Chapter 99 Mid-Autumn Festival
Zhou Jin was in a good mood and served Li Qu food at lunchtime.
With the masters in harmony, the atmosphere in Fanghua Garden was relaxed.
After lunch, Zhou Jin took Li Qu out for a walk to aid digestion.
He told her about his family situation so she could be prepared for the dinner party.
Upon entering the Osmanthus Garden, he reached out and picked an osmanthus branch, inserting it into her hair.
The dappled sunlight fell on the two of them, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.
When the servants, including Granny Xu, who were following far behind, saw this, they couldn't help but laugh.
Li Qu kicked him.
He retorted, "Even if I pick flowers for you, I get kicked?"
"If my son kicks me, I'll kick you."
He looked down at her, his eyes filled with an unyielding warmth.
She continued walking, and he followed slowly behind her with his hands behind his back.
"Is my husband going on a long trip recently?"
He was pleasantly surprised by the title.
"Perhaps, it depends on the situation."
Her voice was soft: "Can I travel far after I give birth?"
Zhou Jin is a real scoundrel; with him keeping things under control in the mansion, she feels more at ease.
There are many people in the mansion, and she doesn't get along with Zhou Lan, so she can't be too careful.
She emphasized, "Of course I trust my mother."
"But you can't see into someone's heart, and it's hard to tell what's going on with servants."
"I want to personally oversee the production process."
“I hope my husband can go through it himself.”
Perhaps because she had been walking for a long time, she couldn't help but raise her hand to support her lower back.
He stepped forward and supported her waist, saying, "Don't worry, even if the sky falls, I'll stay home and take care of you."
*
Perhaps to put her mind at ease, he did so in front of her after he returned home.
The people who plowed through Fanghua Garden.
His pounding made everyone in Fanghua Garden tremble with fear.
She was taking a nap.
He went out to investigate the background of the wet nurse and the midwife.
At Shen Shi Zhong (3-5 PM), each household member was to go to Shou An Tang to pay their respects to the old lady and the old master.
Li Qu was woken up early to wash up, tidy her appearance, and get dressed.
When they arrived at Shou'an Hall, the younger generation waited in the courtyard, while Princess Zhao, Madam Yao, Zhou Lan, and Zhou Yu waited in the side hall.
Li Qu arrived right on time, and the younger generation automatically made way for her and bowed.
Some called her "Third Aunt" and others called her "Third Madam".
Li Qu handled the situation well and was led by a maid from Shou'an Hall into a side hall.
The sisters-in-law greeted each other, and Zhou Yu smiled and led Li Qu to sit in the empty seat next to her.
"There was a mishap at the banquet we were hosting before, which frightened my sister-in-law."
Li Qu spoke to her gently, "Thank you for your concern, Second Sister."
"After falling into the water and having a miscarriage, Third Master did not tell Second Sister about sending a visiting card."
Please forgive any negligence.
"When you have time, Second Sister, come sit in the courtyard. We'll sweep the mat and welcome you."
Zhou Yu noticed that Li Qu's pregnancy was stable and that she was very polite.
My heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
Zhou Lan, who was ignoring Li Qu with her eyes closed, sneered.
The First Madam, Princess Zhao, seemed to be in a bad mood and didn't bother to look at the undercurrents in the room.
Second Madam Yao drank tea from a cup.
She gave birth to her youngest son in June of this year and has now recovered. She is still in charge of the Zhou family's household affairs in Hezhou.
In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.
The three Zhou brothers and Zhou's son-in-law also arrived.
The successor of Granny Rong entered and paid her respects.
First, the three Zhou brothers and their wives paid their respects.
Zhou Jin helped Li Qu stand behind Zhou Yan and his wife.
He bent down and whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid, we're all family."
Zhou Yan, who was standing in front, suddenly turned around: "You two, stop being so lovey-dovey, it's giving me goosebumps."
Zhou Jin kicked him into the house.
