For several days in a row, Jing'er ran out. Yingniang was bored and had nothing to do. She took the opportunity to ask Jing'er, "It's almost the New Year. People are everywhere on the street buying New Year goods. What's fun? Didn't you say you would practice Cuju these days? Why don't you practice again? Are you not going to the palace on the fourth day of the New Year?"

"Who said I won't go to the palace on the fourth day of the New Year?" Jing'er said, "I have something to do these two days, so don't worry about it."

Yingniang's eyes widened when she heard this, and she asked curiously, "What is more important than entering the palace?"

"Don't worry about it." Jing'er ran away with a smile.

All the changes started when the little eunuch came to see him.

Why did the people in the palace look for him? Why did they look for Jing'er instead of the father-in-law? And from the looks of it, he was hiding it from his mother-in-law.

Yingniang couldn't guess what was going on, so she told Xu Sijie: "...even if I want to borrow money from Jin'er, Jin'er doesn't have to run out every day!"

"Don't make wild guesses." Xu Sijie said with a smile, "He's grown up, he should know how to behave! If you're really worried, I'll go ask the stable boy what he's been doing these days."

Yingniang nodded: "I hope we are just going out for fun."

Xu Sijie laughed: "I see, you have nothing to do!"

"You are the one who has nothing to do!" Yingniang said angrily, and asked about his affairs in the outer courtyard, "...Do you have so many posts to write? Don't you have a place to go?"

"I'm telling you, don't tell anyone!" Xu Sijie said with a smile, "Some of the notes were written by my father for my fourth brother. There were a lot of urgent things to do during those two days, so my fourth brother called me over to imitate his handwriting and help him write a few notes. I was afraid that I would let it slip if I gave it to someone else. It took only two days to finish. I saw that my fourth brother was so busy and we were free, so I helped him with some trivial matters."

Yingniang had learned housekeeping from Grandma Luo in the past. Sometimes when Grandma Luo was too busy, she would ask her to help write posts.

"It's really hard to ask someone else for this kind of thing." She laughed. "If we let those people take care of Fourth Uncle's handwriting, I'm afraid they will use their power to bully others and do something unmanageable. The family is so busy, and I'm pregnant, so it's fine, but it would be bad if you just stand by and watch."

"I think so too!" The couple chatted for a while, and then the topic turned to the unborn child. "What do you think about naming the child 'Qing'? Qing means joy. Or, naming him 'Zhuang'. Treating him with dignity shows respect!"

All are boys' names.

"Maybe it's a daughter?" Yingniang pouted.

"A daughter is better." Xu Sijie smiled, "Mother likes daughters." He added, "If it's a daughter, then she should be named 'Yun'. The Yun in Yanghua means fragrant vegetable."

"Then what should I be called?" Yingniang smiled.

Yingniang and her sister’s names both start with the character “草” (grass).

Xu Sijie had never noticed it before.

He couldn't help but touch his head: "It's really hard to deal with. We can't just ignore Yingying and give her another name, right?"

Yingniang ignored her, turned and went outside, and told the maid to put up window flowers and clean the house, leaving Xu Sijie alone to worry about it.

The next day, Xu Sijie was busy in the outer courtyard, and sent his personal servant to report Yingniang's words: "The Sixth Young Master has been drinking tea and listening to opera in the teahouse these days."

He said he was bored and wanted to go out to play, but when he went out, he just drank tea in the teahouse.

Yingniang was a little unconvinced: "Didn't you go somewhere else?"

"No!" said the boy. "The stable boy said he didn't go anywhere!"

Yingniang didn't believe it. She went to greet Shiyi Niang that night. When she saw Jing'er was about to leave in a hurry, she immediately chased him out and called out to him, "What are you doing? You even colluded with the people in the stable. If you don't tell me the truth today, I will tell mother!"

"It's really nothing?" Jin Ge'er said with a playful smile, "Just keep an eye on my fifth brother, why are you staring at me every day? Be careful that my fifth brother may keep a maid by his side without telling you."

Although he did not admit that he had colluded with the people in the stable, he did not deny it either.

"Your fifth brother is not that kind of person." Although Yingniang's face was flushed, she did not let go of Jing'er, "Stop making a feint to the east and attacking in the west."

"I didn't expect that Fifth Sister-in-law even knew about the feint to the east and attack to the west." Jing'er talked nonsense to her, "No wonder Fifth Brother has no one else in the room today."

When Yingniang first got married, she also felt strange and asked Amber quietly. Amber covered her mouth and smiled: "Madam asked the fifth young master, and the fifth young master said it was not necessary."

Her face turned red at that time.

Later, when she became pregnant, she wanted to arrange someone for Xu Sijie to be with her, but was rejected by Xu Sijie. He even told her very embarrassedly: "Let's just live a good life together!"

Yingniang was even more grateful for Shiyi Niang's kindness and felt that she had chosen a good husband for her.

"Who did you learn this from?" Ying Niang was angry and amused. She gently twisted Jing'er's ear and said, "How did you become so rude? You dare to say anything!"

"Oh!" Jing'er just ignored her and covered his ears and shouted, "Fifth brother, come and help me, Fifth sister-in-law hit me." He tried to divert attention.

Xu Sijie was talking to Xu Sizhun about the outer courtyard, so his steps were naturally very slow, and Jiang followed behind Xu Sizhun. No matter how slow Xu Sizhun was, he could not pass him. Before the three of them walked out of the hall, they heard Jing'er's call, and they were all shocked, especially Xu Sijie. He knew that Yingniang and Jing'er had always been very casual, and Yingniang had a cheerful personality... Could it be that the joke was too much?

