The whole house was in motion.

The concierge ran to tell Xu Lingyi, Madam Tai, and Shiyi Niang the news. Xu Lingyi nodded expressionlessly, but stood up and said to the stewards who came to greet him in the room, "Let's stop here for today. We'll talk about it in the afternoon. I'll go say hello to my uncle."

Just say hello, who would ask? Is there any need to explain to these people?

The stewards stood up one after another and escorted Xu Lingyi out. Someone had already told the servants in the inner courtyard to go to the Madam and Eleventh Lady to congratulate them.

The red lady beside the Madam frowned slightly, and from time to time she turned back to urge the servants who were carrying the sedan chair behind her: "Hurry up, Madam, the Madam is waiting. Sister Yuban was a little slow in finding the cloak and was scolded by the Madam. The madams should give me face and let me complete this task in front of the Madam."

"Don't worry, young lady, I won't delay you." The two maids heard that Yuban had been scolded, so they didn't dare to be careless. They quickened their pace and entered the yard panting. They saw Madam Du coming over in a hurry: "Why are you here at this time? Come on, come on, the lady is waiting under the eaves!"

The two maids were so frightened that they carried the sedan chair and trotted towards the main house.

Yuban had already brought a sable skin quilt for the sedan chair. Two maids helped the lady onto the sedan chair. She immediately put the quilt on the lady. Another maid handed over a hand warmer. Mama Du supported the sedan chair, while Yuban and Zhihong followed beside them. Behind them, a large group of maids, wives, and old women surrounded them. They went to the main room in a hurry.

Eleventh Lady pulled Jing'er under the eaves and was looking at his face carefully.

There was a small red mark, but if his skin wasn't so white, it wouldn't be so obvious.

"Does it still itch?" she asked, touching the red mark lovingly. "You're still hiding it from mother! If your second brother hadn't sent the medicine in time, I'm afraid it wouldn't have healed so quickly!"

Jing'er laughed: "Mom, if you weren't always so nervous, would I not tell you? I'm grown up now, and I know what's good for me. If I was really uncomfortable, I wouldn't keep silent. I'm the one who's uncomfortable and in pain, so why should I be so hard on myself? Isn't that stupid?" He said, "Mom, have you told grandma?" He looked a little nervous.

"I'm not like you." Eleventh Lady pretended to be stern, "How can I not tell the Madam about such a big thing!"

"Oh!" Jing'er couldn't help but get anxious, "She's old, she won't be anxious if she knows." Then he pulled Shiyi Niang and was about to go out, "Let's go to grandma quickly. Grandma won't be at ease unless she sees me."

"You, kid, still have some conscience." Eleventh Lady tapped his forehead, "Even you understand this truth, but I don't!" Then she smiled and said, "Don't worry, I didn't tell your grandmother a word." As she said that, she rubbed her son's hair, "But you, don't let anything slip!"

"Mom, am I that kind of person?" Jinger said unconvincedly, and even puffed out his chest, pretending to be a man of integrity. Then he pouted again, "Mom, you can't pat my head anymore. I'm going to get married in a few years. If my wife sees me still like a baby, she won't take my words to heart..." to make her mother happy.

"Nonsense!" Eleventh Lady couldn't help laughing, but she stopped stroking the child's head. "How old are you this year? You should get married. Study hard for me." At this point, her expression became serious. "Have you seen your grandfather? How is his health? And your grandmother and your uncles and cousins, are they all in good health?"

"I met my grandfather. He liked me very much. Not only did he take me to Gushan, he also gave me a Longquan sword and asked me to visit him in Yuhang in two years." Jing'er said excitedly, "Do you know that my grandfather worshipped Taoism and set up a furnace in the other courtyard to make elixirs? He also told me to write Qingci! I still remember one I wrote..."

Eleventh Lady felt that sweat was coming out at her temples.

"You said your grandfather asked you to go to Yuhang to visit him in two years?" She interrupted her son and asked, "How did you answer?"

"Of course I agreed." Jing'er said, and put his arm around Shiyi Niang's shoulders with a playful smile, "Mom, this is what my grandfather meant! Besides, you have always told me to be honest and keep my promises since I was a child. When the time comes, you won't put up obstacles in my way, right?"

Although he looked a little indifferent when he said this, his eyes showed some seriousness. It can be seen that he really wants to go to Yuhang again.

Eleventh Lady suddenly felt like pie had fallen from the sky.

She never naively thought that her son's trip to Jiangnan would completely erase his impression of the Northwest, but she just hoped that her son could learn more about the world through this trip to Jiangnan. When he made his choice, he knew that he had other options.

"Do you like Jiangnan?" she asked Jing'er, her voice a little cautious.

"I like it!" Jing'er looked at his mother with some confusion.

He likes Jiangnan, Yuhang, and his grandfather... His mother should be happy, so why does she look a little worried?

After getting a clear answer, Eleventh Lady breathed a sigh of relief and held her son's arm tightly, wanting to ask him in detail about what he had seen and heard along the way. A gust of wind blew over, bringing a chill that was bone-chilling.

