daily and coming up with a new way to play military chess. He'd heard about a chess tournament at a teahouse, and the owner had promised a membership card to anyone who invented a new way to play. He insisted on coming to Ningzhou Prefecture to play. The Empress Dowager, annoyed by the noise, agreed to let Chai Jun bring him along...
Min Nan said, "When I was in the capital, I heard that the Fourth Prince liked to play chess. He only liked to play Xiangqi and particularly disliked Go. I didn't expect that he was so good at military and Western chess."
Yesterday, Min Shan played a game of military chess against Liu Zhaohou, and was defeated in half an hour.
In the afternoon, Xu Lanyin returned home. Xu Ershi had already returned, and the east wing was filled with some things she had asked Yang Zhong to buy for her family.
"Is it because your sister won't come home to visit? Brother Zhou will go to the provincial capital to take an exam at the beginning of next month." Xu Ershi said.
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "You can see that Miss Min is staying with me. I can't leave. If Lan Zhou passes the prefectural exam, he will still have to come back here to take the academy exam. I will just wait for him here."
In this era, the county examination was in February, the prefectural examination was in March, and the imperial examination was in April. Therefore, if Xu Lanyin wanted to take the imperial examination, he would come to the provincial capital again in late March or early April.
Xu Lanyin didn't want to leave, not just because of Min Jia. She could easily have taken Min Jia back to Nanping County, where it was safe now. It was for two other reasons. One was to wait for Zhao Wu. If Zhao Wu returned to Hebei Province, he would definitely come to the Judicial Inspection Office first. After all, it was the Judicial Inspection Office that had officially sent him on his official mission. The other was for Zhao Xingchen. After Min Hu finished his business, he would likely explain the situation to the Chai family, and the Chai family would definitely come to see Zhao Xingchen first.
Xu Ershi, because Lord Min was a clerk, naturally prioritized his daughter. He hurriedly said with a smile, "Ms. Min is the daughter of a noble man, and we cannot treat her unfairly. Since my sister is busy here, my eldest brother will take care of Dandi when he goes to the capital."
In the evening, Li, Wang Sanni, and Wang Jincai were invited to dinner. Li also brought some things back for the elderly and their children.
The next day, Xu Ershi returned to Nanping County. Wang Sanni and Wang Jincai went with him. It was spring, and they wanted to check on the progress of their own fields.
Xu Lanting was going to live here for a long time, so Xu Lanyin asked Zhou Shu to recommend a good private school where he would study every day.
Xu Lanzhou's vision was limited, and he wouldn't have achieved much anyway. But this little brother was different; the Xu family's future prosperity depended on him. The child was naturally exceptionally intelligent, and with Xu Lanyin constantly nurturing him, he was accustomed to the "big picture," making him not only academically proficient but also socially sophisticated and endearing.
At the same time, arrangements were made for Ding Xiaoran to attend a private school, and Xu Lanyin agreed with her teacher that he would attend classes five days a week and take four days off. Xu Lanyin had high hopes for Ding Xiaoran, believing that a future chess master would possess even greater inner strength. She also promised that if Ding Xiaoran showed great promise in chess, she would release him from slavery.
Ding Gu and his son were so happy that they kowtowed to Xu Lanyin again to thank her for her cultivation of Ding Xiaoran.
Xu Lanyin lives a quiet life at home with her three children, and occasionally visits the teahouse.
Time flies and it is March. The grass is growing and the birds are singing. The weather is getting warmer.
Word of the prince's chess competition at Xinyu Teahouse spread, and so did the three types of chess. Business at the teahouse boomed, surpassing all other teahouses in Ningzhou Prefecture. Despite its high fees, the teahouse remained packed, requiring guests to arrive early on weekends to secure a table. In the minds of many, drinking tea and playing chess at Xinyu Teahouse was a refined experience.
In the middle of the month, the spring rain drizzled for several days, and the yard was covered with fallen petals.
On the thirteenth day, at noon, the door of the upper living room was open. Outside, there was mist and rain, but inside, there was peace and tranquility.
Xu Lanyin was sewing with two maids while Min Jia and Zhao Xingchen sat at the door reading a comic book. Min Jia read aloud once, and Zhao Xingchen repeated it.
Minjia's articulation is much better than before, but some words are still not pronounced clearly, so Zhao Xingchen will correct her in time.
"Sister Jia, it's 'niang', not 'Liang'. I've said it several times, and you forgot it again." Zhao Xingchen corrected her.
Min Jia immediately corrected herself, "Liang, Liang, mother..."
"Well, you read it correctly this time. Sister Jia is awesome." After praising her, Zhao Xingchen clapped his chubby hands.
Xu Lanyin smiled and looked up at them.
The years are quiet and good.
She suddenly felt like a married woman, living a simple life with three children, looking forward to the return of her husband who was away on business for many days... She was startled by her own illusion, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud, and two blushes flew onto her cheeks.
Zhao Wu was the naughty child she had trained. What had happened to her? She felt that she was just imagining things, and she felt guilty and even ashamed for harming the little flower. If Zhao Wu knew about this delusion, he would definitely laugh at her. How embarrassing! She quickly put the thought aside and looked up at the two children.
It was a rainy day, and the light wasn't very bright. Min Jia leaned forward, her head and the book in her hands, trying to get as much light as possible. Zhao Xing followed her, also leaning forward.
Min Jia continued to recite.
After reciting a few sentences, Zhao Xingchen corrected her, "Sister Jia made a mistake again. It's 'seven', not 'chicken'."
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