Xu Sizun's new house had just been cleaned up when Luo Zhensheng escorted Grandma Luo and others to Yanjing.
"… Third Aunt stayed in Yuhang to take care of the eldest master. Seventh Uncle, Fourth Uncle's grandmother, Fifth Aunt, Sixth Aunt, and several cousins are all here."
Eleventh Lady was naturally overjoyed.
She hadn't seen her fifth aunt for nine years. The last time she saw Luo Zhenhong, he was still an infant.
"Hurry up and take my post to Gongxian Hutong." Eleventh Lady stood up excitedly, "I'll go see them tomorrow."
Amber responded and left.
Eleventh Lady held Jin Ge'er's face and kissed him twice: "Your grandmother and your uncle are here!"
"Then can we go visit my uncle?" Jing'er's face lit up, "I want to eat my uncle's mutton pie."
"Yes, yes!" Eleventh Lady didn't bother to teach Jin Ge'er a lesson for being greedy, and said with a smile, "Then we'll go visit your uncle's house."
Xu Lingyi looked at it with amusement, shook his head gently, and instructed the office to arrange for the gifts to be sent to Gongxian Hutong.
At dusk, Amber came back: "My aunt is packing up boxes and cages. She is very happy to know that you are going there tomorrow. She also said that you should go early tomorrow so that the kitchen can make your favorite fish with fermented lees."
Eleventh Lady hurriedly pulled her aside and asked, "Have you seen Fifth Aunt and Seventh Young Master?"
"I saw it!" Amber smiled, "My aunt specifically pointed out my seventh uncle to me!" She smiled more brightly, "My seventh uncle looks about five or six points like my lady. He wore a moon-white silk gown and a pure gold necklace, like the golden boy in front of Guanyin. He is not only handsome, but also knows how to act. You can tell at first glance that he is a young scholar from a wealthy family. My seventh uncle knew that I was sent by you to deliver the business card, and he asked me to say hello to my lady on his behalf! When I was about to go out, my fifth aunt heard the news and rushed over. She pulled me aside and asked me about my lady for a long time, and also rewarded me with a silver ingot." After she finished speaking, she took out a small silver ingot from her sleeve, which looked to be at least one or two taels. "Sister Shanhu married my great aunt's maid and is now my great aunt's close mother. She was the one who sent me out. I heard her say that after my seventh uncle returned to Yuhang, he was raised in my great aunt's house. My great aunt treated my seventh uncle the same way as Master Xiu, Master Geng, and Master Kang. He started learning at the age of five and is now almost finished reading a book called "Childhood Education". He can not only write poems, but also articles!"
Luo Zhenxing's second son was named Luo Jiageng, and the third son born to Aunt Wang was named Luo Jiakang.
Eleventh Lady was surprised and delighted when she heard this.
She was surprised that Grandma Luo kept Luo Zhenhong in her house, but she was happy that Fifth Aunt and her brother were living much better in the Luo family than she had imagined.
She ordered Amber, "Open my boxes. I want to pick out some of the tribute satin awarded by the palace to make clothes for my nephews and nieces." But she thought the gift was too small, "Bring the jewelry box here too, I will pick out a few more jewelry for my two sisters-in-law." Then she went to Xu Lingyi and picked out some fine Duan inkstones and Hu brushes.
"Fortunately, you only come here once every few years." Xu Lingyi looked at her excited look and joked, "Otherwise, our family's wealth would have been emptied out."
Eleventh Lady was in a good mood and flirted with him.
"What? You can't bear to part with it?" A pair of eyes like autumn water looked across, "Our Yongping Marquis who is famous in Yanjing won't be unable to afford to squander it, right?" There was a radiant look in his eyes.
Xu Lingyi was moved by the sight. He stood close to her back, holding her slender waist with both hands, and sniffed her neck gently: "You also know that it is a waste? Anyone who has to spend money like this will feel a little distressed. You must find a way to make me feel better!" The atmosphere was very ambiguous.
