"Madam Pan!"
"Hey, don't go!"
A group of people walked on the snow, chasing against the north wind, waving and shouting.
After a moment, Nanny Pan finally heard the noise behind her. She turned around in surprise and was stunned for a moment. She cried out, "Madam?"
"Why are you here?"
The maid answered loudly: "Of course I came to visit!"
Jiang Yushu huddled up in the cold, wrapped herself tightly in her cloak, and hurried over, panting. She couldn't wait to ask, "Mammy, why are you here? Where's the child? Is Ye'er okay?"
"Good, very good! The little master has been staying at home. It's too cold, and we dare not take him out for a walk!" Nanny Pan came back to her senses, overjoyed, smiling from ear to ear, carrying a basket filled with vegetables and other things.
Jiang Yushu was stunned. "Home? What home? Whose home?"
"The young master bought it and has only lived here for a month."
Nanny Pan sighed and explained, "The young master originally arranged for us to stay in a village near the military camp to facilitate the doctor's visits. After the child recovered, we wanted to return to Heqin last month, but upon arriving in the county town, a heavy snowfall occurred! No one dared to risk the journey, so the young master simply bought a house and told us to stay there until the weather warmed up before making any plans."
"Oh!" Jiang Yushu nodded suddenly, her fingers aching from the cold. She asked again, "How far is Tuningwei from the county town? Is the house far from here?"
Nanny Pan smiled broadly as she answered, "Not far, not far. Tuningwei is only twenty or thirty miles outside the city, so the young master can go home every now and then to see the children. The house is even closer; it only takes a quarter of an hour to walk to the street."
"That's great!"
Jiang Yushu made a prompt decision, waved her hand, and said happily, "In that case, we don't have to go to the inn to stay overnight. It's more convenient at home."
"Yes." Nanny Pan understood and immediately pointed the way. The servants drove the carts and led the horses, preparing to go to the newly purchased house.
It was inconvenient to talk on the street, so after a brief greeting, Nanny Pan, not forgetting her business, said, "I heard from the neighbors that there's new rice and flour in the West Market. Madam, please go back to your carriage and sit for a while. I have to go buy some rice and flour. We're running out of food at home."
"Yeah." Jiang Yushu glanced at the basket. "I saw you running so fast just now. Was it just to buy rice and flour?"
"It's not 'buy' at all, you have to snatch it up! If you go a little later, it will be sold out!"
Jiang Yushu frowned, "Are the goods so scarce?"
"Alas, this place, Tuning, is even more remote and impoverished than Heqin was back then. Even if you're rich, there are still many things you can't buy, even vegetables, rice, and fruits. It's almost December, and every household will be buying some New Year's goods, and the rush to buy them makes things even more scarce." Nanny Pan rambled on, revealing:
"Compared to vegetables, rice, and fruits, houses and land seem cheap. Because of the fear of war, not only outsiders but even locals are nervous, so few people are buying houses or land."
Jiang Yushu calmed herself down and urged, "Well, without further ado, get in the car and lead the way. We'll go together and try to buy as much as possible to avoid the headache of running out of food."
"Great!" Nanny Pan was eager to do so. She led her companions to the West Market and bought food without restraint. She filled up half a cart and returned happily.
Soon outside the house
"arrive!"
"Look, that's the one. It's small but in good condition. It wasn't damaged much by bandits during the period of occupation." Nanny Pan jumped out of the car, and everyone worked together to carry luggage and food.
"Why didn't Cuimei accompany Madam when she went out this time?"
Jiang Yushu stepped over the threshold, surveying the small courtyard as she walked. "She's been running around with me everywhere. It's the end of the year, and the family deserves a reunion, so I'm letting her rest for two months. After a busy year, everyone deserves a break to recharge their batteries. Mammy and wet nurse, thank you for your hard work."
"No, no, it's my great honor to be able to take care of the young master." Nanny Pan led the way. "The child lives in the east room. He's probably having lunch at this hour."
Jiang Yushu couldn't help but quicken her pace and looked around. "Are there only three of you at home? Don't you have any help?"
"Originally, we hired two, but one of them seemed honest but was actually dishonest, so the young master sent her away. The other, Li Po, although she was diligent in her duties, was actually a bit clumsy. We didn't dare send her out to buy things or take care of the children. She was only responsible for boiling water, cooking, and cleaning."
Jiang Yushu sighed, "Reliable helpers are always hard to come by."
