"Call them in quickly." Without waiting for Xu Lingyi's order, Eleventh Lady said hurriedly.

The boy ran away.

"Yu'er probably guessed that Jin'er would leave in the next few days." Eleventh Lady laughed, "When Yu'er's wife sent someone to deliver water chestnuts and lotus seeds to us a few days ago, she didn't mention sending anything to Jin'er."

Brothers should live in harmony and help each other.

Xu Lingyi nodded.

The servant brought in two maids, one of whom was Xiang's personal nurse.

The two maids bowed respectfully and happily congratulated Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang.

"We just learned a few days ago that the Sixth Young Master has become the General of Guizhou. Our Second Young Master was so happy. He sent us to Beijing overnight, and finally we made it to the city before the sun went down." Mother Xiang smiled and held up a box wrapped in blue silk cloth with both hands, "This is the gift from our Second Young Master to the Sixth Young Master, and he also said that he wished the Sixth Young Master a bright future and smooth sailing." She also held up a bundle, "This is a few autumn clothes that our Second Young Lady made for the Sixth Young Master. She said she was in a hurry. Please forgive me if there is anything inappropriate."

Leng Xiang stepped forward to take it. Shiyi Niang asked Hanxiao to bring a small stool for the two old women to sit down and talk, and asked about some family matters.

Knowing that Xu Siyu's family was accustomed to the life in Jiaxing, when heavy rains hit Jiaxing in June, Xu Siyu organized young men to protect the dike and made great contributions. The prefect began to respect him, and she became happy: "It's getting late. You can rest in the mansion today. Go to greet the Taifu and the Second Madam early tomorrow morning, and tell them about this so that they can be happy too."

The two maids smiled and said "yes", then followed Leng Xiang away.

Xu Lingyi asked about Xu Sijin: "...Why hasn't he come back yet? I still have something to tell him."

Although the Ministry of Personnel has extended some time, if he does not set off now, he may not be able to reach Guizhou. Tomorrow morning, after paying homage to his ancestors, Xu Sijin will set off for Guizhou. Eleventh Lady was about to go to see how the luggage was prepared, and heard the words: "Chang'an brought a message in. It is said that Jin Ge'er will meet with Wei Xun and others tonight and will be back late. What does the Marquis want to say to him? Otherwise, the Marquis and I will go to take a look?" As she spoke, she told Hanxiao to take the things sent by Xu Siyu and his wife.

"Okay!" Xu Lingyi thought about it and went to Qingyinju with Shiyi Niang.

Ajin and Suifeng were counting things. When they saw Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang, they quickly collected the books and stepped forward to greet them.

"Hasn't your things been packed yet?" Xu Lingyi asked.

"Everything is packed!" Ah Jin said with a smile, "I was afraid that something might be left behind, so I checked it again with Suifeng."

This time, Ajin and Suifeng also followed Xu Sijin to Guizhou.

When Eleventh Lady saw the boxes and thought about her son leaving soon, she suddenly became depressed: "I don't know when he will come back!"

Xu Lingyi comforted her: "He is now a third-rank official. He goes to the capital every year for examinations. He is much better than when he was in Pingyi Guard."

Thinking of this, Eleventh Lady let out a long sigh and felt better.

Xu Lingyi and she sat on the big kang by the window waiting for Xu Sijin.

"Old Marquis Sun discussed with me today that he wanted Cheng to follow Jing to Guizhou!"

If it were me, I would probably make the same choice. Eleventh Lady had already guessed it, and said thoughtfully: "What about Chen Ge'er? Will he stay at home?"

"Old Marquis Sun wants him to go to Henan Dusi," Xu Lingyi said, "Old Marquis Sun once took charge of the Central Military Governor's Office, and he has some old favors in Henan. In addition, the Henan General has some friendship with me... Let him hone his skills for a few years, learn some real skills, and then join the Xishan Camp."

That's fine.

Eleventh Lady nodded slightly.

