Eleventh Lady thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Since you are here to accompany me, you can live in the west wing in the backyard!"

Generally, families with daughters would arrange for their daughters to live in the west wing in the backyard.

Amber smiled and said "yes", and discussed with her how to decorate the house, how many maids and servants to prepare, and so on, changing the subject.

In the evening, when she went to pay her respects to the Madam, Shiyi Niang asked Chen Ge'er, "Is Jiayuguan fun?"

"It's fun, fun!" Brother Chen nodded repeatedly.

It has been two days since he returned, but the excitement of the journey has not yet faded. Whenever someone mentions Jiayuguan to him, he will talk endlessly about what he saw and heard in Jiayuguan.

"Their walls are this high." He ran from one end of the house to the other with his arms outstretched. "The plaque is this long," and then ran from one end to the other. "I can't even see the corner tower when I look up... There's sand everywhere... I have to cover my face with a scarf... The mutton is delicious... I also saw people with yellow hair and green eyes... riding camels..."

Everyone listened to him with laughter.

Seeing that it was getting late, Xu Lingkuan smiled and pulled his collar: "Okay, okay, go and have a rest! We'll talk tomorrow."

Brother Chen bowed to the lady in a cowardly manner.

Eleventh Lady went out with them and asked Chen Ge'er with a smile: "It's so much fun outside the Great Wall, why don't you go with Jin Ge'er? With your fourth uncle here, are you still afraid of being kidnapped?"

"Daddy wouldn't let me." Chen Ge'er felt very aggrieved and pouted, "He said they had gone too far and he dragged me back."

Eleventh Lady looked at Xu Lingkuan with a smile.

Xu Lingkuan's face flushed. "Sister-in-law, yes, it was my brother who didn't allow me to tell you because he was afraid you would worry... It's okay, it's okay. My brother is just taking Jin'er to see where he used to be stationed. The general of Jiayuguan will be accompanying him personally, so he'll be fine."

She knew why Xu Lingyi would spend the New Year in Xuantong Mansion because of Fan Weigang's request.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but worry.

In winter, people outside the border have little food and clothing, so they like to attack the border guards in winter. Will they encounter any danger when they leave the border? Moreover, when Xu Lingyi conquered the northwest, he was a hero to the Great Zhou, but to those people in the northwest, he was an irreconcilable enemy.

"Why don't you try to persuade your fourth brother? This is no joke." She couldn't help but frown, "What if something happens?"

Xu Lingkuan murmured, unable to utter a word.

Madam Wu, who had heard everything clearly, could not help but get anxious and blamed Xu Lingkuan: "Why are you so confused? Fourth brother didn't listen to you, so why didn't you write a letter and tell mother? Not only did you run back without saying a word, but you also helped Fourth brother hide it from the family. How can I say anything good about you!"

Eleventh Lady is his sister-in-law, so she can just say whatever she wants to him. But this is his wife, so Xu Lingkuan couldn't help but say, "Now that things have come to this, if I don't keep it a secret for Fourth Brother, how can I tell Mother? If anything happens to Mother, I will be blamed even if I die a thousand times."

The Fifth Lady ignored him and discussed with Eleventh Lady directly: "Fourth Sister-in-law, what the Fifth Master said makes sense. Now that things have come to this, I think this matter must not be known to Mother anyway..."

If she didn't want to hide it from the lady, why would she ask Brother Chen's question after she left the house?

"I thought so too." Eleventh Lady sighed and asked Xu Lingkuan, "Did the Marquis tell me when he would come back? Where are you going?"

Xu Lingkuan chuckled, "I'm afraid we won't set off until the beginning of next spring. As for where we're going, Fourth Brother didn't tell me."

Eleventh Lady pondered for a moment and said, "I want to write a letter to your fourth brother. How can he receive it?"

"Just send it to Jiayuguan!" Xu Lingkuan said with a smile, "The commander of Jiayuguan turned out to be Fourth Brother's lieutenant general." Then he comforted her, "Don't worry, Fourth Sister-in-law. The commander of Jiayuguan knows that Jin Ge'er is Fourth Brother's youngest son. Even if Fourth Brother is lost, he won't dare to let anyone hurt Jin Ge'er..."

How can this be comforting!

Madam Wu hurriedly said to Xu Lingkuan, "Master Wu, Sister-in-law knows that Brother Si has gone outside the Great Wall and is worried. You should ask Sister-in-law to write a letter and then send someone to deliver it to Jiayu Pass as fast as possible. It's getting late. If we continue, it will be dawn soon. We have delayed another day. In a few days, it will be the Little New Year. Don't let that happen when you have money but can't find someone to deliver the letter."

"Yes, yes!" Xu Lingkuan said hurriedly, "Fourth sister-in-law, please write the letter quickly. Maybe Fourth Brother will receive your letter and change his mind."

Even if I change my mind, it's impossible for me to come back for the New Year.

Eleventh Lady sighed secretly in her heart. She agreed with Xu Lingkuan to come and get the letter early tomorrow morning, and hurried back to the house.

Xu Lingkuan looked at her retreating figure and couldn't help asking, "How did Fourth Sister-in-law know that Fourth Brother wasn't with Fan Weigang?"

* * * * * *

Eleventh Lady barely slept all night. The next morning, she asked Hubo to deliver the letter to Fifth Lady.

Xu Sijie came to greet her. Seeing that she was not in good spirits, he asked someone to bring in a cup of hot goat's milk: "Mother, you should drink less hot tea." He added, "Every year during the New Year, we follow the old rules. The youngest housekeeper has ten years of experience and knows what to do with her eyes closed. Mother, drink the hot goat's milk and take a rest! During the New Year, we will worship our ancestors and stay up all night. We will have to go to the palace to pay tribute early in the morning. If you don't take good care of yourself these days, what will you do when the time comes!" He insisted that she take a rest, "I'll come to see you after school!"