This caused the maids and servants around them, who had been keeping a serious expression, to burst into laughter.
"Hehehe." Zhou Yan stumbled through the door and said happily, "Dad, you're finally back! I missed you."
His tone was affectionate and unrestrained: "Your son kowtows to you, wishing you a long and healthy life."
The old lady laughed and scolded, "You're always so irresponsible."
Li Qu and Zhou Jin followed them in, glancing up briefly.
The old man was also smiling.
A parent's deep love for their child.
Li Qu knew Zhou Jin's inner turmoil; her fingers twitched slightly in her sleeve before returning to stillness.
Zhou Jin led her forward to kowtow to the two elders, showing more respect than affection.
"The son, along with his wife, Li, pays their respects to their parents."
The old lady quickly said, "Get up quickly, the third son's wife is feeling unwell, please have a seat."
The old lady tried her best to appear impartial.
However, there seemed to be a thin film separating Zhou Jin from his parents; their emotions couldn't connect.
The old man's voice was dignified yet calm: "Get up."
His condition was clearly different from when he met the Second Master earlier.
Zhou Jin stood up first, and then helped Li Qu up.
Zhou Lang's gaze fell on Li Qu: "This is a gift for you, as it's the first time I'm meeting the third brother's wife."
Although he seemed distant from Zhou Jin, he went along with Zhou Jin's wishes and accepted Li Qu's identity.
Li Qu stepped forward and accepted a gift list with both hands: "Thank you, Father."
"Thank you so much, Father. You should help me keep a good eye on the third son."
Zhou Yan interjected, "Then the third sister-in-law is fine; the third brother is afraid of his wife."
Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Li Qu's cheeks flushed slightly.
Seeing her shyness, Zhou Jin's expression relaxed a little.
After the two sat down, Li Qu handed the gift list to Xu Mama behind her.
Next, Zhou's son-in-law and aunt came in to pay their respects.
After bowing, Zhou Lan wiped away her tears with a handkerchief: "Father!"
"Now that my elder brother has returned from the capital, Yingyang is all alone in the capital, without any relatives to take care of him."
"Let's bring Yingyang back, daughter."
"My daughter promises that she will never let Yingyang offend her third brother's wife again."
Chu Qingtian, the head of the Chu family, quickly bowed: "I also miss my daughter, and I beg my father-in-law for help."
Before the elders at the head of the table could speak, Zhou Jin, holding a cup of tea, asked, "What does my wife have to do with my eldest sister marrying off her daughter?"
"My wife forced you to marry off your daughter?"
Chu Qingtian: "What my third brother said is true. Yingyang's marriage to the capital has nothing to do with your wife."
"It's because Madam Nian's daughter is somewhat delirious and talking nonsense."
Zhou Lan crawled forward on her knees and stood before the old man, weeping uncontrollably.
He recounted what had happened back then.
Pointing at Zhou Jin, she said, "He bullied me for the sake of a lowly concubine! Father, you must stand up for me!"
It is said that men tend to dote on their eldest daughters, and Zhou Lang was no exception.
He gave Zhou Jin a cold glance.
Zhou Jin didn't care what his father thought of him.
"Firstly, my wife entered the family last June. We only kept her identity secret for fear of offending my mother's zodiac sign and affecting her lifespan. She is not a lowly concubine."
"Secondly, it is because you, eldest sister, have allowed your daughter to bully her time and time again."
"Thirdly, your Chu family sent your daughter to the capital in exchange for ten years of salt transport rights in the capital."
"Now, your Chu family has reaped the benefits, while my wife has taken the blame."
"Does the eldest sister think my wife is easier to bully than her family?"
He took a small sip of tea: "But I'm not someone to be trifled with!"
Zhou Lan accused, "You know perfectly well how she became the third wife of the Zhou family!"
"And if it weren't for you taking the salt transport rights from Chu Qingtian back then..."
"Enough!" It was the old lady who slammed her hand on the table.
