Chapter 396 Extra 6

The day Yu Tang's boat arrived at the dock, snowflakes began to fall early in the morning.

When Gu Xi and the others arrived at the dock, the road was already covered in white.

Nanny Jin, holding a tung oil paper umbrella with a red plum blossom painted on it, helped the Second Madam out of the carriage.

The second wife said, "It's snowing really hard. Will we have to spend the night in Tongzhou?"

If the rain continued like this, they might have to stay in Tongzhou for a night.

Gu Xi, who got off the carriage after the Second Madam, couldn't help but say, "It's a good thing that Yuan Ge'er wasn't brought here."

Otherwise you will definitely freeze.

The second wife nodded repeatedly.

Nanny Jin said, "It's okay to stay here one more night. Anyway, there's enough charcoal to burn, the old lady has come to the capital, the second master, the fifth lady and the third master are all here, and it's not this lively even during the New Year."

The second wife thought about it and felt that what he said made a lot of sense.

She smiled and pointed to one of the three-sailed ships and said to Gu Xi: "Look! That's our ship."

Gu Xi looked over.

It turned out to be a sand ship.

The sails, several meters long, were hoisted high, looking very majestic.

Gu Xi couldn't help but ask, "Did our family change the boat?"

She remembered that the Pei family's original boat was a Fu boat, but now it has been replaced with a Sand boat which is easier to navigate in the lake. Moreover, the Peng family is good at making Fu boats, while the Wu family is good at making Sand boats.

I wonder if there is any connection between them?

Gu Xi felt very upset.

How would the second wife know? She smiled and said, "The original Fuchuan was bought when my great-grandfather was alive. It's a bit old. Your third uncle replaced it with this sand boat a few years ago. He said it was more suitable for our family. I don't understand. I just think the new boat is more beautiful than the old one, and the decoration inside is also better."

After she finished speaking, she laughed a few times.

Gu Xi also laughed a few times.

Pei Hong, wearing a silver scurf cape, ran over and said, "Mom, Dad asked me to accompany you on the boat."

The second wife stretched her neck to look at Pei Xuan: "Where is your father?"

"Two cousins ​​are with you!" Pei Hong said, and stepped forward to help her mother up, saying, "Dad said he was worried that you might slip."

The second wife smiled with relief.

Nanny Jin hurriedly said, "Look, how filial the Third Young Master is!"

"That's right!" The second wife looked at her son with admiration.

Pei Hong used to be a little naughty, but ever since he heard Pei Xuan say that his third uncle's six-year-old boy Pei Jiang had finished learning the Three Character Classic and could read the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, he panicked and started to study seriously. Not only did he become much more gentle towards his parents.

The second wife couldn't help but say, "Your fourth and fifth brothers have also come to the capital this time. As an elder brother, you should be more generous and tolerant and give in to them."

Pei Hong blushed as she spoke, and muttered in a low voice: "Mom, how old am I now? Are you still worried that I will fight with my two brothers?"

"It's not that we'll have to fight." The second wife couldn't help laughing and said, "You've always been the youngest in our family, and everyone in the family has always been nice to you. I'm afraid you won't be used to it when the time comes."

Pei Hong whispered, "No matter how unhappy I am, I can't argue with my two little brothers who are still children, right?"

That's good!

The second wife quickly apologized: "It's Mom's fault. Mom should have trusted you more!"

"Got it!" Pei Hong responded softly, and her complexion looked much better.

The second wife had her son by her side, so she went to look for her daughter.

Then they saw Pei Dan, Xu Xuan and others getting off the carriage, all wearing shawls, with their maids holding umbrellas, and they huddled together talking.

She walked over.

"Mom!"

"Second wife!"

Pei Dan and the others were talking at the same time.

The second wife couldn't help but feel distressed, and hurriedly said, "With such heavy snow, the bridge must be very slippery. We have to greet the old lady later, so you guys just stay in the carriage. The old lady loves you the most, and she is already very happy that you can come to pick her up in person, and she doesn't care about these empty formalities."

Xu Xuan and the others were a little hesitant.

Pei Dan called Gu Xi, "Sister-in-law, please stay with us! My brother will accompany my mother on the boat. Otherwise, if too many people go, something bad will happen. That would be bad."

When Gu Xi saw Pei Tong and Yin Mingyuan standing in front of the carriage and talking, and heard what Pei Dan said, he suddenly felt unhappy.

Pei Xuan and the Second Madam are only her elders, but Old Madam Pei is Pei Tong's biological grandmother. He did not strive to accompany Pei Xuan on the boat to pay his respects to Old Madam Pei, but instead gave this opportunity to Pei Chan and Pei Bo. No wonder after so many years, he still couldn't take up the responsibility at the critical moment.

She wondered whether she should find an excuse to accompany the Second Wife to the boat, but after Pei Dan said that, the Second Wife came to her senses and patted Gu Xi's hand in a comforting manner, saying, "I didn't think it through. The bridge is slippery, and you will be safer on the shore." She added, "Why don't you wait here with A Dan and the others? It's snowing, so we should be able to get off the boat soon."

Otherwise, the snow will get heavier and the bridge will become more and more slippery.

Pei Hong was standing nearby, so Gu Xi naturally couldn't insist. He smiled and told the Second Wife to "be careful" a few times, then watched her get on the boat.

Pei Dan asked her, "Are you cold? Do you want to sit in the carriage for a while?"

There was a brazier on the carriage, which was warmer than standing outside.

