The snipe and the clam fight
After leaving Qinse Residence, Xie Sili went directly to the courtyard where Qin Shi and Xie Ling were.
She had just stepped into the courtyard when she heard Qin Shi and Xie Ling talking.
Their discussion revolved around her, largely blaming Huang for her health problems.
She came from the apocalypse. Her parents died when she was very young, and she never even met her grandparents. The only treasure her parents left her was books.
She survived alone in the apocalypse and had never experienced much family affection, which she always considered insignificant. However, the deep concern in their eyes still moved her.
"Although Ali doesn't have to marry Prince Yan, what if she ends up marrying someone worse off under Huang's arrangement?" Qin sighed softly. "Ache and Yan Yan are still children. Although they are capable of protecting Ali now, they are still children after all."
“Master, why don’t we wait until after the New Year to go back to Yuzhou City, so we don’t have to stay here and cause trouble for the eldest son’s family?” Madam Qin said with a hint of joy in her voice. “Ah Li has not been back to Yuzhou City for quite some time, so we must take a good look at her when we go back.”
"Those children, we miss them terribly, and Mr. Zhuge often asks about Ah Li." Madam Qin paused slightly as she said this, "Master, how do you think Ah Li knows Mr. Zhuge? Judging from Mr. Zhuge's appearance, it seems that they are close friends despite their age difference."
As Xie Ling listened to Qin Shi's words, his mind wandered to various things, and he turned his gaze back to her.
"They are indeed close friends despite their age difference. I heard from Mr. Zhuge that the old man saved his life and he received some favors after waking up."
Xie Ling wasn't quite sure how Xie Sili came to know Mr. Zhuge, but he always felt that there were very few people who could be trusted by Mr. Zhuge like that. The former Crown Prince was one of them, and Xie Sili was probably the first.
Not only was she deeply favored by Mr. Zhuge, but he even took her in as his last disciple. Xie Jingche and Xie Jingyan also became his last disciples because of this.
His eldest son, Xie Zhun, could not see these things.
He can only see the immediate benefits, but not the long-term benefits; otherwise, why wouldn't he care about an outstanding child like Xie Sili?
"Master, is it really possible to stay at Si Garden now?" Madam Qin asked again. "Si Garden in Yuzhou City is very comfortable to live in. There are all kinds of beautiful scenery in the courtyard, and just looking at those scenery makes me happy."
"Don't worry, the Siyuan Garden in Chang'an City was also personally supervised by A Li, so it's not much different." Xie Ling's voice softened as he looked at Qin Shi.
When Xie Sili pushed open the courtyard gate, she saw Xie Ling and Qin Shi sitting face to face.
Xie Ling looked at Qin Shi with doting and tender eyes. Her second uncle, Xie Yi, had this gentle and refined nature in his bones. He also looked at Yang Shi with tenderness, but he was not as treacherous and scheming as Xie Zhun.
"Ah Li is here."
Hearing Qin's voice, Xie Sili walked over and sat down beside them. "Why are you packing your things? Siyuan has everything you need. Clean it all up when the weather is nice."
Noticing the gazes of Madam Qin and Xie Ling, Xie Sili smiled and said, "Grandfather and Grandmother, you only returned to Chang'an because of me, so naturally I want to make you feel more comfortable." As she spoke, she picked up the fruit next to her and handed it to Madam Qin.
“You…” Madam Qin tapped her forehead.
"Grandma, what will I do if you leave!" Xie Sili's voice trailed off with a hint of coquetry. "I love Grandma the most, A-Che and Yan-Yan's beloved great-grandmother."
As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed Qin patting her head affectionately, "After we move to Si Garden, let's bring A-Che and Yan-Yan back so we can all have a good meal and make Si Garden lively."
Xie Sili nestled in Qin's arms. "Yingyi, Anyi, Siyi and their team have all come over, and Mr. Yunjian has come too." She lowered her voice as she spoke. "Who knows, Mr. Yunjian might have come up with some new dishes for everyone to try."
"Good, good, good! Yun Jian is a good child." Madam Qin smiled kindly. "By the way, didn't you go out with the second son before? Why is it that now that you're back, the second son hasn't returned?"
Xie Sili looked at Qin Shi and sighed, "Lian'er is dead."
"What? What happened?" Xie Ling and Qin Shi both looked at her at the same time.
“Lian’er was determined to expose her stepmother’s true colors, so she committed suicide.” She looked regretful. “But Grandfather and Grandmother don’t need to be sad. After all, there’s always a reason why someone is pitiful.”
