Chapter 18 Lively
After seeing Zi Tang off, Xie Xuchuan returned to the Xie family dejectedly.
The Xie family was extremely wealthy and had countless servants.
Before they even entered the house, the old woman from the Xie family's house was already standing guard at the door.
As soon as she saw Xie Xuchuan, she immediately exclaimed loudly, "Young Master is back! The old lady has been waiting for so long!"
Xie Xuchuan paused, and then heard the old woman say again, "Young Master has returned from Huizhou and has been away from home for two days. The old lady has been looking for you very much and wants to see Young Master."
"I'm going to see my grandmother."
The old woman said, "Third Master just came back and caught a few minnows. The old lady said that the whole family should go out for lunch."
Minnows have tender flesh, and when steamed, they taste delicious and melt in your mouth.
Although it wasn't anything particularly valuable, it was caught by the Third Master of the Xie family himself, so it was naturally extraordinary.
As the saying goes, the youngest son and eldest grandson are the lifeblood of an old lady.
Xie Jingyuan and Xie Xuchuan were Xie Sanniang's darlings.
If I don't see you for a day, I miss you and worry about you terribly.
Xie Xuchuan entered Yujintang and found the room bustling with activity.
His grandmother, Xie San Niang, sat at the head of the table, with his parents, Xie Boyu and Hua Nanzhi, beside her.
Sitting opposite his grandmother were his second uncle, Xie Chengzhi, and his second aunt, Zheng Shu.
Zheng Shu held five-year-old Xie Yingshou in her arms, and at this moment she was holding onto his older sister Xie Lurong's hair tightly.
Xie Lurong was already in her teens, but the second couple had raised her to be timid and fearful. Even when she was scratched and hurt, she dared not cry out, only whimpering with red eyes and bending over.
Xie Xuchuan frowned slightly upon seeing this and pried Xie Yingshou's hand away.
"Thank you, brother."
Xie Lurong stammered and carefully stepped aside.
Upon seeing Xie Xuchuan enter, Old Madam Xie quickly stood up: "Come quickly and let Grandma take a look."
Xie San Niang stretched out her wrinkled yet delicate hands and gently stroked Xie Xuchuan's cheek: "Good child, where have you been these past two days? Look at your eyes, they're so dark. You must have suffered a lot in Huizhou, right?"
"grandmother."
Xie Xuchuan choked up for a moment as Xie Sanniang showed him concern and care.
In this world, only his grandmother and mother truly loved him.
Xie Xuchuan gently held Xie Sanniang's hand, and in his ear was Xie Sanniang's voice, though old, full of energy: "Go and make some nourishing soup for the young master. My Chuan'er has been through so much on his journey that he has become so thin..."
"Mom, don't be so biased."
Xie Chengzhi, the second master of the Xie family, crossed his arms and gave a forced smile: "When Xu Chuan went to Huizhou, in addition to the money for buying goods, he brought a full thousand taels of silver. Even if he sold all the goods in Huizhou, he might not be able to earn enough to cover the cost of the trip."
Xie Xuchuan's second aunt, Zheng Shu, smiled and said, "Yes, a full thousand taels of silver is enough to travel around and enjoy the scenery. How come you're still so tired?"
She looked Xie Xuchuan up and down, then weighed Xie Yingshou in her arms: "Yingshou, when you grow up, try to please the old lady. With the old lady protecting you, you'll have a bright future ahead of you."
"What you're saying, sister-in-law..."
Hua Nanzhi smiled gently: "With the Xie family having their mother to support them, which child isn't on the right path?"
"This is Xu Chuan's first time going to Huizhou, so he needs to build good relationships with the merchants there."
"And how come I remember that the first time my second uncle went on a trade trip, he ruined a whole cart of Yun brocade? That cart of Yun brocade was worth countless thousand taels, but I didn't see you worrying about it like this."
“Sister-in-law, that’s not right. The damaged Yun brocade is not our Second Master’s responsibility.”
"Oh, really? Oh no, we don't even know where Yun Jin went, not even a single thread was left. But after Second Master came back, he lingered in brothels for more than half a year..."
That's enough.
Xie Boyu interrupted Hua Nanzhi: "Why bring up the past? Xu Chuan, the public funds are not for you to squander and enjoy yourself. Give me the accounts for this trip later. Return any surplus to the public funds. If you spend more than you should make up for it yourself."
Xie Xuchuan lowered his head: "I understand, Father."
Hua Nanzhi pulled at her handkerchief, lowering her eyes to hide the hatred in them.
Her husband has never been of one mind with her!
Zheng Shu smiled dismissively.
He thought the matter would be over after a few words, but Xie Chengzhi suddenly stood up.
"Sister-in-law, what do you mean by that? Are you implying that I swallowed a whole cartload of Yun brocade? Explain yourself clearly. If word gets out, what will people think of me, the second master of the Xie family?"
Don't you have one?
Hua Nanzhi also stood up: "Let's not talk about anything else, just the other day when you were taking inventory of the warehouse..."
"I've said enough!"
Xie Boyu suddenly pulled Hua Nanzhi aside: "As someone's sister-in-law, why are you dragging your brother-in-law into this for no reason? Apologize to Chengzhi."
Upon hearing this, Hua Nanzhi looked at Xie Boyu in disbelief, and Xie Xuchuan also frowned.
Zheng Shu pinched Xie Yingshou in her arms, pretending to cry out.
In an instant, the room was in complete chaos.
At this moment, Xie Jingyuan lifted the pearl curtain strung with red agate beads and chuckled, "Oh, it's so lively here?"
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