Both daughters were already in Heqin, while Jiang's father, his step-wife, and his eldest son were a little behind and were still on their way.
Rainy Night Inn
Xu was restless, pacing back and forth in the room, sighing.
There was a sudden knock on the door, and the maid came in, "Madam, the eldest son has returned from the government office."
"Oh," Xu's eyes lit up, and she walked out quickly, like a gust of wind, and stepped into the guest room across the street. As soon as she entered the door, she couldn't wait to ask
"Cheng'er, have you seen your father? What did he say?"
Jiang Mingcheng was half soaked by the rain, leaving his wet clothes aside. He had just changed into a clean undershirt and was about to tie his belt when he came to greet him. He said excitedly, "I'm here to see you. Please sit down. Don't worry."
"How can we not be anxious? According to the postmaster, this place is less than 300 miles away from Xicang. We have been chasing her all the way and are almost reaching Heqin. We still haven't caught your second sister."
Xu sat down as she was told, her brows etched with worry as she sighed, "I never imagined that in my lifetime, I would have to travel to the frontier. We've been following him all the way. Your father must be very angry, right?"
Jiang Mingcheng tied his belt and sat down, nodding with a wry smile, "Mother's guess was correct. Although father is angry, he is also very worried about the safety of his family. He repeatedly told me to stay close to him, to stay at the inn at night, and not to act on my own."
"It's not advisable to act on your own if you're not familiar with the road." Hearing her husband's concern for his family, Xu felt a warm feeling in her heart, and her worried brows relaxed. She asked with concern, "The climate and soil at the border are very different from the capital, and it's been raining heavily recently. How is his health?"
"Don't worry, father is in good health. He's just been traveling and working, and worried about my second sister's affairs, so he's been too busy and thin."
Xu's brows furrowed, and she said anxiously, "It would be great if we could go together, so that we can take care of him more easily."
"Please don't let us follow him all the way. It's already very difficult for him."
Jiang Mingcheng sighed and pointedly pointed out, "Official reputation is crucial. Father was ordered to inspect Yongzhou outside the Great Wall. His colleagues were all focused on their duties, but he brought his family with him. People who didn't know the situation would probably surmise that the imperial envoy was abusing his power for personal gain and taking his family on a sightseeing trip."
"This, this." Madam Xu smacked her forehead and gritted her teeth angrily, "This is all your second sister's fault. She acted recklessly this time and was terribly wrong. When we find her, we must punish her severely. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain to your father."
"Let's talk about it after we meet." Jiang Mingcheng sniffed, his voice slightly hoarse.
At this time, the maid knocked on the door, came closer with a small tray, bowed and asked, "Master, you have been caught in the rain, would you like to have a bowl of ginger soup to drive away the cold?"
Xu woke up as if from a dream and hurriedly urged, "Yes, yes, be careful not to catch a cold. Drink quickly and warm yourself up."
"yes."
After returning from a long journey on a rainy night, Jiang Mingcheng felt a little cold all over and buried his head in drinking ginger soup.
Xu sat at the top, staring at her eldest son in a daze for a while, then waved her hand. Her trusted maid understood and told her to leave, close the door, and stand guard outside.
"It's late, and we have to travel tomorrow morning." After drinking the ginger soup, Jiang Mingcheng wiped his mouth and looked up to ask, "Mother, is there anything else you want me to do?"
The candlestick was placed in the middle of the table, with three candles burning. The sound of rain was still going on outside the window, and the wind came in through the window cracks, hitting the candlestick, causing the candlelight to sway, sometimes brighter and sometimes dimmer.
The mother and son were several feet apart. Xu opened her mouth, but no sound came out, and she was obviously hesitant.
"Mother, please tell me what you want to do. If I can't do it, I can ask you, father."
Xu seemed lost in thought. She shifted her sitting position uncomfortably, retracting her gaze from her eldest son. She lowered her head slightly and spoke hesitantly, "We'll be arriving in Xicang soon. Your eldest brother-in-law and his family live in Heqin."
"Yes. I heard from my father a long time ago that the Guo family bought a house in Heqin County for Mrs. Guo to live out her days in."
"Yes, that's right." Mrs. Xu was getting older, with fine lines covering the corners of her eyes. Half of her face was backlit, hidden in the dimness, and her eyelids drooped under the candlelight.
Jiang Mingcheng was both excited and nervous, and sighed, "I haven't seen my eldest sister in years. I wonder what she looks like now. Also, I'm about to meet my nephew, but as her uncle, I haven't prepared any gifts. Alas, when I set out, I planned to pick up my second sister and then go home, but I didn't expect to chase her all the way to Xicang."
"What should I do with the gift?" Jiang Mingcheng was on his first trip away from home, with servants surrounding and following his father. He didn't have many opportunities to personally experience it. He thought seriously and said, "I'm afraid it won't be presentable when I buy it in Xicang."
Xu was irritated and irritated, his face darkened, and he said loudly, "Don't worry about the gift for now."
Jiang Mingcheng was startled and stopped talking. He looked at his mother and asked in surprise, "What's wrong with you? Is there anything you can't say to your son?"
The mother and son looked at each other. Mrs. Xu felt guilty. She lowered her head again, took a deep breath, and answered vaguely, "Cheng'er, your elder sister should have been the daughter-in-law of the Pei family, but, but..." She paused, not knowing how to continue.
Amid the sound of wind and rain, the mother and son remained silent for a long time.
Jiang Mingcheng stood up suddenly, his face full of embarrassment. He frowned and spoke with difficulty, "When my eldest sister got married, I was young and confused. It wasn't until something happened at the Jingyang Marquis's mansion, my eldest sister became a fugitive, and my second sister kept breaking off engagements that I gradually came to my senses."