Xu Lingkuan and his wife arrived.

Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang couldn't help but look at each other.

"I'm afraid he came here for Cheng'er's matter!" Xu Lingyi smiled and went to the hall with Shiyi Niang.

"I didn't expect that Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law were here too!" Xu Lingkuan smiled and greeted his brother and sister-in-law. Everyone sat down with a smile. Ah Jin brought tea and snacks with the little maid. Fifth Madam asked Xu Sijin tactfully, "Why aren't you at home? Didn't you say you were leaving tomorrow?"

Eleventh Lady explained the situation again.

The Fifth Lady wanted to ask something else, but Xu Lingkuan felt that there was no need for such politeness between brothers. Before the Fifth Lady could speak, he went straight to the point and told Xu Lingyi the purpose of his visit: "... Cheng'er is not like Chen'er. He is only twelve years old this year. Even if he lives in the outer courtyard, he will run to the inner courtyard every few days. Jin'er is a new official and has many things to do. How can he keep an eye on Cheng'er every day? I think it's better to let Cheng'er go after the Spring Festival. In this way, Jin'er will be settled, Cheng'er will be prepared, and we can deal with Chen's affairs first."

Xu Lingyi naturally agreed.

The Fifth Lady sighed deeply: "...The older generation said that it is a lifetime of suffering or a lifetime of happiness, and it is all destined by heaven. These two children refused to take the main road and insisted on climbing the mountain. I have no choice! I can only pray to the Bodhisattva to bless them and let their hard work not be rewarded, and not let them run around in vain!" There was helplessness, frustration, and sadness in her tone.

Eleventh Lady thought of the hesitation she and Xu Lingyi had felt about Jing'er's future, and her feelings were so similar to those of Fifth Lady at the moment. She comforted Fifth Lady, "Who says it's not true? At first, I was unwilling to accept it, but now I see the child growing up day by day, not only can he take care of himself, but also can take care of the family. I feel lucky that I made that decision. Fifth Sister-in-law, don't worry, Jing'er and Cheng'er are both smart and good children. After they see the world outside, they will only become more sensible and capable in the future."

"I hope so." The Fifth Lady nodded, with some hope on her face. "Now that Cheng'er is gone, Jing'er will need to give him more guidance." Her tone was sincere, and it was obvious that she was speaking from her heart.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help feeling a little emotional.

The Fifth Lady has always been a bit arrogant. If it weren't for her son, she wouldn't have lowered herself. It can be seen that all mothers in the world are the same!

Xu Lingkuan felt that the Fifth Lady was worrying too much, and without waiting for Eleventh Lady to respond, he smiled and said, "Jin'er is the elder brother, so he will naturally teach Cheng'er well. You don't need to say such nonsense."

The fifth lady was very angry.

Eleventh Lady was afraid that the two would quarrel in her room, so she smiled and said to Xu Lingkuan, "Is Fifth Uncle free tomorrow? If you have nothing to do, the Marquis would like to ask you to help send Jing'er off!"

Xu Lingyi thought that since his son was able to capture Duoyan from the uninhabited grassland, going to Guizhou would be no problem. Besides, he would be back next spring and had no plans to see his son off. When he heard Shiyi Niang say this on her own initiative, he couldn't help but glance at Shiyi Niang.

Xu Lingkuan was supposed to be on duty tomorrow. The commander of the Imperial Guards knew that his nephew had been conferred the title of Wujin Earl and became the general of Guizhou, so he gave him a few days off, saying that it would allow him to take care of some trivial matters at home.

He was very happy, thinking that his sister-in-law was giving him face. You know, Xu Sijin was now a third-rank official, a high-ranking official who dominated a region. As an elder, those who went to see him off, whether they were higher or lower in rank than themselves, had to greet him and act according to his expression. The thought of that scene made him feel a little flattered.

"I'm free, I'm free." How could he pay attention to these details? He smiled and said, "I'll come at dawn tomorrow and accompany Jing'er to the ancestral hall."

