Zhou Gu and Su Rong’s sudden visit left the Ye Xiang Residence completely unprepared and the kitchen in a frenzy.
Laughing, Su Rong restrained Lady Ye Xiang from ordering extra dishes, saying, "Whatever was prepared for the house, we’ll enjoy that. We won’t stand on ceremony and neither should you. We’re not picky eaters."
Lady Ye Xiang instantly chuckled, "How could that be possible?"
Su Rong countered, "Why not? If you’re going to be so formal with us, we might end up leaving so as not to disturb you further."
Left with no choice, Lady Ye Xiang smiled and agreed, "Alright, we’ll listen to the Princess." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
Once she had said that, she shot Ye Xiang a fierce glance, "My dear husband, you always claimed yourself to be foreseeing – why didn’t you predict the arrival of the Princess and her husband? Or at least inform me beforehand."
Ye Xiang immediately protested his innocence and blamed it on his son, "Don’t blame me, this should be blamed on your son. His request for a leave of absence drew too much attention."
Ye Guixue turned to his father; it was he who had requested the leave.
Unable to contain her amusement, Su Rong agreed, "Yes, yes. Don’t blame Ye Xiang, blame Guixue. How could he take a day off alone on such a day of rest for all of us? He should consider us as well."
With an amused look, Ye Guixue retorted, "Well said, Princessa, I plan on taking leave again tomorrow, would you approve this?"
"Whose birthday is it tomorrow?" Su Rong queried.
Ye Guixue replied, "No one’s, I just wanted to continue my leave."
Su Rong immediately keeps a straight face, "Denied. Insufficient reasons."
Ye Guixue complained, "I haven’t had a break for almost half a year now, and I’ve accumulated quite a few days off."
"Keep them for next year," Su Rong seemed a bit guilty, "Next year your days off will be doubled, give a special approval, okay?"
Smiling, Ye Guixue agreed, "Alright."
Upon entering the residence amidst all the laughter and chatter, Zhou Gu teased Ye Xiang, "Dear Ye Xiang, I fear for your standing within your family! Your wife glares and you crumble in fear. Did you bear a son merely to take the blame for you?"
Ye Xiang immediately retorted, "Isn’t the status of the princess’s husband within his own family the same as mine? I clearly remember the princess pinching your face."
"That’s why she was scolded," Zhou Gu replied without a hint of embarrassment, "But if your wife pinches you in private, there’s nobody around to scold her and stand up for you."
Ye Xiang remained silent.
He was actually left speechless, making a comeback impossible.
The meal was lively, with the addition of Zhou Gu and Su Rong, as they were both jovial characters. They didn’t make the Ye family uncomfortable; on the contrary, they made the Ye mansion feel like home to them, enjoying the taste of a true family feast.
After lunch, the two guests casually strolled around the mansion, escorted by Ye Guixue. After a laid back and relaxed visit, they finally left.
Upon leaving the Ye Xiang Residence, Su Rong said to Ye Guixue, "If you’re tired, you may take an additional day off tomorrow but no more than one day."
Ye Guixue smiled, "Thank you, Princess, for your consideration."
Despite saying so, Ye Guixue decided not to take a day off the next day but continued to dive into his court duties.
Lady Ye Xiang felt this birthday celebration was better than previous years. For so many years, her birthday was only marked by hosting banquets for officials, but this year, the whole family got together for a lively meal. Particularly with the Princess and her husband bringing their blessings, their visit bestowed honor and significance on the Ye Xiang Residence. Though the celebration was simple, it brought genuine happiness.
Ye Xiang also felt it was pleasant and said to his wife, "If you don’t wish to hold a big celebration next year, we won’t."
Lady Ye Xiang nodded, "We’ll see the situation next year. My birthday can be spent this way but we can’t keep things this simple for your birthday."
Responding with a smile Ye Xiang said, "Things are different now, we should do as we please. We can do it this way on my birthday as well. It’s honestly better without that old Nangong crowd."
Ye Xiang earnestly felt that, compared to the ruthless, life-or-death struggles of daily power plays, a bit of extra hard work was much more relieving.
Seven days later, Cui Yanjin returned home, and upon seeing a house full of people, including his parents, he was left dumbstruck, "Dad? Mom? How did you arrive so soon?"
"You cheeky boy, don’t you want us here?" Cui Yuanbin glared at Cui Yanjin.
Cui Yanjin shook his head, "No, it’s not that. I just didn’t get any news of you all coming."
Not only had they moved in, but it also seemed like they had been here for several days. He wondered why his cousin had not informed him.
Cui Yuanbin could not help but chuckle, "We didn’t ask anyone to inform you – we wanted to surprise you."
Cui Yanjin nodded, "Well, that was definitely a surprise."
"Oh my, is this really my son?" Liao Yuying grabbed Cui Yanjin and looked him up and down, "We haven’t seen each other in half a year, you’ve gotten taller, slimmer, and you’ve changed altogether. I am your mother, aren’t I? I can hardly recognize you now!"
Cui Yanjin nodded affirmatively, "Yes, you are indeed my mother."
These past few months have been so exhausting he barely recognized himself, feeling on the verge of insanity. He had been hoping that others from home would come, to share his burdens.
He immediately asked, "Who all came?"
"Your great-uncle’s entire family is here. As for our family, it’s just your father and me," said Liao Yuying, feeling his face, "You’ve lost your softness. My poor boy."
Cui Yanjin looked at his mother in surprise. This was the first time since his childhood that his mother had shown a motherly side and said something as considerate as ’my poor boy’. He was not used to it.
"Come on, let’s go inside and properly chat," Liao Yuying led Cui Yanjin inside, "You won’t believe it, but everyone was praising you. They said it was impressive how someone so young could already join the Imperial Court. Even your great-uncle and your cousins are envious of you."
Had this been in the past, Cui Yanjin would have been filled with pride upon hearing this but now, so consumed by exhaustion, he responded, "They don’t need to envy me. The court is short-staffed and they will soon have to join too."
"That’s not the same," Liao Yuying explained, "You are the youngest of the lot."
In the past, she felt it was enough to casually bring up her son, because there were so many talented young masters in the Cui family of Qinghe. She didn’t think her son’s contribution would be missed. She thought he would inherit her father’s position in the Evil Ghost Sect, since he loved martial arts. But, she had never expected that he would be so fortunate. Now, he’s even learning literature from scratch.
Particularly after hearing Cui Xingzhi praise Cui Yanjin, saying he was still young, yet working along with Master Feng in the Ministry of Rites, then moving to the Ministry of Works. In the beginning, when he joined the Ministry of Rites, many courtiers criticized the decision, thinking him too young and inexperienced, only a bother. But the Princess silenced them, and in order to justify her trust, he worked hard every day, often reading till early morning after finishing work. He grew rapidly within these few months, silencing the courtiers, and gaining their recognition.
Every day, Liao Yuying was very happy. After making Cui Yanjin sit down inside the room, she looked at him again; extremely satisfied, "No doubt, he’s my son."
Cui Yuanbin added, "He’s mine too."
Cui Yanjin: "..."
He still remembered how they had barely paid him any attention when he left home. These were his parents indeed.
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