Eleventh Lady didn't pay attention to these things. She was busy packing Jing'er's luggage.

"Don't bring teacups, whisks, and the like. Just bring some leather coats and boots. Although Jiayuguan is remote, I believe it's not an uninhabited place. If you really need something, just buy it locally." He looked up and saw Jing'er holding a black gold horse whip, and said, "Don't bring these things with you. Even if you have the care of the general of Jiayuguan, you must be able to live in peace with the people around you. The most important thing is not to think that you are superior to others. I don't know how many talented and capable people have been defeated by their arrogant temper."

"I understand!" Jing'er handed the horsewhip to Ajin reluctantly and put it away.

Xu Lingyi came in: "Have you packed everything?"

"It's all packed!" said Eleventh Lady. Thinking of the people who accompanied Jing'er to the northwest this time, she hesitated and said, "How about letting Changshun stay in Beijing? He is still young, and the northwest is too hard..."

Changshun is nine years old this year. He is fair-skinned and thin, and has nothing in common with Changan. A steward joked that Changshun is a typical northerner with southern appearance.

"Let him go!" Xu Lingyi said with a smile, "I have already arranged it. When they go to Jiayuguan, they will rent a yard outside the military camp. Except for Jing'er, everyone else will live there. Jing'er will go there when he has a day off. This way, Master Pang can continue to teach him martial arts, and the teachers he has followed can check his homework. When there is nothing to do, he can teach Chang'an, Liu Erwu and others martial arts and homework. Changshun can also learn a lot by following them."

Eleventh Lady always felt that the lineup was too luxurious, like going on vacation instead of going to suffer. If it were normal, she would definitely remind Xu Lingyi tactfully, but after hearing the conditions Xu Lingyi offered to Jing'er, she felt that she was too suspicious. Xu Lingyi obviously had already made arrangements for these.

The two discussed some specific matters regarding Jing'er's trip and went to the lady's place together.

The lady was looking through the almanac: "…March 22nd is a good day, but in a few days it will be April 8th. Anyway, it won’t be long, so we might as well worship the Bodhisattva before leaving, so that the Bodhisattva can bless us with a safe journey and everything goes well…That is April 12th…I just went to burn incense to the Bodhisattva, so I’d better rest for a few more days and set off again after I’m fully rested…April 18th…April 24th…or let’s leave after April 26th…"

If we continue to calculate like this, there will be no suitable day.

Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang could not help but look at each other helplessly.

"Mother, I think March 22nd is a good time." The second wife smiled at the two of them and said softly, "Jiayuguan is not like Beijing, which has four seasons. It's either cold or hot there. It's best to leave at this time. If it's later, it will be hot there. It's not good to get a heat stroke on the road!"

"Really?" In the old lady's memory, it was always very cold there and people had to wear jackets in June. But her memory was not as good as before and she was a little undecided. She looked at Xu Lingyi suspiciously.

Xu Lingyi couldn't help but cough lightly: "March is the best time to leave." There was no direct denial, nor was there any affirmation.

"Mother, if you go earlier, you can come back earlier." The Second Madam looked at him and smiled, "Just think about it, on your birthday next year, Brother Jin will be able to celebrate your birthday. How wonderful!"

The lady nodded slightly, "Okay, we'll set off on March 22." Then she told Eleventh Lady, "Since it's hot over there, remember to bring him a few more fans. There are no good things to sell in those remote places in Jiayuguan."

Eleventh Lady responded with a smile.

Jing'er just smiled at the second lady.

The lady then asked in detail what clothes and utensils he had brought, and only stopped when she yawned.

The Second Madam saw the two of them off, and took out a small red lacquer lotus-carved box from her sleeve and handed it to Jing'er: "It's a compass, keep it carefully, and don't forget to identify the direction."

The meaning is profound.

I don’t know if Jin Ge’er understood or not. He thanked them with a smile as usual, and followed Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang back to the main house.

Over there, Fang and Jiang were sitting side by side on the kang and talking: "...He couldn't remember anything at the beginning, so I found appropriate places and pointed out the scenery and told him to recite it sentence by sentence. Now he can not only recite the poems fluently, but also tell me what this sentence means and what that sentence means." There was a hint of pride in Fang's expression.

"Sister-in-law is so clever, how come she came up with such an idea!" Jiang sighed while laughing, "I'll try it when I get home. Let's see if our brother can recite a few more poems." She added, "Brother Ting only likes to eat fish, not meat. Does sister-in-law have any good ideas?"

"Little kid, there's nothing you don't like to eat!" Fang said with a smile, "Just watch how the woman in the kitchen prepares it..."

The two exchanged views on raising children, and soon the sun was setting. Jiang stood up to say goodbye. Fang did not want to keep her, but accompanied her to say goodbye to the Third Madam, and then sent her to the car.

Jin came over and asked, "What is Fourth Brother's wife doing here?"

"Chat with me!" Fang watched Jiang's carriage leave the alley before turning around.

Jin was puzzled.

"My second sister-in-law is my second aunt's niece, and my fifth sister-in-law is my fourth aunt's niece. She is stuck in the middle and has a hard time." Fang explained, "She will feel much better if she has someone to gossip with."