Xu Lingyi felt soft-hearted when he saw that such a small thing made Xu Lingkuan happy.

If someone could teach my fifth brother well, he might be able to do something great.

He treated Xu Lingkuan with much more tolerance than usual. He smiled and joked with him: "Don't oversleep when the time comes!"

"How could that be!" Xu Lingkuan was a little excited when he saw his brother joking with him, "Although I am a little confused about big things, I have never made any mistakes in small things."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh.

The atmosphere was not only cheerful but also harmonious.

"You are so old, but you are still not serious." The Fifth Lady smiled and scolded Xu Lingkuan. Xu Sijin came back.

"What's going on?" He drank a little too much and touched his head. "I, I went out early this morning and didn't do anything!"

This caused everyone to laugh again.

The Fifth Lady stepped forward, took Xu Sijin's hand and said to Eleventh Lady, "This is only happening at home. If we tell others about this, no one will believe what our Guizhou General Xu Sijin is like!" She then called A Jin to quickly prepare a cup of strong tea for Xu Sijin to sober him up, and told him the purpose of her visit.

Xu Sijin breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest in response: "As long as my seventh and eighth brothers can use me, just one word!"

The Fifth Lady was very satisfied with his attitude and nodded with a smile. After Xu Sijin finished his tea, the group went to the Lady Dowager.

The lady had already prepared the hangover soup and hurriedly asked Luzhu to bring it in.

Xu Sijin was first fed a bellyful of tea, and now a large bowl of soup, which he finally drank. The lady held his hand and asked him questions ranging from who saw him off to when he would return home. Xu Sijin answered them one by one.

Seeing that it was getting late, Xu Lingyi suggested that everyone go back first.

The lady looked at the handsome Jin Ge'er under the lamplight, and thought that she would go to that poor and remote place tomorrow, and there was no decent woman to serve her. She told Shiyi Niang that Shiyi Niang always said that his martial arts were not good enough, and she felt upset if she had to wait for a few more days: "Stop here today, grandma, so that she can talk to you!"

Xu Sijin looked at his grandmother who had aged ten years after not seeing her for a few years, and felt sad. He pretended to be happy and hugged the lady's shoulders: "I just want to talk to grandma, but I'm afraid that my father will stop me..."

"He dares!" The lady looked at Xu Lingyi with a stern face.

Xu Lingyi was so happy to see his son making his mother happy that he didn't even bother to stop him. He stood up and walked away with an expression of helplessness.

The lady laughed happily and whispered to Xu Sijin: "Don't be afraid. If he dares to say anything bad about you, come and tell me. I will punish him by making him kneel in the ancestral hall!"

"Okay! Okay!" Xu Sijin laughed, wondering if he should find an opportunity to complain about his father to his grandmother...

After returning home, Eleventh Lady was a little tired and asked Leng Xiang to get some warm water for her to soak her feet.

Xu Lingyi sent the servant away, brought a small stool and sat beside her to massage her feet.

"Is it okay? I think your legs are a bit thick!"

"Really?" Shiyi Niang asked Xu Lingyi to light the lamp and looked carefully for a long time but didn't find anything unusual. "Could it be that you are dazzled?"

Xu Lingyi still said conservatively: "Don't go to see Jin Ge'er off tomorrow. It's not like he doesn't know that you're pregnant!"

Eleventh Lady’s expression froze.

"What's wrong?" Xu Lingyi looked at her with concern.

"I, I haven't told him yet..." Eleventh Lady murmured, "I haven't found a suitable opportunity..." In fact, she was a little embarrassed.

Xu Lingyi stood there in a daze.

"Or, you can tell him when you take Jin'er to the ancestral temple to kowtow to the ancestors tomorrow!" Eleventh Lady looked at Xu Lingyi.

I tell him?

Isn't this what a mother does?

Xu Lingyi responded vaguely.

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Post a draft first!

O(∩_∩)O~