"Guizhi, look who's here." Tian's mother called out to Tian but didn't look at her, as if trying to avoid her. She stepped into the main house with a smile on her face that seemed a little embarrassed.
"Oh, his aunt is here too." Tian's mother seemed to be secretly relieved and quickly turned around to invite the people following behind to sit down. "His uncle, don't be shy, sit down first, sit down."
As the old lady spoke, she glanced at Tian, ​​who had been silent all the time. Seeing that Tian looked indifferent, the old lady pulled the man to sit on the chair, then turned around and winked at Tian to signal her to greet the guests quickly.
"Uncle, when did you come? Why didn't you ask someone to send a message in advance? You came so suddenly..." Tian glanced at Ma Fuquan's elder brother Ma Fuan and saw that he was hunched over, with his eyes drooping, dressed like an old farmer in the countryside. His toes, covered in black dirt, were exposed outside his straw sandals. Under her gaze, he shrank back and forth uneasily under the chair.
When Tian was in Dingxian Village, she also gossiped about those families in the village who despised the poor and loved the rich. Whenever a poor relative came to their house, they would look down on him. Now, looking at Ma Fuan with cold eyes, she couldn't help but feel disgusted.
Can't you just sit there openly?
Tian knew in her heart that it was wrong to look down on poor relatives like this, but people's ideologies would naturally change depending on their environment. Jian Ning knew that she would not sit idly by and watch Ma Fuquan's brother. Although the man who entered the door kept his head down, his facial features were very similar to Ma Fuquan's.
She took the cup of tea from the maid in Prince Wu's mansion and handed it to Ma Fuan. "Have some tea first. Don't be restrained here. Don't worry, if you have any difficulties, Sister Tian will definitely help you."
The sound of children playing was heard in the yard. Ma Fuan tilted his head slightly towards the gate. A moment later, Ma Xiaobing and Ding Qian ran in, chasing after Qiao Feng.
"I heard there are guests at home." Qiao Feng came in and glanced at Ma Fuan, who was sitting with his head huddled up. After a slight bow, she smiled and greeted Tian's mother first, "Grandma, it's been a while since you came to visit us."
"Mother, Master." Qiao Feng bowed slightly to each of them in turn.
"Daddy!" Ma Xiaobing saw Ma Fuan and shouted "Daddy" and rushed towards him, falling into his arms.
Ma Fuan seemed to be frightened and looked at a loss, but his hands were tightly holding Ma Xiaobing.
"What are you yelling about?" Tian rushed over and picked up Ma Xiaobing. "That's your uncle. If you keep yelling, I'll punish you. Go away and play with me."
Ma Xiaobing grinned, looking like he wanted to cry, but he didn't.
"Brother Xiaobing, learn from me." Ding Qian fell to the ground without saying a word. Before he could roll over and howl, Jian Ning grabbed him and Ma Xiaobing and slid them to the corridor. Jian Ning said to the servant who was following them outside, "Take them to play in other courtyards. Don't mess around here."
"See what trouble they are making." Tian's mother thought that since they had already brought the people here, it would be better for her to get out of trouble first. "I am an old woman with nothing to do anyway. I will take them to Liuzi's place to play. You don't have to worry about it."
"Mother." Qiao Feng also knelt and bowed to Tian, ​​"I'll go tell the kitchen to prepare lunch."
As she spoke, she bowed to Ma Fuan again, then slowly took two steps back and turned to leave. "Master." She left and Jian Ning came in. She smiled and asked Jian Ning, "Let's have lunch together. The family of the sergeant in Ruijie'er's father's camp sent someone to bring us some mountain products. They picked some up and gave them to us. Master will definitely like them."
Ma Xiaorui is Ma Xiaomai and Qiaofeng's eldest daughter, still just over six months old. With Tian's devotion to the Imperial Court Winery, Qiaofeng has been entrusted with all matters of the household. Qiaofeng, having been the eldest daughter of the county magistrate's mansion and having lived in the Huo Mansion's annex for several years, has a firm grasp of the rules governing the household and the servants of a wealthy family. Whenever she has free time, she often seeks out Duan Xinyan for advice. Over the past two years, she and Xinyan have grown close, becoming close friends who share everything.
"Well, then come back after dinner. You go and do your own thing, and I'll help your mother-in-law entertain the guests." Jian Ning returned to the room and heard Tian asking Ma Fuan whether he was thinking about them and their son coming to visit relatives or whether he had something to ask for. Tian told him to speak frankly.
"Big Brother Ma." Jian Ning said with a smile, "Don't be shy here. If you need any help, just tell Sister Tian."
He came empty-handed, so he certainly wasn't visiting relatives. Jane Ning was afraid that he would be too shy to speak, but since he was already here, he would have to speak sooner or later, so she beat the gong to open the ceremony for him.
Ma Fuan's wife passed away due to illness last year. Tian heard her mother mention it in her ear. Her mother came to the capital to commemorate the old days and she never stopped exchanging letters with relatives in her hometown. She always went to the street to find someone to write letters for her and send them to the countryside. Tian remembered that after she became Guanglu Doctor, her mother had mentioned that she should not forget the people on Ma's father's side, who had a hard life but were honest and hardworking, and she wanted to help them.
Speaking of which, Tian really didn't have a good impression of the old Ma family. No one came to visit the year Ma Fuquan got into trouble. Life was tight, even if they came to visit empty-handed, it was a gesture, and it would be lively for the neighbors to see. If the people from the old Ma family came to visit, would Meng dare to bring her son and daughter-in-law to her house to rob things?
Thinking back to that incident, Tian felt a little angry again. Now that her family was rich, he still came to her empty-handed? She spoke again with a slightly stiffer tone, "If you have something to say, say it. You can't come all this way just to see us mother and son. How can you just sit there without saying anything?"
Ma Fuan nodded, raised his eyes slightly, and glanced at the maids and servants in the room. Tian became even more impatient, and reluctantly suppressed her anger, waving her hand, "All of you go down, you don't need to serve here."
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