"You two, the heads of the family and the mistress, know best the root cause of the Chu family's daughter's marriage."
"Once you've eaten the meat, stop spouting nonsense."
“Li is my wife, Zhou.”
"To insult her is to insult the Zhou family!"
"Mother!" Zhou Lan exclaimed in disbelief.
No one knows a daughter better than her mother.
Zhou Lan's bringing up the old matter again was unreasonable; she simply wanted Zhou Lang to teach Zhou Jin a lesson and vent her anger.
The old lady looked down at her daughter and said, "Today your father is returning home; it's a wonderful day for family reunion."
"I don't want anyone or anything to ruin this reunion."
"The eldest son and his son-in-law will discuss and handle Yingyang's matter together."
Zhou Mang stood up and agreed, as did Chu Qingtian.
Zhou Lan reluctantly got up and sat back down in her seat.
Next, Zhou Yu and her husband paid their respects.
Then the younger generation, from direct relatives to cousins, paid their respects to each other in order of seniority.
The old man seemed to dislike Zhou Jin.
Zhou Jin's face was grim.
Zhou Mang was mature and experienced, as was the case.
Zhou Yan was laughing heartily, rambling on and on, making the old lady laugh heartily.
The younger generation is unaware of the undercurrents among their elders.
They gathered around the two elders with smiles on their faces.
The whole family is reunited, enjoying a happy and harmonious time.
Then the women and men separated.
Women went to see the opera, while men could do as they pleased.
Zhou Jin was conscripted by the old man.
*
Li Qu went to see a play with the others.
Granny Xu, Hongguo, Cuiguo, and a group of others surrounded her like an iron barrel.
The old lady asked her what she wanted to see.
She requested a performance of "Dong Yong's Filial Piety".
In this era, filial piety is of paramount importance, and this drama is the most fitting choice.
At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), the jade disc rises into the sky.
The performance ended, and a banquet was held.
The group gradually moved to the banquet hall.
The servants, who were ready to play tricks and make people laugh at the banquet, were already prepared, and the props for the games were also ready.
Everyone took their places, but the old master and Zhou Jin were late in arriving.
The old lady sent Rong Mama to invite him, but only the old master came.
Zhou Jin was left in the study.
Zhou Lan's sullen face finally broke into a smile.
She cast a smug, provocative glance at Li Qu.
He raised his chin and chatted with those around him, reverting to his usual proud and noble demeanor.
The old man sat in the main seat.
As the servant shouted "Let the feast begin!", everyone rose to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and reunite with their families.
After taking her seat, Li Qu turned to Rong Mama and instructed her, "Go and see what's going on with Third Master."
A moment later, Granny Rong returned and whispered to Li Qu, "Third Master is in Master's study approving documents."
Li Qu knew what was going on. He glanced at the imposing old man in the main seat and couldn't help but think to himself, "Brilliant."
She was simultaneously giving her son important responsibilities, coaxing her daughter, and also managing to resolve a backlog of work.
Killing three birds with one stone.
She couldn't help but laugh.
"Since your wife is smiling so happily, there must be a solution?"
It was Zhou Lan who spoke.
Li Qu paid no attention to what the people at the banquet were saying.
"Sorry, I was worried about Third Master and didn't notice what everyone was saying."
"Please repeat what you want to understand?"
Before Zhou Lan could speak, the Second Master replied with a smile.
"Tell me about what happened this morning when I was waiting for you at the ferry crossing, and I saw a woman drinking wine on the river."
I asked the woman, 'Are there so many cups? How many guests are there?'
The woman said, "Two people share rice, three people share soup, four people share meat, and the total cost is sixty-five cups."
How many guests are there?
The second wife spoke up to give Li Qu a way out: "Nonsense, how can you calculate that? I can't figure it out."
Zhou Lan: "Everyone, please wait a moment and give my third sister-in-law some time."