Eleventh Lady blinked, turned around, and placed her arm softly on Xu Lingyi's shoulders.
"My Lord," she glanced at him, "how do you want me to comfort you?" Her voice was so soft that water could drip out of it, and her eyes were shining, seeming a little cunning.
Xu Lingyi secretly laughed in his heart.
After being married for so many years, if Eleventh Lady had the courage to work with him in the study room where servants and maids were standing outside the lattice window, she would not be Eleventh Lady.
"Let me think about it..." he murmured, "Sing a little song? Or..." He stared at her breasts that looked particularly plump because of her backward tilt, "Dance a little dance?"
"I don't know how to do this," Eleventh Lady sighed, "What should I do?"
"I'll teach you how to sing!" Xu Lingyi said, humming a few lines in her ear. Shiyi Niang blushed, "Who did the Marquis learn this from?" She was defeated.
Xu Lingyi laughed as he looked at her somewhat embarrassed figure.
* * * * * *
Early the next morning, Eleventh Lady dressed up nicely, said goodbye to her mistress, and went to Gongxian Hutong with Xu Lingyi and the children.
After not seeing her for a few years, Grandma Luo has become much plumper and looks a bit older. Grandma Luo Si is not as good-looking as Grandma Luo, but she doesn't look her age at all, and looks no different from before.
The three of them burst into laughter standing in front of the hanging flower gate. It was only after Luo Zhenxing coughed heavily that everyone calmed down a little.
"This is my seventh brother!" He gently pushed a child standing next to him and introduced Xu Lingyi and Eleventh Lady to him, "This is the Marquis of Yongping, and this is the Eleventh Lady!"
"My Lord!" The child bowed respectfully to Eleventh Lady, "Eleventh Sister!"
Xu Lingyi nodded slightly. Eleventh Lady saw that his eyebrows and eyes were 70% similar to those of Fifth Aunt. Her eyes became moist and she looked up to find Fifth Aunt in the crowd.
"Fifth Aunt is resting in the back room." Fourth Madam Luo whispered in her ear, "She said she will come to see Auntie after the Marquis has gone to the banquet."
In this way, you can avoid Xu Lingyi.
Eleventh Lady couldn't help but shed tears.
Jin Ge'er was frightened and quickly threw himself into Shiyi Niang's arms.
"Oh, it's a good time for the family to be reunited, why are you crying!" Grandma Luo hurriedly took a handkerchief to wipe Eleventh Lady's tears, but she couldn't help but shed tears herself.
"These women just can't stand it." Luo Zhensheng said disapprovingly, but he didn't know that there was a hint of sob in his tone.
Everyone laughed.
Luo Jiaxiu is already a grown man, and is engaged to the daughter of Mr. Zhou, the former governor of Hangzhou, who has now resigned and returned home. The wedding will be held next spring. This is the first time that Luo Jiageng and Luo Jiakang have met. Both of them have inherited the white skin and handsome looks of the Luo family. Several people stood there, Luo Jiaxiu was calm and steady, Luo Jiageng was open and honest, and they seemed to be more generous than Luo Jiakang and Luo Zhenhong.
Eleventh Lady sighed secretly, and her eyes fell on the little girl who was leaning against Grandma Luo Si.
"Is it Yingniang?"
Yingniang had grown into a big girl, and looked more like Luo Si's grandmother. Although she was not very pretty, her eyebrows were full of sunshine and bright moon, which made people feel comfortable when they saw her.
"Aunt Eleven!" She smiled and stepped forward to salute.
"Ying Niang, do you still remember me?" Xu Lingyi asked her with a smile.
"I remember!" Yingniang smiled, very cheerfully, "There was a pomegranate tree where my aunt Eleven lived. When I was a child, I wanted to pick pomegranate flowers, but I couldn't reach it. I still remember that the Marquis held me in his arms."
Xu Lingyi turned to Shiyi Niang and smiled, "What a good memory!" He seemed very happy.