"Ah Li, have you and the second brother reunited? I saw you two getting along quite well at the dinner table before." Xie Ling looked at her and asked in a low voice, "Does the second brother have ulterior motives for approaching you? Although he is your biological brother, he has been raised by the Huang family for so many years."
Xie Ling didn't believe that Xie Sinan was as he expected. Although he had some feelings for this grandson he had never met, they were not as deep as those for Xie Sili, whom he had raised since childhood.
Hearing Xie Ling's words, Xie Sili smiled without saying a word, "Grandfather will know in time."
Xie Sili chatted privately with Qin Shi and the others before returning to Liju.
All of Li Juli's belongings have been transported back to Siyuan through a secret passage, which is known only to the people in this courtyard.
She doesn't want to move out of the Prime Minister's residence right now. She always felt that Lu Shi's death was suspicious and wanted to investigate the truth of what happened back then. But she knew very well that even if there was evidence, it had probably been erased over the years.
Especially the pond where Xie Sinian drowned back then.
It is said that after Xie Sinian drowned in that pond, Xie Ling ordered people to fill it in. About five years ago, the Huang family reopened the pond and raised a lot of fish in it.
Xie Sili had no memory of Xie Sinian, let alone any characters not mentioned in the book.
She went to Siyuan through the secret passage of Liju.
Although it wasn't yet the freezing cold, the underfloor heating in Siyuan was already on, making her study even warmer, like being in an air-conditioned room.
“Miss, you should take a look at Uncle Qian.” The butler stepped forward and looked at her with a smile. “As expected of someone from the Fang family, you learned a lot from him before. It’s a pity that Fang Ye is a scoundrel.” His words were tinged with anger.
"How has he been lately?" Xie Sili asked, his gaze falling on Ning Yi. "I heard that the young lady also came looking for him."
“That girl’s name is Lili. She came to see you.” Ning Yi said respectfully. “After receiving her, she insisted on meeting her in person.”
She nodded to Ning and then followed him to find Uncle Qian.
Uncle Qian was a victim of the Fang family. She had promised Uncle Qian that she would take care of him in his old age and see him off when he died.
The Si Garden is so large that it wouldn't be a problem to arrange a good job for him. Moreover, he used to be the steward of the Fang family, so it's feasible for him to assist in managing the Si Garden.
The Siyuan Garden in Yuzhou City has a chief steward and four junior stewards. The five of them are in charge of all affairs, big and small, of the Siyuan Garden.
Ning Yi was the head steward of Siyuan Garden and someone she trusted greatly. He not only managed Siyuan Garden but also basically handled all the various businesses under her name. His position by her side was equivalent to that of Ying Yi and the others.
“Qian Bo is an expert in financial matters, so I instructed him to manage the properties under my name in Chang’an City. After studying for these days, he has indeed mastered a lot and discovered many loopholes.” Ning Yi looked at her with narrowed eyes and a slight smile on her lips.
"What loopholes are there?" Xie Sili asked incisively.
“Miss…” Ning sighed, “That was a copy I made and revised, deliberately to test Uncle Qian.” There was a hint of helplessness on his face, “Could it be that in your eyes I am such a person?”
Xie Sili glanced at him and smiled without saying a word.
They had a special office in the Siyuan Garden. When I entered the office, I saw Uncle Qian sitting there fiddling with an abacus, the beads jingling.
Perhaps sensing their footsteps, he looked up and his eyes revealed a hint of surprise.
"Girl, you've come." Uncle Qian said as he walked up to her and quickly tried to kowtow.
Xie Sili glanced at Ning Yi beside her, and Ning Yi quickly reached out to support Uncle Qian.
“Girl, this is what I should do, I…” His voice choked, and he couldn’t speak for a moment.
“If it weren’t for you, young lady, how could our family’s injustice have been redressed?” He finished speaking and wiped his tears with his sleeve. “You are a living Bodhisattva, young lady. I will never forget your great kindness.”
"This is all within my power." Xie Sili smiled at Uncle Qian. "Uncle Qian, you don't need to worry about it. If you stay at Siyuan, someone will take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die."
“In a few days, when we move in, the garden will be more lively, and Uncle Qian will be quite busy then,” Xie Sili joked with a smile.
"What are you saying, young lady? It's better when it's lively. I love a lively atmosphere, when everyone is happy together. Isn't that wonderful?" he said, wiping away his tears with his sleeve.
After speaking with Uncle Qian, she went to the courtyard where Yun Jian was. After hearing that Yun Jian was in the kitchen, she went there to look for him.