"After all, my third sister-in-law comes from a poor family and has never learned arithmetic."
Li Qu leaned back in her chair, raised her eyebrows to look at Zhou Lan, and calmly said, "There are sixty guests."
Zhou Yan clapped his hands: "Yes!"
Li Qu said with a smile, "I'll also give you a question to play."
"When counting soldiers at the drill ground, how many soldiers are in a squad? If there are three soldiers in a group, there are two left over; if there are five soldiers in a group, there are three left over; if there are seven soldiers in a group, there are four left over. How many soldiers are in a squad?"
Zhou Yan paused briefly before giving the answer: "Fifty-three."
The speed of his actions impressed Li Qu: "No wonder my second brother is so wealthy; he's so quick and accurate at calculating accounts."
"Third Master doesn't have that ability."
“I gave him the calculation, but he still wanted to use an abacus.”
They fabricated stories to smoothly steer the conversation away from the topic.
The mix of truth and falsehood sparked a lively discussion among the curious younger generation.
The third young lady, who was on good terms with Li Qu, asked, "Third Aunt, I've heard that Third Uncle is well-versed in the Mathematical Classic. It's normal for us juniors to spend half a day struggling with such problems using an abacus. Does Third Uncle really need to use an abacus?"
Li Qu deliberately tarnished Zhou Jin's reputation.
"Yes, no one is perfect. Even your seemingly omnipotent Uncle has his shortcomings."
The old lady laughed and said, "Don't listen to your third aunt's nonsense."
"Your third uncle mastered counting rods and mental arithmetic at the age of five. He could calculate quickly and even posed questions to the teacher to make things difficult."
"Mr. Shame, please come with your bag the next day."
Zhou Yan chimed in, "Mother, isn't that me?"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Zhou Lan glanced at Li Qu and snorted coldly.
Her husband, Chu Qingtian, took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
By the time Zhou Jin returned to his seat, the banquet was already halfway over.
He had heard about what happened at the banquet.
Hearing that Li Qu could handle it, he did not come over immediately.
Ignoring his own rumbling stomach, he served Li Qu some food: "How are you? Are you tired?"
"If you're tired, I'll take you home."
She looked up at him.
When he served her food, he naturally leaned closer to her.
When speaking to her, her head was slightly lowered, and her voice was low and clear.
The faint, cool scent of pine on him wafted to her nose.
She lowered her eyelids and snorted through her nose.
He laughed: "How do you want your husband to apologize?"
After the man took his seat and greeted the elders, his eyes never left the woman's face.
The smile on his lips was rare and gentle.
It belongs to her alone.
She said, "I'll tell you when I get back."
"Okay." He looked away from her and buried his head in his food.
It's almost the end of the year, and the old master won't even allow a piece of pastry to be brought to his study; he's hungry.
The old lady picked up a plate of his favorite dishes and had Rong Mama serve it to him.
Zhou Jin ate until he was about half full before slowly putting down his chopsticks.
Seeing him put down his chopsticks, Zhou Lang said, "When family members gather, the warm glow of lamplight is comforting; the greatest joy in life is reunion."
"Seeing your brothers living in harmony, your sisters being loving and affectionate, and your younger generation being filial, I am very satisfied."
Everyone raised their glasses to celebrate the reunion.
As soon as the cup was placed down, a maidservant stepped forward to pour more wine.
Zhou Lang looked at Chu Qingtian: "My eldest daughter is a bit spoiled, son-in-law, please be tolerant."
Chu Qingtian quickly stood up and repeatedly said, "I dare not accept such a wife; I am thrice blessed to have her as my wife."
Then he looked at Li Qu and said, "I have neglected to discipline my youngest son. He has a lot of shortcomings and a bad temper."
"He did something wrong, and I apologize to you on his behalf."
"I will back you up from now on. If he bullies you, just come and complain to me."
“I will certainly punish him severely.”
Li Qu did not expect that the old man would apologize to her.
