When Jing'er heard this, he ran to the lady as if he had found a soulmate.

The lady hugged him and said, "This is our Jing'er's heartfelt gift. Thoughts are more important than anything else. Otherwise, how could there be the saying 'a gift of goose feathers from a thousand miles away is more valuable than the sentiment'? Our Jing'er picked the oranges with great effort, and he also wanted everyone to have a taste of them! Isn't that right, Jing'er?"

Jing'er nodded repeatedly, nestled in the lady's arms, with curved eyebrows and a very happy smile.

Xu Siyu came over just in time.

Seeing a pile of oranges on the table, he was surprised: "You picked so many oranges!"

Jinger patted the beautiful blue embroidered bag on his shoulder and boasted, "My mother made it for me! It can hold a lot of oranges."

Xu Siyu smiled and looked at the bag on his chest - the strap of the cloth bag was not long, and the opening of the bag was right on Jingge's chest. It looked a bit strange, but it was very convenient to use to pick oranges.

Seeing him staring at him, Jin Ge'er rolled his eyes, ran to the table, picked up an orange and handed it to Xu Siyu: "Second brother, eat the orange!"

Xu Siyu took the orange with a smile.

Xu Lingyi asked him: "Didn't you go out today?"

Xu Siyu said respectfully: "Everyone is thinking about the announcement of the results, and I don't feel like going out. I just read some books at home."

"Now that the exam is over, don't think about it anymore." Xu Lingyi was obviously not satisfied with Xu Siyu's answer, and his tone was a bit of a lesson, "Just do what you need to do. If you can pass the exam, don't be arrogant, there is still a long way to go; if you can't pass the exam, don't be discouraged, there are still opportunities. You are still young, and you don't know how many life-and-death situations you will encounter in the future. Now it's just your first exam, and you can't keep your composure. Won't you be flustered and confused in the future?"

Xu Siyu stood up after hearing this and said "yes" solemnly: "It's because I don't have enough knowledge and cultivation. I will definitely remember what my father said!"

The atmosphere in the room became tense due to the questions and answers between the father and son.

Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie also felt quite uncomfortable sitting there.

The lady looked at him and laughed: "Alright, alright! It's a rare autumn day, and the children are all together. Don't lecture them. If you have anything to say, call the children to the study and talk carefully."

Xu Lingyi smiled and replied “yes”.

Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie both breathed a sigh of relief.

Jinger urged Xu Siyu: "Second brother, eat oranges!"

Are you trying to free yourself?

Xu Siyu smiled gratefully at Jing'er, peeled the orange in no time, and gave a slice to Jing'er.

Jing'er shook his head: "Brother, eat!" His big phoenix eyes blinked at him.

When there is food, the master eats it. Brothers should also respect the order of seniority.

Xu Siyu didn't care and was about to put the orange into his mouth with a smile.

Shiyi Niang, Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie all said in unison, one called out "Yu Ge'er" and the other called out "Second Brother": "That orange is sour!"

Xu Siyu was surprised.

Then he saw a trace of annoyance flash across Jin'er's brows, and he turned around and glared at Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie.

He was a very smart man, and he understood a little. Without saying anything more, he put the orange slice into his mouth with a smile, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it.

"Although it's not sweet, it's not sour either!" Xu Siyu looked at Xu Sijie in confusion.

Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie were dumbfounded, Shiyi Niang was also very surprised, and Jing'er was stunned at first, then he stepped forward, broke off a piece of orange and put it in his mouth.

But after chewing it for a while, Jing'er spat out the orange with a "pop" sound: "So sour, so sour!" He stared at Xu Siyu with wide eyes: "Second brother, you lied to me!" His face was full of anger.

Xu Siyu glanced quickly at Shiyi Niang.

Eleventh Lady was smiling silently with her hands covering her mouth, showing no sign of unhappiness.