"Is Fourth Brother's wife worrying too much?" Jin murmured, "Second Sister-in-law will move out sooner or later, and Fifth Uncle won't be able to manage the household, so why is her life so difficult?"

Fang smiled and said nothing.

There are some things that Jin Shi cannot understand. Because she is just like her second and fifth brothers and sisters-in-law, when something happens, someone will naturally come forward...

* * * * * *

Jiang and Fang talked for a long time and felt much better. When they returned home, they heard that Jing'er would leave on March 22nd, so they discussed what kind of gift Xu Sizhun should give.

"He is not an outsider, so there is no need to be so serious." Xu Sizhun said with a smile, "When the time comes, I will send him out of the city and quietly give him a few hundred taels of silver."

"Is this appropriate?" Jiang hesitated, "I heard that my fifth uncle and his wife gave my sixth brother a copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals, and even joked that my sixth uncle should read it under the lamp!"

Xu Sizhun smiled and said nothing more. Instead, he talked about the household affairs: "... Marquis Weibei is getting married. Did mother say anything?"

Jiang couldn't help but frown secretly.

Is it more important for the Weibei Marquis family to marry a daughter-in-law or for Jing'er's marriage ceremony to be more important?

"Mother said to give them a pair of vases and a folding screen." She said lightly, bringing the topic back to the topic. "What do you think about giving them a set of four treasures of the study? Uncle Sixth can use them, and it won't make Uncle Five too embarrassed."

"I heard that mother collected all the toys that Sixth Brother usually played with, and didn't let him take any of them with him." Xu Sizhun smiled, "I think it's better to just give him a box of pens. I'll also give him some silver in private."

Jiang felt that this was inappropriate.

"Fifth uncle only has the land and property that my father-in-law gave him when he got married, and the dowry of my fifth brother's wife. Adding the two together, I estimate that the income is no more than two thousand taels of silver a year." She said implicitly, "Fifth uncle and fifth brother's wife don't have to compare with us, but at least they should be about the same. If the gift we give is too expensive, I'm afraid fifth uncle and fifth brother's wife will be embarrassed!"

"I know!" Xu Sizhun said with a smile, "So I secretly gave some money to my sixth brother - among the brothers, we have the most abundant income, and the same gift as my fifth brother is a little shabby."

But there's no need to send it so secretly!

Jiang didn't say anything more.

If she continued, Xu Sizun might misunderstand that she was reluctant and wanted to compare herself with her uncles in every way.

She sighed secretly in her heart, then made up her mind and just ignored it, continuing with the previous conversation: "Mother meant that we should all go to Weibei Marquis's Mansion for the wedding banquet."

"Okay!" Xu Sizhun said with a smile, "You haven't bought new jewelry for two years. Why not take this opportunity to invite a goldsmith to come to your house and make jewelry! It's just right for you to wear it at the wedding banquet."

Instead of worrying about these things, it is better to think about how to handle the general affairs!

"Let's talk about it after Uncle Six leaves!" Jiang was a little disappointed. "If I bring it up to Mother now, I'm afraid she will be upset." She added, "How's the rice shop that my husband mentioned last time going?"

Xu Sizhun said without much interest: "General Manager Bai sent a steward to Dezhou, and there will be no news until the end of March." But he was muttering in his heart: those maids and wives were very happy to hear that they had new clothes to wear and new jewelry to make. He saw that his wife was not very happy these days, so he proposed to invite the goldsmith to come to the mansion to make jewelry, just to make her happy, but she seemed to be uninterested...

"Investing 100,000 taels of silver in one go is a big deal." Jiang said softly, "My husband should also ask about it. You can't rely on the steward for everything."

"Father has his own ideas on these matters." Xu Sizhun laughed, "Besides, if he doesn't take charge of things, what's the point of him doing that?"

"That being said, your father-in-law has entrusted you with the chores, so you should take care of them. If you take care of more things, your father-in-law can take care of less..." Jiang advised softly, but Xu Sizhun's heart was no longer on this.

His wife always likes him to take care of things...

Thinking of this, he couldn't help feeling a little melancholy.

* * * * * *

On March 22, Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie escorted Jing'er out of Shilipu. Jing'er bowed to Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie very solemnly and said, "Daddy and Mommy are leaving their care to you two brothers!"

"Don't worry, we will take care of mother. As for you, be careful on the way..." Xu Sizhun said, and when Xu Sijie was not paying attention, he stuffed a purse into his pocket and whispered, "Keep it ready for emergency."

Jinger smiled happily, said thank you, and quickly stuffed the purse into his sleeve: "If the fourth and fifth brothers are free, come to Jiayuguan to play!"

"Sure, sure." Xu Sizhun waved to Jing'er with a smile.

Jing'er rode away on his horse.

Master Pang and others hurriedly caught up, leaving behind a trail of billowing yellow smoke.

Xu Sijie couldn't help but sigh: "Sixth brother rides the horse so well!" There was a hint of envy in his tone.

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Post a draft first.

O(∩_∩)O~

PS: There will be more updates for everyone to read tomorrow morning!