She quickly stood up: "Father, you flatter me. Thank you for supporting your daughter-in-law."
"Sit down. We'll all be family from now on, no need for formalities."
Li Qu sat down.
I felt a strange mix of emotions.
The other parents apologized... but...
My palm was suddenly tickled.
She lowered her gaze and spotted a groping hand.
She withdrew her hand and refused to look at him.
He leaned back in his chair, his hand dangling on the armrest of her chair.
There were many subtle tricks.
Zhou Lang said a few more polite words, and everyone raised their glasses to toast the bright moon.
Then the two elders excused themselves and returned to Shou'an Hall.
As soon as the two elders left, the younger generation also got up, left their seats to say goodbye, and rushed out of the mansion.
There's a lantern festival tonight; this is the perfect time to stroll around.
Only Zhou Jin and a few of his peers remained at the table.
Chu Qingtian was the first to stand up and bow in greeting to Zhou Jin and Li Qu.
"Third brother, sister-in-law, I have offended you greatly today. Please forgive me."
Zhou Lan stood up, making a loud thud as she sat up: "Zhou Jin, why aren't you arrogant in front of Father!"
Zhou Jin: "If you're sick, get treatment. If you're not cured, don't leave the mansion and embarrass yourself."
"I wonder who's making a fool of themselves by clinging to someone else's possession like a precious gem..."
With a loud bang, Zhou Jin smashed the wine glass in his hand, shattering the bowls and plates on the table.
The soup soaked the tablecloth, and porcelain shards splattered, startling Zhou Lan so much that she took a step back.
She held her breath, raised her chin, and saw Zhou Jin's face was as cold as frost, so she finally dared not be so quick to speak.
He snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and left.
Chu Qingtian bowed to Zhou Jin and said, "Third brother, please calm down."
Then he went after Zhou Lan.
Zhou Yan laughed it off: "Third brother and sister-in-law, I've had too much to drink, please don't take it to heart."
He was pulled away by the second wife.
The eldest son's wife wasn't very clear about the third son's affairs.
Now, Princess Zhao is more concerned about her relatives in the capital and has no mood to deal with messy things. She dragged the old man back to the courtyard to argue.
Zhou Yu and her husband slipped away even faster.
They were going to visit the lantern festival, eat delicious food, and enjoy life, so they ran away before the eldest son left.
Only Zhou Jin and Li Qu remained at the scene.
Zhou Jin remained silent for a long time.
Li Qu first got up and left his seat.
He got up and followed her.
The moonlight this year is just as boundless and beautiful as last year's.
He quickly caught up with her and took her hand.
She shook off his hand.
He followed silently behind her.
The night breeze carried her fragrance.
He said, "I'm sorry, I've made you suffer."
She spoke calmly, not seeming too bothered: "It's okay, she's just stating the facts."
"A fast ship is heading north tomorrow, do you want to send a letter?"
"Thank you, Third Master."
"I will teach Zhou Lan a lesson."
"Don't worry your parents. They should be enjoying the happiness of being surrounded by their children and grandchildren. They'd be so annoyed if they had to deal with you siblings grinding your teeth."
"If you're angry, hit me or yell at me, don't keep it bottled up."
She seized the opportunity to gain an advantage: "You owe me two apologies. I'll remember them. When I need them, you can't refuse."
He readily agreed: "Okay."
After a while, he reached out to take her hand again.
With a measured approach, she didn't dodge this time.
He held her small hand in his palm, tightening his grip and then loosening it.
"Give me some time, and I will make sure no one in the world dares to offend you again."
She paused for a moment.
My heart is pounding.
She stumbled because she couldn't see where her feet were.
Fortunately, he held her hand and pulled her into his arms.
He didn't let go of her immediately, but instead pressed her head into his arms.
He said, "Aqu, if you love me, I will never let you suffer."
Li Qu's mind remained unsettled for a long time.
Is that what she meant?
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