As expected, there is no such thing as an impenetrable wall. Xu sat upright, head bowed, and said nothing.
"I probably understand what's on my mind, mother." In recent years, the family has been in turmoil, and Jiang Mingcheng has become increasingly torn. He whispered, "But things have come to this point. Everything is a foregone conclusion, and there's no turning back."
Xu hesitated to speak, clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands.
"When we meet," Jiang Mingcheng raised his head, looking very scholarly, and said seriously, "I will kowtow and apologize to my elder sister. Then, mother will give her more support. Maybe in three to five years, or ten to eight years, one day, my elder sister will forgive her relatives."
Yushu is fine, she is weak-willed and must have forgiven it long ago. The trouble lies with Honglei, he is definitely not a weak person. Xu thought to herself, but said nothing, and remained silent for a long time.
At the same time, the Yongzhou Tuningwei
During the rainy season, rain falls everywhere on the border.
Inside the general's tent, Guo Honglei was overjoyed and said loudly, "Thank you, General." After a pause, he frowned and said worriedly, "But there are so many things to do right now, and it's not appropriate for me to take leave to visit my family."
"Well, feel free to go home. This general has given us permission. Who dares to say no?"
Song Jikun, the commander of the Tuning Guard, was full of vigor and a pleasant expression. He said to his capable subordinate, "In the past six months, you haven't taken a single day off. You have been running around recruiting soldiers diligently. You have successfully recruited over 4,000 new soldiers from the provincial capital before the other three guards. This has greatly exceeded my expectations. Not bad, very good."
Guo Honglei bowed slightly, "It's my duty, and I dare not fail to do my best."
"This general has watched every move of the leaders in the camp." Song Jikun took a sip of tea, raised his head, and said with a strong neck, "You have made an invaluable contribution to the recruitment of new soldiers. Therefore, I will grant you a few more days of leave as a reward."
"General Xie" had been gone for half a year. Guo Honglei certainly wanted to go home and had wanted to ask for leave a long time ago. However, the garrison was being rebuilt, and there were too many things to do and too few people to do anything. It was not urgent, so he really could not ask for leave.
Song Jikun smiled and said, "You deserve it. Remember to give my regards to the old man when you go back. I wish him good health and a long life."
"I will definitely bring you there," Guo Honglei couldn't hide his smile.
Song Jikun waved his hand and said, "Go ahead. Arrange the things at hand before you leave."
"Yes," Guo Honglei strode quickly and gave clear instructions for the mission overnight. He was eager to go home, so he set off the next day, rode out of the camp in the rain, and headed south.
In a blink of an eye, it was July 13th, and the 16th was Wang's birthday.
It has been raining for days, so it’s a rare sunny day today.
Early in the morning, the servants were cleaning the courtyard. The sound of the brooms sweeping was drowned out by the sound of reading coming from the study.
After breakfast, Jiang Yushu followed the rules set by her mother-in-law, picked up the child and walked towards the main room.
Wang was used to it and had to see her grandson with her own eyes every day, otherwise she would feel uneasy.
"Come, Ye'er, pay your respects to your grandmother." She put the child on the low couch, and the maid hurriedly brought a round stool for her to sit on.
After getting to know her every day, Guo Ye already recognized his grandmother. He turned over, lay down, raised his head, and babbled to the white-haired old woman.
Wang immediately beamed, gently caressing her grandson's head, cheeks, and back, lovingly responding, "Good, good boy, you're such a good child." Squinting her eyes, she leaned in for a closer look, then admonished, "It's been raining for days, and the weather's getting cold. You should dress the child warmly."
Jiang Yushu explained, "I'm already wearing two."
"Hmm." Wang nodded with satisfaction. Just as she stretched out her hand, Jiang Yushu understood and picked up the child, letting him half lie and half sit against the old man.
"Look," the maid handed over the cloth tiger. Wang took it, shook it, and asked cheerfully, "It's newly made, with a new pattern. Do you like it?"
The baby took it. His white and tender face was so chubby that most people would want to pinch it. He grabbed the cloth tiger with both hands, turning it over and over, pulling it curiously, mumbling something that adults couldn't understand and smiling at Jiang Yushu.
"Why don't you thank grandma quickly?" Jiang Yushu smiled and played with the child patiently.
After playing with her grandson for a while, Wang frowned and asked, "Where is your sister-in-law?"
"Not yet."
"Alas." Wang sighed, "In the whole year, I have only seen Qiaozhen get up early for a few days."
Jiang Yushu wisely replied, "Several relatives in the capital were very thoughtful. They came over long distances and sent birthday gifts early. Two more boxes arrived yesterday evening, but we're waiting for the old lady's order before we open them."
Wang was both delighted and melancholy when she heard this. She ordered, "Open it and take a look. You and Qiaozhen will take care of the cleaning."
"I'll show you the gift list then." Jiang Yushu took out a handkerchief and wiped the child's saliva to stop him from biting the cloth tiger.
With a lively baby sandwiched between them, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law worked together to entertain the child and chatted peacefully for a long time. Jiang Yushu was filled with emotion. After all, in the past, if the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law got along for a while, they would quarrel over trivial matters.
At noon, Wang Qiaozhen had breakfast and was bored. She slowly walked out of the room. As usual, she went to the study to take a look at her son, and then walked towards the main room.
Unexpectedly, just as she stepped onto the main house steps, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. The old housekeeper reported in person
"Madam, Miss Jiang Er is here."
"What"
Wang Qiaozhen turned around, was stunned, and asked in shock, "Who did you say is here?"
"Miss Jiang Er, the second lady's younger sister, has come a long way to visit her elder sister and congratulate the old lady on her birthday." The old housekeeper panted and raised his hand to point outside. "The carriage is parked at the door."
The author has something to say
Wang's is too lively, isn't it?
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