He was relieved. He glanced at Jing'er and said slowly, "When did I lie to you?" He looked quite indifferent, "It doesn't taste sour at all..." As he said that, he threw another orange slice into his mouth. "It's really not sour!" He emphasized, without moving his eyes or eyebrows, and then handed the rest of the orange to him: "If you don't believe me, try it?"

Jing'er couldn't help but hesitate.

"You mischievous ghost!" The lady scolded Xu Siyu with a smile.

After hearing the words, Jin Ge'er immediately realized what was going on. He ran to the lady's arms and said, "My second brother lied to me! I won't be fooled!" He looked at Xu Siyu triumphantly.

Xu Siyu pretended to be helpless and sighed: "It's all my grandmother's fault!"

Jing'er pursed his lips and smiled secretly.

Everyone watched and laughed.

Only Xu Sijie quietly asked Xu Sizhun: "Are the oranges sour? Why don't you frown?"

"That was Second Brother's trick on Sixth Brother!" Xu Sizhun said, "If you want to trick someone, of course you have to pretend to be more convincing."

Xu Sijie nodded and said, "I was wondering why some orange segments are sour and some are not!" He added, "Wouldn't Second Brother's teeth fall out from the sour taste?"

Xu Sizhun hesitated and said, "Or, second brother is not afraid of sourness? Wang Yun is not afraid of spicy food!"

They thought they spoke in low voices, but they didn't know that the Madam and others heard them clearly. Several adults couldn't help laughing, and even the maids and old women in the room laughed secretly.

The cool autumn breeze blew through Lingqiong Villa with the evening fragrance of flowers, blowing joy to the winding paths in the woods, and the flowers and plants swayed along with it.

Eleventh Lady looked at the scene in front of her with a smile, her heart feeling beautiful and peaceful.

But this good mood didn't last long.

The next day, the results of the provincial examination came out.

Xu Siyu failed the exam.

The lady was stunned, but soon regained her composure: "Life is full of ups and downs. It's better to meet someone when you are young than when you are old, have little time left, and don't know how to adapt."

Eleventh Lady nodded, thinking that what the lady said made sense.

"I'm afraid Yu'er is a little sad!" She pondered, "and it just so happens that all his good classmates are in Le'an. Do you think we should let him stay at the West Hill Villa for a few days to relax?"

"Okay!" said the lady, "You can take this opportunity to arrange his marriage properly."

Eleventh Lady nodded and stood up to go to the outer courtyard.

After leaving Chuihua Gate, he met the servant beside Xu Lingyi.

"Fourth Madam, the Marquis asked me to come in and tell you something. The Marquis and the Second Young Master have left the city to go mountain climbing, and they won't be back for dinner tonight."

Eleventh Lady was very surprised.

It seems that Xu Lingyi is rarely so tender.

She smiled and sent the servant away, turned around, and saw the second lady.

The second lady was a little surprised to see her.

Eleventh Lady smiled and asked her, "Are you going to see Yu Ge'er, Second Sister-in-law? The Marquis and he have gone out of the city to climb the mountain."

The Second Lady could not hide her surprise and nodded slightly. She and Eleventh Lady went to the inner courtyard.

The Mid-Autumn Festival has passed. The flowers and plants in the yard have to be replaced with hibiscus, wild hibiscus, and cymbidium, which are suitable for the season. From time to time, women handling flowers and plants can be seen. When they see them coming, they put down their work, kneel down and bow, and stand against the wall with their heads down.

The second wife suddenly stopped.

She turned and looked at Eleventh Lady, saying calmly, "Lord Liu took the exam twice before he passed. Lord Liang did not take the autumn exam the following year, but passed the exam in the year of Yin and Mao. Lords like Lord Chen and Lord Dou studied hard for ten years after passing the exam before they were able to get their names on the gold list."

Her words made no sense, but Eleventh Lady understood what she meant.

She was probably comforting herself by not caring too much about Xu Siyu's failure!

But even such words, coming out of her mouth, sounded... a bit stiff!

