Chapter 93 Father and Son
Jiang Shuxiu is still most satisfied with Qi Zhengheng being her father, but now that Qi Zhengheng is married, she no longer feels the excitement and anxiety she felt when she first discovered her rebirth last year.
"Auntie, get down, don't tire yourself out."
"Not tired at all." Even though she said that, Xu Yanhan still put the child down on the ground. She felt that the child was very intelligent, and although he was not old, he was very clear-headed and not shy at all.
After being carried by Xu Yanhan, Xiujie landed and stood up again, looking up at the two of them. She said to Yingchun, who was leading the way, "Aunt Yingchun, please see Uncle and Aunt off. I'm going to pay my respects to Grandmother now."
Jiang Shuxiu speaks slowly, but her pronunciation is very clear, so there's no need for anyone to guess.
The servants of the Jiang family all knew that the eldest son's daughter was intelligent and mature beyond her years, a veritable replica of the eldest son.
Yingchun smiled and replied, "Oh, Xiu-jie, don't worry."
--
Apart from Qi Zhengheng and his wife, who had sent their visiting cards early in the morning, the steward of the Li family also arrived at the Jiang family in the afternoon with a letter from Lord Li and gifts for his daughter and son-in-law.
After reading Lord Li's letter, Zhao Xian folded it and handed it to Shaoyao, who was standing nearby, to keep it. In the letter, Lord Li expressed his apologies for being unable to leave his post and also clearly stated that he had prepared a coming-of-age ceremony gift for his son-in-law.
After reviewing the gift list from the Li family, Zhao Xian handed it to Li Lianniang.
It seems she dealt with the Zhou family quite harshly last year. I wonder if it was Lord Li who kept her from coming, or if she herself was too ashamed to come.
There are quite a few people like Lord Li who send their stewards to deliver gifts; some had already received them two days ago.
Only after the accounting department has checked and recorded the items will they be put into the warehouse.
The women in the family didn't have much free time throughout the day, mainly preparing for their coming-of-age ceremony the next day.
As evening approached, a banquet was set up at home because there were guests, and the whole family attended.
Halfway through the banquet, a servant rushed in to report: "Reporting to Master and Madam, the Old Master has returned, and his carriage has entered the mansion."
Zhao Xian turned her head and met Jiang Liangxu's gaze. Neither of them was too surprised. It wasn't the first time the old man had suddenly appeared, especially late at night.
Jiang Liangxu put down his chopsticks and said, "I'm afraid they came in before the city gates closed again. They haven't changed their sluggish nature even in their old age."
He then looked at the younger generation seated below him and said, "Let's go and greet your grandfather."
Jiang Heng stood up as well. "The last time I saw my grandfather was when I was ten years old, wasn't it?"
Zhao Xian thought for a moment, "Hmm, it should be seven years."
Come to think of it, the last time we met was when Jiang Liangxu was transferred back to Jin'an.
Her father-in-law was not a very idle person. When he was young, after his wife passed away, he resigned from his official post and traveled around with his son.
After Jiang Liangxu got married, he couldn't stay in the village any longer and went traveling again.
Even if they occasionally come back to visit, they don't stay long.
The two grandsons rarely saw their grandfather, let alone the two granddaughters-in-law who had never met him.
Qi Zhengheng and his wife exchanged a glance, and as the younger generation, they also got up to go and greet them.
At the hanging flower gate, the group met the old master of the Jiang family.
Old Master Jiang's given name is Shuo Mao, courtesy name Cheng He. He is fifty-eight years old this year. Seeing him, Zhao Xian can see what Jiang Liangxu will look like when he is old. It's just that because the old master travels around for many years, even though there are people to take care of him, he loves painting and especially loves to paint landscapes, so he will be a bit dark-skinned.
Jiang Liangxu looked at his travel-worn father and said, "You actually managed to come back before your eldest grandson turned twenty."
Grandpa Jiang glanced at his son casually, "Stop being sarcastic. I promised my eldest grandson that I would come back to celebrate when he comes of age, and I will not go back on my word."
When the father and son met, they always liked to exchange a few words. Zhao Xian spoke up at the right time, saying, "Father, you must have had a hard journey."
"My daughter-in-law knows how to talk," said Grandpa Jiang, glancing behind Zhao Xian and noticing a group of younger relatives following her.
"grandfather."
"Grandpa Jiang".
"Great-grandfather".
...
Everyone spoke at once, making it difficult for Jiang Shuomao to keep track of everyone's opinions. He could only clearly recognize his own son and daughter-in-law.
"Is this Jiang Wei? Jiang Heng?"
As he raised his finger, the two nodded.
Jiang Wei nodded, "Grandfather."
Jiang Heng had a deep impression of the old man, even though he hadn't known his grandfather for long. "How long does Grandfather plan to stay this time?"
"It's not decided yet. Let's celebrate your brother's coming-of-age ceremony first."
Seeing that he was looking at his wife beside them, Zhao Xian continued, "Father, this is Wei'er's wife, Li Shi. She wrote to you about the marriage before. Their daughter, Xiu'er, is a little over a year and a half old. This is Heng'er's wife, Lu Shi. She was just brought into the family at the end of June this year. We haven't had time to write to you to let you know yet."
Grandpa Jiang looked at his two granddaughters-in-law, his brows furrowed, wrinkles accumulating on his forehead, and his kind face became more serious.
His gaze suddenly fell on Jiang Liangxu, and he scolded, "Look at the mess you've made! You can't even set a good example. If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too."
Li Lianniang and Lu Zhaoying both tensed up, wondering how they had displeased the old master.
Jiang Shuxiu looked at yet another stranger, calmly stepped forward, and said in a loud voice despite her small size, "Great-grandfather."
