When we returned to the lotus garden, the lights were already on.

They went to pay their respects to the lady first.

Zhun Ge and Zhen Jie Er were playing cat's tumble on the kang. When they saw Xu Lingyi come in, they both froze there.

The old lady, who was sitting on the kang and watching the two playing the rope game, couldn't help but touch Zhun Ge'er's head and said, "It's not a tiger, how can it eat you?"

Zhun Ge held the lady's sleeve tightly, leaning against her and looking at his father timidly.

Xu Lingyi looked at him with a frown on his face.

Zhun Ge's expression became even more nervous.

I had just married in, and was still considered an outsider in the eyes of the Xu family. It was not good for the father and son to confront each other like this. If they said something harsh and I saw it, I was afraid that the lady would feel uncomfortable.

Eleventh Lady smiled and asked Zhen Jie'er, "Have you eaten?"

Zhen Jie'er was very surprised, and hurriedly got off the kang and said respectfully, "I've already eaten."

Eleventh Lady smiled and nodded.

There was a hint of wariness in Zhen Jie'er's eyes.

After all, she is a little girl, so she expresses what she thinks. However, if it were me, I would also be on guard!

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but smile.

With Eleventh Lady's question and Zhen Jie'er's answer, the atmosphere in the room eased a lot.

The lady looked at Eleventh Lady and there was a hint of relief in her eyes.

After Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang paid their respects to the lady dowager, she smiled and asked Zhun Ge and Zhen Jie'er to pay their respects to them.

Zhen Jieer half-knelt and bowed, her movements were steady and her posture was graceful, but Zhun Ge, on the other hand, was a little clumsy and looked very unfamiliar.

Eleventh Lady thought about how her wet nurse had held her while she saluted when she came to see Yuanniang, and guessed that he might seldom salute others on a normal day.

Xu Lingyi frowned even more tightly as he watched.

The lady said hurriedly: "It's getting late, let's all go to bed!"

I guess she didn't want Xu Lingyi to punish Zhun Ge in front of her... But such straightforwardness still surprised Shiyi Niang. Thinking of Xu Lingkuan's liveliness... It seems that the lady dotes on the child a little. However, Xu Lingyi doesn't seem to have any spoiled problems. Maybe. After all, the time she has been in contact with him is very short, maybe she hasn't noticed...

She couldn't help but glance at Xu Lingyi.

He bowed to the lady with a sullen look on his face: "Mother, take a good rest! We will go back first."

Eleventh Lady hurriedly followed Xu Lingyi to pay her respects and bid farewell to him as the Lady Dowager.

On the way, Xu Lingyi's face was as gloomy as water and he walked hurriedly. Shiyi Niang had to jog a few steps to keep up with him.

Even a fool could guess that he was in a bad mood, but he would not offend him at this time.

The maids and servants, including Eleventh Lady, all followed them in silence.

After walking along the east-west corridor and passing the flower hall, Dianchun Hall, and Xu Lingkuan and Yuanniang's courtyards, Xu Lingyi suddenly stopped.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but look around.

There is a bamboo forest on the left and a black lacquered corner gate on the right.

The maid who followed was from Eleventh Lady's side. Everyone was a little confused, but the servant was from Xu Lingyi's side. Someone immediately went forward and knocked on the door: "The Marquis and his wife are back."

The corner door creaked open, and a maid came out to greet him: "My Lord, Madam!"

Xu Lingyi didn't even look at the old woman and walked straight in.

Eleventh Lady did not dare to stay any longer and followed him into the corner gate, only to find that this was the back door of her yard.

The corner door connected to the corridor of the back room. They went directly up the corridor on the east side to the main room.

The two entered the house, and Xu Lingyi directly called Chunmo and Xia Yi to help him change clothes.

Eleventh Lady did not dare to sit idle and went to make a cup of tea herself.

Xu Lingyi changed his clothes, sat on the kang by the window, took a sip, and looked at Shiyi Niang with a little surprise.

Eleventh Lady smiled and explained, "I've seen the Marquis drinking Tieguanyin these past few days, so I made you a cup as usual!"

Xu Lingyi nodded, said "hmm", his face brightened slightly, and then he took another sip.

At least the flattery didn't hit the horse's leg.

Eleventh Lady breathed a sigh of relief and asked him with a smile, "Does the Marquis want to eat anything? Before I left, I asked the kitchen to cook a rock sugar lotus seed and white fungus soup."

Last night Amber told her that there was a small kitchen in their yard, and the Xu family also provided two kitchen mothers, two old women to do the rough work, and two maids to be on duty day and night, and there was always hot water and hot meals.

Xu Lingyi's brows relaxed a little: "I don't eat at night. If you are hungry, go eat by yourself!"

If nothing unexpected happens, the two will be tied together for life. You guessed it was the ambiguity between lovers, which was not suitable for their situation. Why not make life simpler?

"I was afraid you might drink too much, so I asked you to make something sweet." Although she took the initiative, she still introduced herself to Xu Lingyi very tactfully, "I don't eat at night, for fear of indigestion."

Xu Lingyi raised his eyebrows, said nothing, and lowered his head to take a sip of tea.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but smile slightly.

She was also a talkative and cheerful girl in college, and even won the championship in the debate competition. Later, when she entered the workplace, she didn't want to say a word when she got home because of work. After a long time, neighbors and friends said that she was too taciturn. Unexpectedly, Xu Lingyi spoke even less than her. And this kind of silence was different from hers, as if it was innate - in front of the Queen Mother, he was also concise and to the point, without a word of nonsense.

Although two people don't need to say sweet words when they are together, it's still a bit uncomfortable to be in silence like this!

Can't I just find something to say from now on?

Thinking of this, Eleventh Lady couldn't help but feel a headache.