Inside the kitchen, Yun Jian was busy trying out his newly developed dishes. There were about twenty dishes of various sizes laid out in front of him, all of which looked quite good in appearance and color.
"Yun Jian, do you think this dish would be even better paired with Du Kang's wine?"
She had barely finished speaking when she saw Yun Jian looking up at her.
Just as she was about to speak, she heard Yun Jian's voice, "Miss, what brings you here? I was thinking of sending you some of the new dishes I've been working on to try." As he spoke, he wiped his hands with a cloth that was next to him and carefully took out a pair of silver chopsticks and handed them to her.
“Yun Jian, if you continue like this, I’m going to start calling you Mr. Yun directly.” Xie Sili raised his eyes and said with a hint of complaint, “I’ve said before that you are different from them. We are friends, and I don’t like hearing you call me ‘Miss’.”
"Yes, yes, yes. Li girl." Yun Jian said, taking out a small plate and handing it to her. "Some of the dishes are modified based on the recipes you gave me. Try them."
Xie Sili took out a wine gourd from his sleeve, poured a bowl of wine for the two of them, and put the gourd aside.
“Li girl…” Yun Jian’s helpless voice rang out, “Remember not to overindulge in alcohol.”
"It's alright that Du Kang isn't here." Xie Sili picked up a piece of food from the small plate in front of her and put it in her mouth.
"The taste is good, as expected of Yun Jian." She picked up the wine in front of her and gulped it down. "If only those people were here, it's a pity that the mountains are high and the roads are far, and none of them are willing to come."
“The gentlemen all said they’d come to visit Li Yatou after the New Year.” Yun Jian looked at her with a hint of doting in his eyes. “They’ve been staying in Yuzhou City, pestering Du Kang to make them brew wine.” A smile appeared on his face as he mentioned this. “They’ve joined forces to brew wine, saying they’ll bring it over for you to try after the New Year.”
“Interesting, interesting.” Xie Sili laughed. “Good, good. But their ambitions lie not in the court, but in the wilderness.”
She had the good fortune to meet a group of literary figures who were different from the famous literary figures in history. They came from different countries and gathered together because of their shared interests, drinking wine, composing poems, and having a great time.
It was a great blessing in her life that the poet, the musician, the chess master, and the calligrapher were able to meet these people through wine. All she did was provide them with a place and fine wine when they were composing poems.
They traveled the world and witnessed too much suffering of the people. Although they occasionally had a burning desire to serve their country, they had no way to do so. Even if someone recommended them, they were demoted because they could not stand some people in the court.
Yuzhou City became their final destination in life.
"When is Li Yatou going to move in?" Yun Jian asked again, "Should we invite the Prime Minister's residence to come over when that happens?"
Hearing Yun Jian's words, she shook her head. "No, let's have some fun after the gentlemen arrive. It's a pity that Mr. Zhuge is getting on in years and is not suited for long journeys. Otherwise, I would really like to invite Mr. Zhuge to sit in the Si Garden. If he could also inscribe a piece of calligraphy as a gift, that would be the most wonderful thing."
“Mr. Zhuge will come.” Yun Jian looked at her and reached out to stroke her head. “Mr. Zhuge said that he will bring Li’er back to Yuzhou City. Chang’an is not as comfortable as Yuzhou City.”
Xie Sili listened to Yun Jian's words and picked up his wine to drink.
Perhaps Xie Sili's life was unfortunate; her father was unloving, her stepmother was unkind, and her sisters were hypocritical.
But Si Li's life was still quite lucky; she had close friends by her side.
At least it won't be a wasted journey through this world.
"Young lady, why are you drinking here again?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Xie Sili looked up and saw Green Bamboo standing at the door.
A slight smile played on her lips. "It's rare for Yun Jian to prepare such a feast. Fine wine and delicacies are the best!" She looked at the green bamboo reaching out, turned the bowl around, and drank the rest of the wine in one gulp.
“Mr. Yun, why don’t you do anything about the young lady? What kind of young lady drinks every day? It’s all those gentlemen’s fault for corrupting her.”
“Wine is a wonderful thing!” Xie Sili said without hesitation as he looked at the green bamboo.
She met Green Bamboo's eyes, a rare smile playing on her lips. "①'A dappled horse, a thousand pieces of gold, call the boy to exchange them for fine wine, to dispel with you all the sorrows of ages past!' This shows that getting drunk can indeed solve a thousand sorrows, which is certainly a good thing!"
She had barely finished speaking when Green Bamboo's voice came again.
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