Chapter 297 Letting it air out
Chu Xiujie looked at the things the An family had brought.
He stroked his chin and pondered to himself, "The old man is getting on in years; locking him in a dark room doesn't seem like a good idea."
Or maybe...
With a bright smile, Chu Xiujie said, "I understand. You two go to the courtyard for tea first. I didn't expect you to be old acquaintances. I'll go ask our general what's going on."
After saying that, Chu Xiujie left, not forgetting to take his things with him.
Since we've already brought everything, there's no reason for us to take it all away. Why not take it while it's free? It'll all be Lin Anyuan's sooner or later anyway.
After Chu Xiujie left, the servants who had been serving him tea were also sent away.
Besides An Dehai, several respected elders from the clan also came this time.
An elder said in a rather unfriendly tone, "A junior like you dares to ignore us. You're putting on airs too much."
Even though he now holds a high position and is highly valued by Prince Jing, he should not forget where his roots lie.
An Dehai took a sip of tea and remained quite calm. "Children have tempers, shouldn't we let them express them? If they keep it bottled up inside, it won't last long."
"We'll talk about what happens after it's released."
Back then, An Yan and his wife really went too far and pushed people to their limits.
He's afraid of kids who don't have tempers; he wants them to throw tantrums.
Once the distribution is complete, it will belong to the An family's descendants, who will still be part of the An family.
The elders exchanged knowing glances.
So this old fox was waiting here all along. He actually thought he'd had a change of heart and felt sorry for his grandson.
They don't seem to be senile yet, which is good, so they won't say anything more.
The group started chatting while drinking tea.
As a result, the group sat and drank three cups of tea, and it was already noon. They were all starting to get hungry, but no one came.
Unable to bear it any longer, he summoned a servant.
The servant scratched his head, looking honest and simple. "Excuse me, gentlemen, my general isn't here. He's gone to the military camp. Would you like to continue waiting or..."
"Why didn't you say so sooner, you guys..."
An Dehai stopped the clan elder who was speaking and said kindly, "Since the general is busy with affairs, we old men will continue to wait. Please bring some food, it is not proper to entertain guests on an empty stomach."
The servant exclaimed, "But our meals are on a fixed schedule, and we're afraid we don't have any extra... We'll trouble you gentlemen to go outside and buy some."
They've been left standing here, not even given a meal?
This is absolutely outrageous!
An Jia Hai remained amiable. "So that's how it is. It's all my fault for not understanding clearly. I should have called you in to ask earlier. There's no need for such trouble. I'll give you the money, you can get ready."
"Okay, okay, that works too."
The servant took the ten taels of silver and ran off happily.
Where did this sucker come from, spending ten taels of silver on a meal? Tell my deputy general Zheng right now.
The elders scoffed at the sight.
"No wonder he grew up in the countryside, he's so shallow."
Not only were the generous gifts accepted, but they also charged for a meal – that's incredibly stingy.
This is simply the mentality of a poor person suddenly becoming rich.
An Dehai slammed down his teacup. "Be careful what you say. Even if someone grows up in the countryside, they are still a member of the An family."
Now that they need Lin Anyuan's help, it's not unreasonable for him to let them vent their anger.
Moreover, everything they say and do while sitting here could potentially reach Lin Anyuan's ears.
He had to make sure he made the right gestures beforehand.
Just when the old men were starving, the food finally arrived.
The result was just two dishes, a bowl of rice, cold radish salad, and stir-fried cabbage.
Everyone's faces turned green when they saw the food, and they almost lost their temper on the spot.
After some probing, An Dehai learned that this was the only thing in the kitchen today, and that everyone was eating this.
An Dehai seemed to be deep in thought.
...
...
Chu Xiujie went out to a restaurant, and when he came back from outside, he saw Da Ya about to leave.
"Little girl, where are you going? Things aren't very peaceful in Suzhou lately, so don't wander around."
Lin Anyuan has only been in charge of this place for a short time. If someone deliberately causes trouble, there will inevitably be areas that cannot be taken care of. Therefore, it is better for Daya to stay put.
"I'm going to check out the academies in Suzhou. It's alright, I'm not traveling alone."
Da Ya pointed behind her; her mother had given her bodyguards who were following her.
"What can a mere bodyguard do? He might not even be as good as me in martial arts."
Chu Xiujie had barely finished speaking when he saw a shadow not far away...
I don't want to talk about this anymore. Isn't this the shadow guard by the lord's side? How did he end up like this?
Chu Xiujie quickly changed the subject, pretending not to have seen the shadow guard, "Ahem, I was just saying something bold, if you're going out, I happen to be free, I'll go out with you."
"No need," Daya refused.
Chu Xiujie immediately turned around and followed, "Hey, it's no big deal. You're our general's daughter. He's usually too busy to take care of you, so as his subordinate, I should just show my appreciation. You don't need to treat me like a monster."
Da Ya nodded, "Okay, thank you very much."
Chu Xiujie stroked his chin and looked at her. "You're really too impolite, girl. You won't even call me 'Uncle'."
"Fine, fine, if you don't want to call me that, then don't. I'm not teasing you anymore."
Chu Xiujie followed behind Da Ya.
The two of them walked instead of taking a carriage, and luckily it wasn't a very long distance. Taking a carriage would have been too much trouble, and it didn't seem quite right for the two of them to ride together.
"Look, there's duck blood glutinous rice over there, want to try some?"
"Osmanthus-flavored chestnuts, would you like some?"
Once on the street, Chu Xiujie would ask Daya about every food item he saw.
Daya came here to experience the local customs and culture, so naturally she had to try it and tell her two younger sisters and mother when she got back.
So in no time, the two of them had a bunch of food and toys in their hands.
Lin Anyuan occupied Suzhou City, but apart from the powerful and wealthy, the common people seemed to be unaffected. They continued to live their lives as before.
This place has a completely different culture and customs from the North. As Daya stood on the small bridge, looking at the boats and water below, she felt a strange, indescribable feeling.
Looking up, the sky was foggy, as if it was about to rain.
"careful!"
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