Gu Xi wanted to say a few words to Pei Tong, and told him to stay with Pei Xuan as much as possible if there was a chance. He smiled and declined Pei Dan: "You two should go to the carriage to take shelter! I feel a little dizzy from the ride, so I'd like to get some fresh air."

Pei Dan didn't know whether he was frozen or what, but he didn't bother to be polite and got back into the carriage with Xu Xuan and the others.

Miss Zhang lowered her voice and said to Pei Dan, "This eldest cousin's wife in your family is quite close to the second wife."

Pei Dan didn't like talking about Gu Xi, so he smiled and nodded.

Pei Chan's wife, Yang, and Miss Zhang's in-laws' family, that is, Yang Chunhe, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, are relatives. Their father is the governor of Shaanxi. Pei Chan's marriage was arranged by Miss Xu, and she is quite familiar with all these people.

After she saw me, she pulled Miss Zhang's collar and changed the subject: "I've only heard you talk about Third Aunt, and this is the first time I've met her. Do you think I look okay? I'm afraid I'll leave a bad impression on the elders."

Yang was the one Pei Chan proposed to marry after he was nominated for the imperial examination. They got married, and no one in Pei’s hometown had ever seen her.

Xu Xuan didn't want to say much about Gu Xi. She clapped her hands and said, "Don't worry, I'm here. She will definitely like you."

Yang didn't say anything else. She smiled and listened to Xu Xuan and Miss Zhang joking with each other.

Just as they were about to add more charcoal, the maid outside began to shout, "Second Master is helping the old lady off the boat."

Everyone got off the carriage quickly, and Yang saw Gu Xi standing next to Pei Tong. They talked about something, and Pei Tong looked unhappy. However, Gu Xi had a smile on his face. He left Pei Tong and walked quickly towards the sand boat docked on the shore.

Yang shook her head, thinking that Gu Xi was a little too eager.

Pei Dan and the Second Wife are a proper mother and daughter. Why does she always hang around the Second Wife like this?

Gu Xi was extremely angry at this time.

Pei Tong felt that what she said made sense, but she was unwilling to do it. She even said, "It was me who wanted to split the clan in the first place. Now I'm so shameless to get involved. How will people view me?"

In this world, the brave die, and the timid die hungry. If you keep pretending to be brave in everything, you will never accomplish anything.

She had to do it herself.

He rushed to the front to greet Pei Xuan and Old Madam Pei.

Mrs. Pei is old after all.

The black and shiny hair that Gu Xi remembered was now half black and half white and tied in a scarf. There were obvious wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Although her face was rosy, she looked like a grandmother and an old person.

Madam Pei treated her very kindly. She was the first to greet her and said, "Is this Atong's home? It's still the same as before, not much has changed!"

Gu Xi immediately went up to pay his respects and also pulled Pei Tong along - after all, he was the eldest grandson, why should he stand behind everyone else.

Or maybe it was because of what Gu Xi said, although he felt a little awkward, he still walked forward with a smile.

Old Madam Pei seemed to have lost her former toughness. When she saw Pei Tong, her eyes suddenly became moist. She looked at Pei Tong for a long time, as if she was trying to find someone's shadow in him.

Pei Tong was touched, and looked at Old Madam Pei with eyes full of admiration.

Mrs. Pei sighed in her heart and said to Pei Tong, "No need to be polite. I heard that you have been very hardworking recently. If you don't understand something, just ask your second uncle or third uncle. Your third uncle has been living in the countryside for a few years and has taught several good students."

Pei Tong wiped her tears and replied.

Gu Xi's gaze had already passed Pei Laoan and fell behind them.

Unfortunately, she didn't see Yu Tang, but instead saw Pei Yan and a group of strange men.

Gu Xi frowned almost imperceptibly.

The older men in the group looked to be around 27 or 28 years old, while the younger ones looked only 15 or 16 years old. Although some were wearing silk and some were wearing fine cloth, they were all dressed like scholars.

Who are these people?

Gu Xi was thinking secretly when he saw Yin Mingyuan walking away.

He first saluted Madam Pei, and then greeted Pei Yan.

Pei Yan was still as indifferent as before.

He nodded towards Yin Mingyuan and introduced the group of scholars to him: "This is Shen Fang, the nephew of Shen Xianyu, this is Zhang Hui, our Lin'an official, and this is Fu Xiaoxiao..."

They were all here to take part in the Spring Examination. Knowing that Pei Yan was going to the capital, they took the Pei family's boat and came to the capital together.

Yin Mingyuan greeted everyone one by one.

Gu Xi pricked up his ears to listen, wanting to know who Wei Xiaochuan was, and at the same time winked at Pei Tong, indicating that he should make friends with these people.

Who knew that Pei Tong's mind was completely focused on Madam Pei. He supported Madam Pei on behalf of Pei Xuan and asked Madam Pei in a low voice about her itinerary, ignoring her gaze at all.

Gu Xi had no choice but to turn his attention back to the group of scholars.

The scholar who looked the youngest was Wei Xiaochuan.

Gu Xi looked at it a few more times.

Wei Xiaochuan seemed to be very introverted. When Pei Yan introduced him to Yin Mingyuan, he blushed, hid behind Pei Yan, and murmured a few words to Yin Mingyuan, which made everyone laugh.

Being an official is like being a human being. It requires more than just being able to read.

Gu Xi didn't think much of him and his eyes fell on Pei Tong again.

Pei Xuan was talking to Pei Tong with a look of satisfaction on his face, while Old Madam Pei was watching from the side, nodding her head continuously.

The atmosphere seems very good.

Gu Xi thought about it and walked over.

(End of this chapter)