As they were talking, the two arrived at the east room.
As soon as she stood outside the door curtain, Jiang Yushu heard an excited childish voice coming from the room:
"Dad? Daddy!"
“Daddy…”
"Mom! Mom, mom..."
Oh, Ye'er actually called "Mom"? Jiang Yushu's heart instantly blossomed with joy, and she smiled happily. Her heart was sweet, sweeter than drinking honey.
However--
"Hahaha~" Nanny Pan said cheerfully, lifting the door curtain as she explained, "The young master misunderstood. He must have heard the horses neighing and thought his father had returned home, so he was anxious to learn how to ride."
It turned out that the child was not calling "Mom", but wanted to ride a horse.
Jiang Yushu sighed, feeling both disappointed and amused. She walked briskly into the bedroom and headed straight for the inner room. "Ye'er isn't even a year old yet, and Honglei's already teaching him to ride a horse? That's a little too early."
"It's not really teaching. Just carrying him around for a few laps is enough to make him happy! It's natural; no one taught him. He loves horses." Madam Pan opened the curtains at the inner room, and a wave of warmth washed over her. She clapped her hands and said, "He's a natural."
"Look, my dear, who's here?"
"Madam?" Nanny Qiu, holding a bowl of porridge, turned her head at the sound of the voice, surprised and delighted. "Sit down, sit down quickly. It's snowing so hard outside. You must have been exhausted coming all the way here. Rest for a while."
Jiang Yushu held her breath and stood still, looking at the kang:
The kang burned day and night, keeping the bedroom warm. A two-foot-high railing surrounded the edge of the kang. A plump, pale, ten-month-old baby, wearing a red coat and a tiger-head hat, clung to the railing with both hands, staring at the approaching person with wide eyes. Then, standing on tiptoe, he stared at the door curtain and asked in confusion, "Huh? Huh?"
"What?"
The baby looked at the stranger curiously and mumbled a string of words that no one could understand.
Jiang Yushu stared intently at the chubby child, listening to his sweet voice. While feeling relieved, she sighed sadly and said helplessly, "It's been too long since we last met. The child doesn't recognize me."
"It's okay. You'll get used to her after seeing her more often." Nanny Pan came closer and said, "She's the Madam, your mother. Call her 'Mother'."
"Huh?" The baby was confused and had only learned a few words so far. He stood on tiptoe frequently and stared at the door curtain in confusion.
The nurse explained, "When the little boy heard the horse neigh, he was immediately overjoyed, thinking that he would be able to ride a horse later. Look, he is waiting for someone to take him out to play."
"Your father is in the camp. Wait a moment, mom will play with you!" Jiang Yushu cheered up, took off her cloak, washed quickly, and tried every way to make the child happy.
Nanny Pan was busy arranging food and accommodation, and the small courtyard suddenly became very lively.
In a blink of an eye, it is the twelfth lunar month.
In the depths of winter, the snow piles up thicker and water freezes into ice, making travel increasingly inconvenient.
That afternoon, Jiang Yushu sat on the warm kang, enjoying a rare moment of free time, concentrating on playing with her child. She picked up a bell, shook it, and asked softly, "Look, Mom bought you a new toy, a little bell. Do you like it?"
The bell rang "Ding-ling-ling~". The baby who was playing with the stuffed tiger seriously looked up, his eyes lit up, he put down the stuffed doll, jumped onto the mattress, used his hands and feet, crawled quickly, and reached out to grab it.
Jiang Yushu smiled, deliberately hid the bell behind her back, and coaxed: "Call me 'mother', and the bell will be yours, how about it?"
The baby raised his face, looked into the mother's eyes, clicked his lips, but said nothing, and crawled accurately behind her. With nimble movements, he grabbed the bell in one go.
"Oh, you're so brave, you just robbed it?" Jiang Yushu was overjoyed and slowly moved away. "A gentleman uses words instead of fists. Let's talk about reason first, shall we?"
The baby does not understand the situation yet and mistakenly thinks that the other party is playing with him, so he crawls around and chases it, giggling as he does so.
After a while, Jiang Yushu admitted defeat, handed the bell to the child with her left hand, and wiped the sweat off his face with her right hand. "Okay, here you go, sit down and rest for a while."
Undeterred, she bent down and asked, "You clearly learned to call me 'mother' the day before yesterday. Why won't you do it today? Have you forgotten? My dear child, call me 'mother' for me to hear, okay?"
