Zhao Wu reluctantly let go of her hand, picked up the gauze lantern, and sent Xu Lanyin to the door of the Xu family's hanging flower gate.
Qin was standing in front of the door of the main house. Even though there was no moon or stars today and the light coming through the window was particularly dim, it was obvious that she looked extremely unhappy.
Xu Lanyin hurried over, hugged her arm and walked into the main room, saying angrily, "It's so cold outside, why are you standing outside the door to get some fresh air?" Seeing that Qin was still glaring at her, she quickly whispered, "I want to make a secret compartment in the new room. Zhao Wu is in the corner..."
Qin quickly said, "Alright, don't tell me about what you did." She added, "Don't stay at his house for too long. I believe you and him are good children, but your uncle lives there too, with so many servants. You can't let them look down on you. If they do, you'll never be able to turn your life around."
I am a living example. I followed Xu Qingyan to the countryside and was maliciously speculated and despised. I was not even as good as a country woman.
Xu Lanyin knew her worries and said sweetly, "I know."
By the end of December, Xu Lanting had his day off, and the craftsmen had stopped working. The Xu family sent New Year gifts to the Qin family, the two Min families, and the Hong family, and received gifts from them in return.
On the morning of the 25th, Min Jia was escorted to the capital by servants and would stay in the Min Mansion in the capital. Yesterday, Xu Lanyin brought Xu Lanting and Xu Lanyue to the Min Mansion to stay overnight.
They sent her to the corner gate. The little girl hugged Xu Lanyin and cried sadly, which made Xu Lanyin very sad.
Xu Lanyin promised that she would bring Xu Lanting and Xu Lanyue to visit her next year, and that her family might also settle down in the capital in the future, which would make the little girl's life better.
After seeing the little girl off, Xu Lanyin returned home with a melancholy look on her face.
Xu Lanzhou will be back from the capital in the next two days. Qin is eagerly looking forward to it and has prepared a lot of Xu Lanzhou's favorite food.
They waited until dark but Xu Lanzhou still didn't come back, and they were very disappointed.
The next afternoon, Qin and Xu Lanyin sat on the kang in the east side of the upper room, sewing. Xu Lanyue sat nearby, knitting, and Xu Lanting wrote calligraphy on the large table. The room was warm, with a kang fire and two pots of burning charcoal.
Qin's eyes glanced at the small window from time to time, with an anxious look on her face.
Suddenly, Ding Gu's surprised voice rang out, "Madam, Miss, the master is back."
Then came Huazi's joyful "woof woof", and then Xu Lanzhou's familiar footsteps.
Xu Lanting jumped off the chair first, shouting "Big Brother", and ran out the door, followed closely by Qin.
Xu Lanyin also put down the work in her hands and took Xu Lanyue's hand and walked out of the upper room.
Qin was extremely excited to see that her son, whom she hadn't seen for more than half a year, had grown taller and stronger, and his manners had become more appropriate.
Xu Lanzhou was welcomed into the house like a star, and the servants brought in half a cart of gifts. Some were bought by Xu Lanzhou and his son, and some were sent by the Princess's Mansion.
In the evening, Xu Dashi and his family of four also arrived. Xu Dashi and Xu Yuan would return to Xiaozao Village to celebrate the New Year tomorrow. Li's belly was already very big, so it was not convenient for her to go back, so she stayed in the provincial capital with Xu Man.
Several men drank some wine, and Xu Lanzhou also drank half a cup.
Before Xu Dashi left, Xu Lanyin asked him to take back the 24 taels of silver that the second wife had given to the old man and his wife. This was the agreed amount of 2 taels per month, and it had to be paid. He also brought a set of clothes for the old lady.
Qin said nothing and went to the side room.
Xu Lanzhou whispered to Xu Dashi again, "Tell grandpa and grandma that I will go to the countryside to visit them after the fourth day of the New Year. My father is busy with official business and can't come back. Lanting is weak and it's hard to travel in such a cold weather. My mother is not in good health, so my sister has to stay at home to take care of her."
He had previously told Xu Lanyin and others that his father would come back and stay for a few days after the tenth day of the first lunar month.
This was Xu Qingyan's decision. No matter how angry he was with the old man, he couldn't be unfilial or he would be criticized. He made excuses not to return home to show his attitude to the old man; he was really angry. And Xu Lanzhou, the eldest son of the Xu family's second branch, could return home on behalf of his parents to visit the old man and enjoy his presence, effectively shutting everyone up. Furthermore, it seemed that Xu Lanzhou was the only one from the second branch who could visit the old man; none of the others were willing to go.
Xu Lanzhou also secretly brought two Beijing pressed ducks and two kilograms of Beijing candy to Old Man Xu and his wife. Although he was also angry that Old Man Xu bullied Qin, he felt that he was the eldest son of the second wife and should show some appreciation during the New Year.
In a blink of an eye, it was the 30th. The Xu and Zhao families had a reunion dinner together, and after the dinner, each family celebrated their own New Year's Eve.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the Qin family was invited to their home, along with Zhao Wu, Li Luo, and Min Hu. Because Min Hu had to return to Beijing to marry in mid-March, he hadn't been back for the Lunar New Year and was pressed for time.
Qin was very happy to be able to bring her children back to her parents' home for the first Chinese New Year.
She dressed up carefully, wearing a long red jacket with scattered flowers, a large phoenix hairpin inlaid with red gold and gems, and put on the "clean makeup" that Xu Lanyin taught her. She was beautiful and cheerful, with a bright and cheerful look.
"Mom is so beautiful." Xu Lanzhou blurted out.
Xu Lanting quickly said, "Brother, you are wrong. Mother has always been so beautiful." Then, he looked at Qin without blinking.
It made everyone laugh.
Qin's face became even more gorgeous, and she said angrily, "I'm old, how can I still be beautiful? Your sister is the real beauty."
Xu Lanyin smiled without any modesty and said, "I am beautiful, and it is my mother who gave birth to me so beautiful."
This made everyone even happier.
Xu Lanyue smiled, but her eyes were filled with sadness. Not only was she not pretty, she was actually quite ugly.
The little girl rarely had this expression. Xu Lanyin pinched her bun to comfort her and whispered, "You are still young. Girls change a lot when they grow up. When you grow up, not only will you become more beautiful, but the scar will also fade."
Xu Lanyin hadn't told her about the Yushengji Cream for her face. One reason was that she didn't want her to dwell on it, and the other was that she was worried she wouldn't be able to find a suitable doctor.
Xu Lanyue smiled and said, "Yeah, I know. Daddy, sister, and brother are all handsome, so I won't be bad when I grow up. I also have a broad mind and temperament, which many people don't have."
Xu Lanyin often told her that mind and temperament are more important than appearance, and she always kept it in mind.
Everyone came to the outer courtyard, and Brother Zhao Wu was already waiting there.
Today, Li Luobi was dressed more festively than Zhao Wu. He wore a maroon jacquard brocade robe, a light blue jacquard brocade cape on the outside, and a golden crown to tie his hair.
What a handsome and elegant young man.
He and Zhao Wu had different temperaments. Zhao Wu was handsome yet tough, while he was elegant yet gentle. The only drawback was that he was half a head shorter than Zhao Wu.
This was the first time that Li Luo visited someone else's home since leaving the Wen Mansion, except for the Xu family. Moreover, he walked there by himself. He smiled very sincerely.
It seemed that he had grown a bit taller. Before, Xu Lanyin estimated that he was about 1.7 meters tall, but now he should be around 1.73 meters tall.
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