As the thought flashed through his mind, he quickly took two steps forward and lifted the curtain to walk out, just in time to see Yingniang twisting Jing'er's ear.

"What are you doing?" Xu Sijie stepped forward and advised Yingniang, "You are his sister-in-law! He is still young. If there is anything wrong, just talk to him nicely. What's the point of twisting his ears like this?"

Yingniang looked at Jing'er, who was taller than her, and was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "Stop pampering him! He was spoiled by you guys!" After saying that, she let go.

Jin Ge'er immediately jumped aside, covered his ears, grimaced in pain, and hid behind Xu Sijie in a timid manner: "Fifth brother, you have to take good care of Fifth Sister-in-law. My ears are so painful when she twisted them!"

After hearing this, Yingniang twisted his ear again.

Xu Sijie hurried to stop Yingniang.

Jinger took the opportunity to run out: "No wonder Confucius said that only women and villains are difficult to raise!"

Jiang, who came out with them, happened to see this scene.

Her eyes dimmed.

After all, they are cousins, and Jin'er treats Yingniang much more affectionately than he treats her and Xiang!

Jiang couldn't help but look at Yingniang.

Yingniang held her waist and laughed.

The not-so-pretty face was as bright as the sun, brightening people's mood when they saw it.

Xu Sijie smiled and put his arm around Yingniang's shoulders: "You are pregnant, be careful. Don't make trouble with him." His tone was very gentle.

* * * * * *

The more Jing'er acted like this, the more Yingniang felt that Jing'er must be hiding something important from the family. She wanted to ask him several times, but Jing'er hid when she saw her. Yingniang couldn't help but worry secretly. She went to Qingyinju several times under the pretext of having to show off, but found nothing. She also asked her personal maid to secretly go to the laundry room to inquire, and she came back to say that Jing'er's clothes, shoes and socks were not damaged or dirty than usual, and there was nothing unusual.

After a few days, Xu Siyu and his wife brought Yingying back from Le'an to celebrate the New Year.

As soon as he entered the room, he asked Jing'er, "Why can't I see him? Didn't you say he was appointed as the commander-in-chief? He should be at home, right?"

Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang were not there. Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie were at the door to greet Xu Siyu.

"He said he was bored at home, so he just kept going out these days!" Xu Sizhun smiled and asked Xu Siyu, "Why didn't you send someone to tell us that my second brother is back so that we can send someone to pick him up!"

"I decided to come back at the last minute!" Xu Siyu felt a little uncomfortable and asked about Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang's whereabouts. He found out that they were out giving New Year gifts to others. He then asked about Xu Sijie's homework: "...I didn't do well in the college entrance examination, so I can take it again next year!" Xu Sijie passed the county and prefectural examinations in one go, but failed the last college entrance examination. "Don't worry! Good things take time. Not many people can pass it in one try."

Xu Sijie blushed slightly.

Xu Sizhun saw Xiang standing by with a sallow complexion and looked very haggard, and Yingying also fell asleep on the wet nurse's shoulder. He smiled and said, "Second brother has been traveling a long way, and Second sister-in-law and Yingying are also exhausted. Why don't you go back and wash up first, and then greet grandmother, and then we brothers can have a good talk."

"Look at me, I'm just busy talking!" Xu Siyu smiled embarrassedly. Xu Sizhun called a small oil cart with a green curtain to send them back to the house, and sent someone to tell Jiang: "Second sister-in-law and the others are back, you can go over and see them later!"

Jiang agreed with a smile, and thought Xu Siyu should have finished packing, so she went to Xu Siyu's place. On the way, she met Yingniang, and the two of them chatted and laughed as they entered the house.

When the sisters-in-law meet, there is a sense of kinship, and when they greet the lady-in-law, there is another lively atmosphere.

Only then did everyone know that Xiang was pregnant!

"She said she wanted to wait for the birth of her baby in the mansion," Xu Siyu's face flushed slightly, "so she rushed back from Le'an!"

"It's good to be back, it's good to be back!" The old lady nodded continuously, "We have everything at home. Le'an is a small place after all." Then she instructed the second lady, "Go and talk to Eleventh Lady, and ask her to arrange a few experienced people to serve Roune."

Le'an is Jiang's maiden home.

Jiang lowered her eyelids after listening.

Xu Siyu and others felt a little uncomfortable.

The Madam Tai was unaware of this and continued talking to Xu Sizhun, "Why haven't your father and mother come back yet? Send someone to urge them to come back. We are waiting for them to eat!"

I just had lunch.

Everyone couldn't help but look out the window.

The winter sun outside is warm.

Yingniang discovered that a servant beside Jing'er was talking to a little maid in the lady's room under a tree. While talking, he was looking towards the main room, and his every move showed that he was very anxious.

Yingniang's heart moved.

Seeing that no one else noticed, she found an opportunity and tiptoed out the door.

The boy has disappeared.

Yingniang called the little maid over to ask, "What did the Sixth Young Master's servant say to you just now?"

"In reply to Fifth Young Madam's question," the little maid said respectfully, "Sixth Young Master's servant asked if Fourth Madam was here with Madam Tai?"

Looking for mother-in-law, but doing it behind everyone's back?

Yingniang hurriedly chased after him and just happened to see the boy's back.

She breathed a sigh of relief and asked the maid beside her to call the boy: "Did something happen to the Sixth Young Master?"

When the servant saw that it was Yingniang, he immediately started crying: "The Sixth Young Master had a fight with someone, I, I came back to report the news."

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O(∩_∩)O~

Post a draft first!

PS: Make up for the extra update on October 5th!