Eleventh Lady couldn't bear to reject his kindness, so she asked the maid to spread the bedding on the big kang near the window, and then she lay down on the kang. Xu Sijie watched her drink the goat milk, and then went to school.

"Fifth Young Master is really filial." Amber smiled, "I just hope that your wish will come true!"

You must be referring to Yingniang’s matter!

Eleventh Lady just smiled.

A little maid came in: "Madam, the eldest young lady of the Liang family is here."

Lanting?

Eleventh Lady hurriedly sat up: "Please come in!"

The little maidservant responded and led in Lanting, who was wearing a bright red jacket with gold sleeves all over.

"Why are you lying down in the broad daylight?" She was slightly startled when she saw the quilt on the kang. "What's wrong with you?"

"It's okay!" Eleventh Lady asked to sit on the armchair, "I didn't sleep well yesterday, so I plan to lie down for a while."

Lan Ting heaved a sigh of relief and took the tea from the maid.

Mrs. Liang caught a cold last winter and has not recovered yet. Lan Ting is in charge of the Liang family's household affairs.

"The New Year is almost here, how come you have time to come to my place?" Eleventh Lady asked curiously.

The two of them knew each other before they got married, and they were both straightforward people, so there was no need for so much formality.

"Don't you have a house in Goldfish Lane? I want to rent your house. What do you think is a suitable price?"

Eleventh Lady was shocked: "Why are you renting a house?"

Living in Yanjing was not easy, but both the Liang family and the Gan family could still vacate a small house.

"She's my third sister." Lan Ting treated Shiyi Niang as his best friend and never whitewashed the embarrassing things in the family in front of her. "She wanted to take her son Wen Ge'er back to Yanjing after the New Year."

"What happened?" Eleventh Lady couldn't help but hold Lan Ting's hand tightly.

Lan Ting smiled bitterly: "My third sister didn't want to see the dirty things at home, so when the child was three years old, she moved back to the farm on the pretext of poor health and needed to rest. The first two years were fine. The Jiang family would send food, clothing and other expenses on time. My third sister planted flowers and grass in the yard and taught the child to read and write, which was considered to be very happy. But since the old man of the Jiang family passed away three years ago, the Jiang family kept delaying the payment. Until the year before last, they even said that they couldn't afford it and asked my third sister and the child to move back to the old house. My third sister thought that the child was grown up and needed to study and enlightenment, and couldn't live in the farm with her like this, so she went back." At this point, Lan Ting Ting paused, "Who knew that my brother-in-law actually kept a prostitute in the house. Third sister was afraid that Wen Ge'er would follow suit and wanted to sell the girl, so my brother-in-law simply kept the girl outside. My sister saw that the family was already in a mess, so she made up her mind and said in front of the Jiang family that she would take Wen Ge'er back to Yanjing to visit her relatives. In fact, she planned to live in Yanjing for a long time, and then find a better teacher for Wen Ge'er. When Wen Ge'er has some progress in his studies, she will consider whether to return to Jian'an." He added, "You also know that it is really inconvenient for me. Don't even mention my mother's family, so I have to come to you for help!"

After the fall of Jianning Marquis Yang, Liang's third young mistress Yang died of depression within two years. As soon as the mourning period was over, Liang's third young master remarried. This new third mistress was not only good-looking, but also seven or eight years younger than Liang's third son. Liang's third son became henpecked from then on, and made this third mistress very stubborn. She stared at Lanting with her eyes, hoping that she would do something wrong. If Cao'e lived in the Liang's house, even if she rented it, she would probably be accused of taking advantage. As for Madam Gan, Cao'e was eager to get married before she got married, and now that she is married, she will not keep her.

"This house is renovated every two years, and every time it is renovated, the house is decorated, and every time it is decorated, the house is changed. There are paintings, calligraphy, utensils, tables, chairs, beds and stools everywhere. It's not enough to use all seven rooms in the back as warehouses. It looks big, but there's not much room for you." Eleventh Lady pondered, "I also have a small house in Si'er Hutong. Although it only has two entrances and three rooms, it's small and exquisite, and quiet in a bustling city. If you want to rent a house, you might as well rent the one in Si'er Hutong!"

I've heard that Shiyi Niang's wedding shop is doing good business, but I didn't expect that she actually bought a house in Si'er Hutong.

"That's too expensive. We can't afford it." Lan Ting said frankly, "Besides, I like your house in Goldfish Lane because you have a concubine living there. My third sister will have someone to take care of her there."

But even the four stone pillars under the grape trellis in the yard were antiques from the previous dynasty. Liu Yuanrui's family lived there, and they were just warehouse keepers. How could she rent the house to Cao E!

She thought for a while, "My companion Liu Yuanrui's eldest son got married, and his family of seven or eight people squeezed in there. A few days ago, he told me that he wanted to build a back room. How about this, I only rent the main room and the small kitchen behind it to you, you only pay for three rooms, and Liu Yuanrui's eldest son will move to the back room. In this way, not only can the rent problem be solved, I don't have to build a back room, and Sister Cao'e will have someone to give me courage. What do you think?"

Si'er Hutong is near the six ministries, and most of the residents are officials from the six ministries. It is quiet and there are no ordinary people coming and going. For a woman like Cao'e with a young child, living there is the most suitable place.

Lan Ting knew that Shiyi Niang was helping her, but she had no way to refuse.

She said nothing, but just nodded to Eleventh Lady.

※

I originally wanted to have a good rest over the weekend, but because of the disaster relief work, I won’t have a holiday this weekend!

~~~~(_