Luo Zhensheng and his wife were also very happy to see that Yingniang was liked by Xu Lingyi. Grandma Luo pointed to a five or six-year-old girl next to Yingniang and said, "This is Huiniang." She also pointed to a one-year-old boy in the arms of the wet nurse and said, "This is Duger!"
After she gave birth to Yingniang and Huiniang, there was no news of her anymore. Duger was born to Luo Zhensheng's concubine Yiliu.
Eleventh Lady introduced several children of the Xu family to the Luo family.
Everyone chatted and laughed for a while before going into the house and sitting down.
Twelve Niang and Wang Ze came over with their children.
The room was bustling again. Especially Sixth Aunt, she was so excited that she didn't know what to say when she touched Twelve Aunt's two children.
"It's a pity that the fifth sister went to the fifth brother-in-law, otherwise it would be more lively!" Twelve Niang sighed.
"We won't return to Yuhang until after the Chinese New Year." Grandma Luo said with a smile, "Write to her and ask her to return to Yanjing for the Chinese New Year."
"Okay, okay!" Twelve Niang was very happy.
Xu Lingyi suddenly stood up and asked, "Why don't I see Fifth Aunt?"
All the sounds in the room stopped abruptly as if cut off by a knife. Everyone's eyes fell on Luo Zhenxing.
"Fifth Aunt is having trouble adapting to the local climate." He coughed softly, "She is resting in the house..."
Xu Lingyi glanced at Shiyi Niang and said calmly, "Then let's go and greet Fifth Aunt! And take the children to show her a look."
Eleventh Lady's nose felt sore and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Okay!" Her vision was a little blurry. She followed Xu Lingyi to see the Fifth Aunt. She saw Xu Lingyi bow to the Fifth Aunt, saw the Fifth Aunt avoid him in panic, saw Jing'er calling her "Grandma", and saw the Fifth Aunt crying silently with a handkerchief covering her face...
* * * * * *
"Hey, hey, hey, stop crying!" Xu Lingyi looked at Shiyi Niang with a mixture of laughter and tears, "If you keep crying, your eyes will swell up like peaches!"
"I met my mother's family," Eleventh Lady wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, tears falling again, as if they would never stop, "I'm happy!"
Eleventh Lady rarely gets so excited.
Xu Lingyi smiled, sighed, and held her in his arms.
Eleventh Lady leaned on Xu Lingyi's shoulder, and in the dimly lit carriage, she gently shook his hand.
Xu Lingyi hugged her back tightly and kissed her cheek lovingly.
In the carriage, it was silent, yet peaceful.
* * * * * *
"Oh! Aunt is here too!" The lady looked at Jing'er with a smile.
"Yes!" Jing'er's face was full of excitement. "She looks like my mother! She smells sweet, speaks softly, and...she made a lot of clothes for me and fed me watermelons..."
The lady laughed.
Xu Lingyi, who was standing at the side, smiled and said, "Mother, since Auntie is here, we can't be too rude. I think the lotus flowers in Biyi Lake are in full bloom these two days, so why not choose a day and have Auntie accompany us to our house. What do you think?"
The lady was a little surprised.
Eleventh Lady held her breath unconsciously.
"Okay!" The lady thought for a moment and said with a smile, "I think it's better to do it today than to wait for a day. We will prepare tomorrow, how about the day after tomorrow?" The last sentence was said while looking at Eleventh Lady.
"Okay!" Eleventh Lady nodded with a smile, tears flashing in the corners of her eyes.
※
After seeing my friend's suggestion about making up for the extra chapters, I want to explain here. Because I was ill before, I couldn't fulfill my promise to update on weekends. Now I want to make up for the overdue chapters. I'm afraid that everyone will misunderstand, so I wrote down the date of the extra chapters.
O(∩_∩)O~
I will find time these days to pay back all the debts I owe.
Today is my first day back at work after being discharged from the hospital. I have to report for leave and have some other things to do, so I can't update any more. I will continue to update tomorrow!
It's not a pleasant feeling to be in debt...
O(∩_∩)O~