“In that case, I will wait for you in the palace.”
After saying that, Ji Xuan left in a hurry.
He is very busy these days, and he made a special effort to set aside this time for today.
After Ji Xuan left, the family finally gathered together in a lively atmosphere.
"Mother, you've finally come."
Seeing Jiang Nuan made Huang Xiaosi feel a little more at ease.
He was thirteen years old at this time. He was tall and handsome, with the gravitas of a scholar, but not dull. He still gave people a sense of cleverness.
“You can go back even if I don’t come,” Jiang Nuan smiled faintly. “You’ve been back quite a bit these past three years, haven’t you?”
Jiang Nuan feels helpless, as she goes back home for at least two months every year to make it seem like a life-or-death separation.
“How can this be the same?” Huang Xiaosi couldn’t help but pout. “I went back because I was worried about my mother, while you came because you were thinking about your son. The meanings are different.”
"Pretentious," the old lady scoffed. "As long as we can meet, who cares about any significance? If you don't come, it means you don't care."
“Of course not,” Huang Xiaosi quickly lowered his tone, “I just wanted to express my happiness.”
After three years of living together, the children were all a little afraid of the old lady.
She has a really bad temper; she'll hit people at the slightest provocation.
Regardless of whether they are right or wrong, beat them up first. If they can't explain it clearly, then keep beating them.
Therefore, whether it was Xiao Si or Xiao Pang from the Imperial Academy, or Xiao San who was in charge of affairs outside, or even Jiang Chao, the second son who attended court, they would stay outside as long as possible, and only sneak back if necessary.
Even though she was in her own home, she acted like a thief; you can imagine how imposing the old lady was.
"snort!"
The old lady gave a soft hum and said nothing more.
She was quite satisfied with her children, but as her status in the family rose, they received more and more praise.
To prevent her children from going astray, she had no choice but to endure hardship herself to let them experience the harsh realities of life.
However, it was unpleasant that these boys acted as if they had seen a ghost when they saw her.
She's not that fierce, is she?
Jiang Nuan could more or less guess the old lady's intention, so she ignored her son's pleading look and even turned her face away.
The group ignored Huang Xiaosi's rambling and began to share their own experiences in Beijing.
Huang Shu and Jiang Chao had been stationed in the Northwest for a year before being recalled to the capital. One was appointed as the Grand General of the State, and the other as the Grand General of Huaihua. They are currently serving in the capital's army.
Huang Xiaosi and Huang Xiaopang have been studying at the Imperial Academy for three years and have already passed the county examination, the prefectural examination, and the academician examination. They are about to take the imperial examination. Although they started studying late, they are talented and have the Huang family background as an advantage. If nothing unexpected happens, they should not fail.
Huang Xiaosan was the busiest one. Besides handling the affairs of the embroidery shop, he also had to travel with the caravan to raise livestock. He rarely stayed at home throughout the year. Jin Shi's long-cherished goal of having a child had not made any progress. Even this time, she had to make time specifically for staying in the capital.
As for Huang the eldest, ever since he started earning money, the government stopped paying for Wang's expenses. In addition, his brothers became more and more powerful, while he was just an ordinary manager at the embroidery shop. He was resentful and became increasingly estranged from his family.
“Da Chuan has completely gone astray,” the old lady couldn’t help but shake her head. “He thinks that distancing himself from the family is a punishment for us, but he is the one who suffers the most.”
The old lady really wanted to pry open her grandson's head to see what he was thinking and why he still hadn't figured things out.
I thought that being different from my family would make them feel guilty?
Dream on!
One thing after another, it was all his own doing. Instead of correcting his mistakes, he resented his family. No one would dare to touch such a person, let alone his son or even his ancestors.
“Let him be,” Jiang Nuan lowered her eyes. “He’s not a child. He knows what he’s doing. As long as he’s happy.”
Jiang Nuan's words were somewhat cold, but they reflected her truest thoughts.
A man can be gentle, mild-mannered, and even timid and cowardly, but he cannot lack responsibility.
Jiang Nuan had always had high hopes for her eldest son, but she never saw any sense of responsibility from him.
She doesn't deny that she had her own reasons, such as not being patient enough and not giving her son many opportunities.
However, Huang Chuan himself has even bigger problems.
She's always lived so selfishly, ignoring everything others say; even a god couldn't save her.
“My brother,” Huang Xiaosan sighed, “doesn’t steal, rob, or gamble. He’s not the best, but he’s not the worst either. We can’t ask for too much.”
Over the past three years, Huang Xiaosan's worldview has been challenged by various events, and her demands on Huang Chuan have become extremely humble.
He knew that Huang Chuan had unresolved issues with his family, but he no longer minded it as before, feeling as if taking a step back would open up a whole new world.
“So, according to you, we’ve treated him quite well,” the old woman retorted. “We haven’t skimped on his food or drink, and we’ve even found him a job to make a living. What has he to complain about?”
If only this person hadn't shown that resentful, sullen face in front of me, I would have broken his legs.
"this……"
The old lady's words left Huang Xiaosan unsure how to respond.
"It's no big deal," the old man said cheerfully, trying to smooth things over. "He has something to do now, and he has maids to serve him. He's living a good life and hasn't done anything to wrong the Huang family. He's doing just fine."
The old man was very open-minded despite the old woman's pressure, but he couldn't help but be open-minded.
If a demon is luring you into your home, what can you do besides accept it?
Unable to win against his wife, he could only try to convince himself to let go.
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