She laughed.

I was too impatient.

"Let's go back to the house!" Eleventh Lady held her son's hand, "It's too cold outside!" As soon as she finished speaking, she heard someone say, "Sixth brother is back!"

Eleventh Lady and Jing'er couldn't help but look towards the door and saw Xu Siyu walking in with a smile.

"Second brother!" Jing'er stepped forward and saluted him, "Congratulations, you passed the imperial examination. This is the first time in our family!"

Xu Siyu was slightly surprised.

In his impression, this younger brother was a man of strong character, domineering, and unwilling to admit defeat. Unexpectedly, the first thing he said when they met was to congratulate him. There was even a tone of admiration in his voice.

"You still remember me!" He suppressed the strangeness in his heart and looked at the strange yet familiar boy in front of him, "We haven't seen each other for two or three years."

"How could I not remember!" Jinger laughed, "You always went boating with me every time you came back."

Xu Siyu recalled the time when he held him in his arms when he was a child and laughed.

There was a noise outside.

A little maid ran in: "Madam, Second Young Master, Sixth Young Master, the Madam is here!"

When everyone heard this, they hurried out and ran into the lady in the hall.

"Jin'er!" From a distance, the lady opened her arms, "You're back!"

Jinger went forward and hugged the lady. "Are you okay? What did you do when I was not at home? Did Madam Du and Zhihong often play cards with you? The New Year is coming soon. Did Master Jining bring a lot of amulets to you to ask for incense money?"

"You are such a naughty kid." The lady said angrily, but her face was filled with joy that she couldn't hide. "How dare you bring up Master Jining? Be careful that the Bodhisattva finds out." As she spoke, she put her hands together and bowed towards the west. "Please forgive me, Bodhisattva. He is young and ignorant. I will burn some incense for you tomorrow." She told Jin Ge'er, "Quick, pray to the Bodhisattva!"

Jinger bowed to the west with a bitter face: "Buddha, I will never speak nonsense again!"

Everyone laughed.

Jing'er helped the lady and the group went to the main house.

The guests sat down according to their status, and the maid served tea and snacks. Eleventh Lady was worried about Luo Zhenxing who was in the outer courtyard. Not only did he take Jing'er for a walk, but in order to send Jing'er back in time for the New Year, he only stayed at home for a few days before setting off. He probably didn't even have time to say a few more words to his son.

Leaving behind the Dowager and Xu Siyu who were talking happily with Jin'er, Shiyi Niang went to the study in the outer courtyard.

Xu Lingyi was talking to Luo Zhenxing, and when he saw her come in, he hurriedly asked, "Where's Jin'er?"

"I'm talking to my mother!" Eleventh Lady smiled and stepped forward to bow respectfully to Luo Zhenxing, "Big brother, thank you for troubling me this time!"

"We are family, so we should keep separate conversations." Luo Zhenxing said with a smile, "I have gained a lot from being with Jing'er. To be honest, it was all thanks to Jing'er!" Then he mentioned Jing'er's blister, "It was me who failed to take good care of Jing'er..."

"I just said 'We are one family, so we should not talk behind each other', why am I being so polite?" Xu Lingyi smiled and raised the teacup in his hand, "Try it, Junshan Silver Needle."

Luo Zhenxing said no more. He smiled and took a sip of tea. Then he closed his eyes and tasted it for a while. He took another sip and said with a smile, "It's sweet and refreshing. It's different from the sweet and mellow Longjing. It's really a good tea."

"Then take some back." Xu Lingyi smiled and called Denghua to pack tea for Luo Zhenxing.

Luo Zhenxing thanked him with a smile, but there was a hint of hesitation on his face.

"Just say whatever you want to say!" Xu Lingyi looked at him and smiled, "There's no outsider in this room!"

Luo Zhenxing's expression relaxed and he laughed, but he still thought for a moment before saying, "This time when I went out, I went to see my fifth brother-in-law!"

"Zichun!" Xu Lingyi was a little surprised.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but listen attentively.

Wu Niang had been living in Yanjing for the past two years. Whenever she met her during festivals or weddings or funerals, she would only talk about the two children and hardly mention Qian Ming. Even if someone mentioned him, she would only reply with polite words. She had a vague feeling that something might have gone wrong between them, but since Wu Niang didn't say anything, she naturally didn't dare to ask.

"You should know what the situation is like in Wendeng even if I don't tell you. If it weren't for the rampant bandits and refugees there, Zichun wouldn't have been the magistrate of Wendeng." Luo Zhenxing said solemnly, "I didn't expect that Zichun had been in Wendeng for only five or six years, but he had made Wendeng a place where no one picked up things or locked their doors at night. The people who showed us the way heard that I was Zichun's relative, so they not only took us to the government office in person, but also insisted on giving us the eggs in the basket..."

Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang were both surprised.

Luo Zhenxing nodded seriously, with a bitter expression on his face: "He is a fellow Jinshi, and if he has a chance, he can govern an area well..." He stopped here.

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The update is a bit late, please read it tomorrow morning!

O(∩_∩)O~

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