"Ding-ling-ling~", the baby got a new toy and shook it hard, without time to respond to his mother.
The next moment
The door curtain was lifted, and the maid announced: "Madam, Magistrate of Tuning County, Lord Sun and his wife are here to visit."
"oh?"
Jiang Yushu was startled. "Lord Sun? I have no acquaintance with him. Why did he come here suddenly?"
"I don't know." The maid shook her head and asked, "The sedan chair is parked at the door. Do you think it can be seen or not?"
Jiang Yushu paused for a moment, then nodded and replied, "Guests are welcome. It would be rude not to see them. Please invite Mr. Sun and his wife into the hall and have a seat. Serve them tea. I'll be there later."
"Yes." The maid took the order and left.
Jiang Yushu patted the child's head and said, "Mom is going to meet two guests. I'll play with you later."
Then, the nanny came in with a food box and asked with a smile, "The kitchen has steamed some rice cakes. Madam, would you like to try some?"
"No, I'm in a hurry to meet a guest." Jiang Yushu changed her clothes quickly. "You feed Ye'er."
The nanny nodded and gave the child some pastries as usual in the afternoon.
When the baby realized that his mother had left, he immediately crawled to the fence, stood up on the railing, and wanted to go out for a walk. He moved quickly and stretched out his hands while babbling.
"Little rascal, mother is not going out to play." Jiang Yushu loved to see the lively appearance of children. She smiled happily and walked steadily towards the living room, wondering about the purpose of the county magistrate's visit.
At the same time, Yongzhou City
"The magistrate's daughter is a perfect match for you. Not bad, not bad!" Jiang Shisen sighed with emotion, pacing with his hands behind his back. "Wenfeng, you are not young anymore. It would be better for the elders to get married sooner so that they can feel at ease."
Both of them were drunk, and Pei Wenfeng replied respectfully, "I understand."
"Alas." Jiang Shisen sighed and said, "It's God's will, God's will, that I can never be your father-in-law."
Pei Wenfeng was sad and said comfortingly: "Uncle, please don't be like this. It's just because I'm not blessed."
"Forget it, let's not talk about the past!" Jiang Shisen was helpless.
Servants from both sides followed, and Pei Wenfeng supported them, saying, "Be careful with the threshold, and go slowly. You're quite drunk, why don't you rest for the night and return to the yamen tomorrow morning?"
"How could I be drunk? It's nothing." Jiang Shisen waved his hand, walked down the stairs and walked towards the sedan chair, "I'm going back to the government office to take a nap. As agreed, I will discuss official business with Old Shen in the evening."
"Then please be careful and take care of yourself."
Pei Wenfeng always treated his uncle with great respect. Even when they had a disagreement over marriage, he only blamed the culprit, Xu, and never took his anger out on Jiang Shisen. He bowed, helped the elder into the sedan chair, and chatted for a while before instructing a trusted servant to escort him and watching the sedan chair depart.
——Meanwhile, behind them, the door remained wide open.
Du Feiyan arrived at the right time. When she mustered up her courage and was about to knock on the door, she suddenly heard voices coming from inside. She panicked and hurriedly hid in the corner.
Her face was haggard and pale, depressed and lonely. She looked at Jiang Shisen quietly and listened to their intimate conversation. She caught a glimpse of the wide-open door and couldn't help but think to herself:
I've only been through that door twice.
My parents have arranged a marriage for me. I will be leaving Yongzhou and returning to my hometown soon. I'm afraid we won't be able to see each other for the rest of my life.
Today is the last time I see him.
The benefactor should be very happy that the person who has been pestering him is gone forever.
Du Feiyan laughed at herself bitterly, and suddenly an idea came to her mind. She stared at the wide-open gate, and when she saw that no one noticed her, she got excited for some unknown reason and quietly slipped into the yard.
"Sir, go back. You've drunk a lot." The old servant advised.
Pei Wenfeng nodded, "Hmm."
After the master and servant entered the courtyard, Pei Wenfeng went straight back to his room, intending to take a nap and sober up.
"Sir, would you like some hangover tea?"
Pei Wenfeng didn't even turn his head and said, "No, I just need a good sleep."
"Yes." The old servant bolted the door and went to clean up the mess on the table.
The next moment
Du Feiyan left her hiding place, brushed off the falling snow, and followed Pei Wenfeng. She pondered her words over and over again, deciding to say goodbye solemnly and go their separate ways from now on.
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