Hearing the voice, Grandpa Jiang looked down and saw a small child dressed in festive clothes, with a soft and obedient voice.
"Oh, my dear Yinyin."
The old man bent down, picked up the child, and smiled with wrinkles all over his face.
With Jiang Shuxiu's interruption, the old man's serious expression vanished instantly.
Zhao Xian patted her two daughters-in-law's arms to comfort them, then looked at the old man and said, "Please don't frighten your granddaughters-in-law. There are reasons why Wei'er and Heng'er got married so early. We can explain it to you another day, okay?"
As she spoke, Zhao Xian nudged the 'upper beam' who had been scolded with her elbow.
Jiang Liangxu took Zhao Xian's hand in return, "It's nothing, Dad is just angry that he didn't get to attend his two grandsons' wedding."
As soon as he finished speaking, the old man glared at him, but Jiang Liangxu didn't care at all.
Zhao Xian pinched him secretly, adding fuel to the fire at this moment.
The old man was over twenty when he married his wife, but Jiang Liangxu was only seventeen when he married Zhao Xian. The old man had scolded him back then.
Then look at my two grandsons, one got married earlier than the other.
The old man wasn't wrong to scold him.
Moreover, the old man didn't vent his anger on the younger generation; all his dissatisfaction was directed at his son.
Zhao Xian knew that the old man had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, so she continued to introduce people and changed the subject, "Father, this is my husband and I's adopted daughter, Cui Tingyue. She wrote you a letter, I don't know if you received it."
Cui Tingyue curtsied and greeted her grandfather, saying, "Tingyue greets her grandfather."
Grandpa Jiang glanced at Cui Tingyue, his previous dissatisfaction instantly turning into praise for Zhao Xian: "You've gained such a wonderful daughter for free. Your daughter-in-law is truly good at managing the household."
Everyone: ??
Grandpa Jiang only had one son, but he actually preferred his daughter, thinking she was more obedient and well-behaved. It was just a pity that his wife was in poor health.
The son is also a man with a sharp tongue, and the father and son like to insult each other. When they saw that Zhao Xian had given birth to two sons, they were both hoping for a granddaughter, but unfortunately, the couple didn't have any more children, so there was nothing they could do.
Holding Jiang Shuxiu in his arms, with his great-granddaughter in his embrace, the old man's dissatisfaction with Jiang Liangxu dissipated considerably.
With his gaze falling on Qi Zhengheng and his wife, Old Master Jiang stared at Qi Zhengheng's face for a long while. "This child looks familiar to me. What is your relationship with Qi Tianjing?"
“That’s my fifth great-grandfather.”
"I knew he looked familiar; it turns out he's the grandson of an old friend."
While Qi Zhengheng was chatting with Grandpa Jiang about his fifth great-grandfather, a middle-aged man came over after finishing his business. "Ah Xian, it's been a long time."
Zhao Xian smiled and said, "Third Brother, you've grown a beard."
The middle-aged man was Zhao Xian's cousin, Zhao Zhi. When the old man wanted to travel, her third brother, who was sweet-talking and good at getting things done, persuaded the family and the old man to let him go and serve as his errand boy.
Over the years, her third brother has grown from a village boy into a refined middle-aged man, and has been by the old man's side for nearly twenty years.
"At my age, I must grow a beard." As he spoke, Zhao Zhi reached out and stroked his beard, just like Grandpa Jiang.
"By the way, Third Brother, where are your wife and nephew? Did they come to Jin'an with you this time?"
Although Zhao Zhi traveled around with the old man, he also married a wife along the way. However, he did not see his wife last time, saying that she was pregnant and unable to travel.
Zhao Zhi paused for a moment, "Xuan'er is sleeping. The child had just returned to Jin'an and played wildly all the way, so he's sleeping quite soundly."
"That's how children are." Noticing that his tone was off and that he hadn't mentioned his wife, Zhao Xian didn't press the matter further.
Jiang Liangxu interjected at the opportune moment, "Third Brother, you must be tired from your journey."
"It's no trouble at all. Taking care of the old man is what I should do." Zhao Zhi waved his hand. "I heard a few years ago that my brother-in-law got promoted again, but I haven't congratulated him yet."
After getting to know each other, the group headed towards the main hall.
The banquet continued, but some dishes were removed and replaced with those that the old man preferred.
During dinner, Zhao Xian reviewed the plots of the two books.
There was no scene where the old man returned.
In the book, because Jiang Liangxu disappeared, "she" never held a coming-of-age ceremony for her eldest son.
In the end, when 'she' was sent to the estate, there was no mention of the old man, let alone his return to the Jiang family; it was as if this person never existed.
Jiang Liangxu: "What are you thinking about?"
Zhao Xian snapped out of her reverie and noticed a piece of fish that had been deboned on her plate. She gently picked up a bit with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. "I was thinking, Grandpa's return was just in time."
The book doesn't describe Jiang Liangxu's disappearance in detail, leaving his fate unknown. And apart from the protagonist's perspective, the other characters aren't in a state of complete stagnation.
Although the old man and Jiang Liangxu would always exchange a few words when they met, they were, after all, blood relatives.
Will he go looking for his son, thus missing his appearance in the book's plot?
This suspicion is probably the most reasonable.
Jiang Liangxu: "I sent him a letter last year, but there was no news for a whole year. He's used to procrastinating, and he won't come back until the very last minute."
Zhao Xian was taken aback. "You wrote a letter to the old man last year?"
Jiang Liangxu continued picking out the fish bones. "Well, didn't Madam want to find Master Huineng? He and the old man were close friends. No one else would know as well as the old man about Master Huineng's whereabouts."
Zhao Xian: "..."
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