She wasn't good at chatting. Besides, she doubted that Xu Lingyi would like to hear people gossip...

Xu Lingyi, who was sitting opposite Eleventh Lady, did not have so many thoughts.

He only felt that the tea was a little cold, but still drinkable. More importantly, he was thinking about Zhun Ge.

Yuanniang had always believed what the Taoist priest Changchun said. After all the trouble, she got pregnant, and believed it even more. Before Zhun Ge was born, she asked Taoist priest Changchun to tell her fortune. Taoist priest Changchun said that this baby was a boy. But it would be difficult to raise him. He would have to go through blood disaster, water disaster and unexpected disaster before he turned ten. If he could pass these three hurdles, he would have a smooth life. If he could not pass these three hurdles, he would be in danger. Therefore, he needed someone to take care of him very carefully. Later, Zhun Ge was born, which proved the saying of a boy. Yuanniang had heavy bleeding when she gave birth to Zhun Ge, which proved the saying of blood disaster; when he was ten months old, he choked on water while taking a bath and almost lost his life, which proved the saying of water disaster... From then on, Yuanniang never let her children leave her for a long time.

I was not at ease, and I turned a blind eye to everything, but I didn't expect that I raised him to be a girl who only knew how to play rope and throw sandbags...

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

This can't go on... If he is raised in the hands of a woman, he will never become a great man. He still needs to support the family!

A little maid came in tremblingly and said, "My Lord, Madam, Madam Wen came to greet you!"

Eleventh Lady noticed that Xu Lingyi's expression darkened a little, and then he said "hmm" lightly.

Madam Wen walked in with a smile on her face, holding a red lacquered and gold-painted box in her hands: "My Lord and my sister have been tired these past few days, and it happened that Third Master Wen sent two ginsengs and a pound of blood swallows a few days ago. I brought them here specially for my sister to nourish her body." As she spoke, she looked eagerly at Xu Lingyi as he held the box in front of Eleventh Lady.

Such diligence!

Thinking of Madam Wen's spying on her in the courtyard that day, Shiyi Niang wanted to pretend to be a pig and eat the tiger and accept these things. But when she saw her big watery eyes looking at Xu Lingyi, she immediately changed her mind and decided to let Xu Lingyi make the choice without making a sound.

Amber would definitely not move without Eleventh Lady's signal.

For a moment, Madam Wen's fair and tender hands, holding the red gold-painted box, froze in mid-air.

Xu Lingyi didn't understand why Shiyi Niang didn't speak, so he looked at her. Coincidentally, Shiyi Niang looked over with a questioning look, and their eyes met.

This is the inner courtyard's business, do you think I should speak up...

But when he thought of the merciless reprimand from the eldest wife of the Luo family today, and guessed that she might never have received any teaching in this regard, he nodded involuntarily.

Eleventh Lady understood immediately and said to Madam Wen with a smile, "I'm sorry you missed me." Amber took two steps forward and took the box.

Madam Wen felt a little cold in her heart.

Ever since she knew that Shiyi Niang would marry here, she regretted it. She really shouldn't have offended her in the courtyard that day. She has always wanted to make amends, but she has never found a suitable opportunity. She came here specially to offer medicinal herbs today. First, she wanted to tell Shiyi Niang what kind of family the Wen family is - two hundred-year-old ginsengs and a pound of blood swallows are not something that can be bought with money. She wanted to shock her. Second, she wanted to see Shiyi Niang's reaction. Would she accept it with a smile or give her a cold look. If it was the former, she might be a scheming person, so she would have to be careful and find a way to resolve this knot. If it was the latter, then it would not be a big deal, just give her more gold and silver to make her happy and everything would be fine... Unexpectedly, she would actually look at the Marquis and ask him to help her make a decision, and the Marquis, who never interfered in the affairs of the inner courtyard, told her how to act, clearly wanting to protect her.

"My Lord and Madam are exhausted after a day of work." She looked at Eleventh Lady's delicate features, and countless thoughts flashed through her mind. "I will take my leave now. I hope you won't miss their rest time."

Eleventh Lady smiled and nodded, watching Madam Wen leave, then asked Xu Lingyi: "Does the Marquis want to take a rest?"

Just as Xu Lingyi was about to speak, another maid came in and said, "My Lord, Madam, the Second Young Master and Aunt Qin and Aunt Qiao are here to greet you!"

"Let them in!" Eleventh Lady noticed a slight smile in Xu Lingyi's eyes and his tone was very gentle.

Could it be that Xu Lingyi didn't like the well-mannered Madam Wen? Or, did he really like Xu Siyu?

While he was thinking, Xu Siyu, Aunt Qin and Aunt Wen walked in.

Xu Siyu still looked so calm, while Aunt Qin and Qiao Lianfang were still so honest and indifferent. The three of them bowed to Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang. Xu Lingyi had someone bring small stools for the three of them to sit on. He asked about Xu Siyu's homework: "...I heard from the teacher that you have started studying "The Great Learning"?"

Xu Siyu replied respectfully, "Yes," and said, "I have only dabbled in it a little, but I dare not call myself a 'student'."

Xu Lingyi was very satisfied with his answer. He nodded slightly and said, "Ten eyes look at each other, and ten fingers point at each other. What does that mean?"

Without even a moment's thought, Xu Siyu said, "A gentleman should be honest in his conduct. He should not be afraid even in the presence of the public!"

Xu Lingyi asked him again: "What does it mean to cultivate oneself by rectifying one's mind?"

"If your mind is not there, you will not see, you will not hear, you will not taste. This is the way to cultivate yourself: to straighten your mind!"

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but glance at Xu Lingyi.

Didn't the eldest wife say that he didn't like studying? How could she ask Xu Siyu a question? Although these questions seemed simple to her, they at least showed that Xu Lingyi had studied hard.