Eleventh Lady suppressed her smile and nodded: "Thank you for your concern, Second Sister-in-law. My brothers from my mother's family also did not have smooth sailing in the imperial examinations."

The second lady nodded slightly and parted ways with her.

Eleventh Lady looked at her back and shook her head, then turned around and went back to the main room with a smile.

Zhu Xiang was waiting for her in the inner room.

"Madam, Mr. Dou sent someone to deliver a letter to the Fourth Young Master this morning, hoping to invite him to come to his house to appreciate the chrysanthemums on the Double Ninth Festival. The Fourth Young Master declined the invitation because he was busy with his studies!"

Ever since that day when Xu Sizun said that Dou Jing followed Lord Dou to the Western Hills, Eleventh Lady asked Zhu Xiang to keep an eye on Lord Dou's whereabouts.

The Emperor has not yet returned to Yanjing, but Dou Jing's invitation has arrived...

"Did Mr. Dou return to Yanjing ahead of schedule?"

Zhu Xiang whispered, "I've asked Manager Zhao from the back office to help find out!"

Eleventh Lady said "hmm" and went to the flower hall.

Several mothers who were talking in low voices immediately stopped smiling and stood up respectfully.

Eleventh Lady sat down on the Luohan throne in the hall.

The little maid brought the tea quietly.

Eleventh Lady picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Mother Li, who was standing at the bottom of the kitchen, said respectfully, "According to the list given by the reception office, I carefully calculated that there are about 80 tables for each meal. On the day of the feast, there will be an estimated 120 tables..."

Eleventh Lady listened carefully, her mind focused on Xu Siyu's wedding.

Coming out of the flower hall, Zhu Xianglai replied, "Mr. Dou took his eldest son with him, and Mr. Dou Jing did not go to the West Hill with him."

After hearing this, Eleventh Lady was silent for a long time, and then went to Xu Sizun.

Xu Sizhun was not at home, but with Xu Sijie.

The two brothers are making river lanterns in the workshop.

Xu Sizhun sat at the small square table in the workshop, holding his chin in his hand. "I think it's better to make a Guanyin Bodhisattva. My grandmother has one in her Buddhist temple. I'm just afraid that it will be windy on the Double Ninth Festival, and it might flip over then."

Xu Sijie sat on a small stool beside the square table and checked the shaved bamboo strips: "This is easy. We can just add a string of garlands around the neck of Guanyin Bodhisattva. In this way, the body of the Bodhisattva will be as heavy as the lotus seat, so it won't matter even if the wind blows."

"Yes!" Xu Sizhun said, "Why didn't I think of that." He sat on the small stool next to Xu Sijie, "Then I will draw Yingluo, and you can try to make one..."

Eleventh Lady tiptoed out of Xu Sijie's yard and whispered to Xier, "Let them play! Don't tell anyone that I was here."

Xier bent her knees and said "yes" in confusion, then walked her out the door.

* * * * * *

After eating Xu Lingyi's birthday noodles, many of Xu Lingyi's former subordinates heard that the eldest son of the Xu family was getting married, and either came to congratulate him personally or sent their trusted staff to deliver gifts and gifts. There was a constant stream of people and cars in front of the Xu family, and everyone was busy.

"We have to make a big event even if we don't want to!" Xu Lingyi felt a headache. "We can't just accept this gift and not that one, right? That would make everyone unhappy!"

"Then let's have a grand ceremony!" Eleventh Lady smiled and gently nudged Xu Lingyi, "What did the Marquis talk about that day? Yu Ge'er was in high spirits when he came back. I think he was even more energetic than before he took part in the provincial examination."

※

I went home and took a shower yesterday, and then the power went out again. Today, the power came back at 10 a.m., and it went out again at 12 p.m., and it came back at 3:30 p.m.... I don't know what will happen today. If the above situation happens again, I will try to make up for the extra article tomorrow.

The situation is unclear, so please bear with me!

PS: I’ll post a draft first to avoid a power outage and interruption in updating!

⊙﹏⊙b sweat