Chapter 165 If the relationship lasts (1)
In the eleventh year of the Chenzheng reign of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Shi Jienan, the prefect of Duzhou, submitted a memorial to the Purple Palace, stating that the long-standing problems in Duzhou had been eliminated and requesting the emperor to send a senior official to inspect the area.
The emperor ordered an official to go to Duzhou to investigate and tell the truth, and was overjoyed.
At that time, the Minister of Revenue was ill and retired to the countryside due to old age. The emperor was worried about Shi's long stay in Duzhou, and remembering Shi's hard work and great achievements, he promoted Shi to fill the vacant position with the rank of second grade.
The emperor sent the newcomer to Duzhou, ordered him to take up his post in Beijing, and granted him a mansion on Shenwu Street.
Therefore, at the end of January in the twelfth year of Chenzheng, Shi Jienan brought his wife and daughter to the capital and arrived in mid-February.
In this January, Shi Jiannan's daughter Shi Jianlifang celebrated her seventeenth birthday.
After settling in Beijing, Shi Jienan was busy reporting to the six ministries, so Qiao Ruowei took her daughter to the Duke of Anguo's Mansion to visit her sister whom she had not seen for many years.
The streets were bustling at this time. Shi Jianli leaned lazily against the car window, lifted the curtain a little and looked at the hustle and bustle outside.
Soon, she lowered the curtain, leaned into Qiao Ruowei's arms, and asked excitedly in a low voice: "Mom, do you think my aunt and cousin will be happy to see us?"
Qiao Ruowei gently pinched her face and said with a smile, "Your aunt wrote me letters, and eight out of ten said she wanted to see you. Now that you are in front of her, how can she not be happy?"
In addition, she looks like her sister, and Li'er is also somewhat similar to her sister, so her sister must be surprised to see Li'er.
Shi Jianli's lips curled up, and she was even more looking forward to meeting her aunt, who was related to her mother by blood. They had been exchanging letters, but it had been almost ten years since they last saw each other.
Knowing that her sister was going to bring her niece home, Qiao Ruoying brought Ming Zhouhe and waited in front of the house early. When she saw the two of them getting off the carriage, she greeted them with a smile on her face.
"Sister, I've been looking forward to seeing you and Li'er for so long."
"Zhouhe greets auntie." Ming Zhouhe bowed to Qiao Ruowei, then smiled and called Shi Jianli, "cousin."
"Ah." Qiao Ruowei looked at Ming Zhouhe with a smile and praised him, "I haven't seen him for ten years. He has really grown into a tall and handsome man now."
If you look closely, you can see that she looks a bit like her sister in her eyes and eyebrows, and even her nephew and daughter are somewhat similar.
"Aunt, you are so kind."
"Hello, cousin." Shi Jianli replied Ming Zhouhe with curved eyes, then looked at Qiao Ruoying who was smiling at her. She went over and took her arm, saying affectionately, "On the way here just now, I asked mother if my aunt would be happy to see us. Mother said that in nine out of ten letters, my aunt wrote saying that she wanted to see me. Is that true, aunt?"
Qiao Ruoying shook her hand and replied, "How could this be false? Of course I want to see Li'er. Every time I write to you and think of you, I think of how lovely Li'er was when she was little."
"Look, Li'er has grown even prettier. Auntie loves you so much. Auntie hasn't seen you for a long time. I won't be going back today. Would you mind staying with me for a couple of days? I'm in need of a sweet girl to talk to."
"Okay." Shi Jianli agreed without hesitation.
Qiao Ruoying looked at Qiao Ruowei again, "Sister, don't stand outside the door and talk. Let's go inside the house and talk."
"good."
The two sisters walked side by side towards the mansion, and Ming Zhouhe followed behind the three of them.
Qiao Ruowei said, "Li'er and I are here as guests, so we should pay our respects to the old lady in the mansion first."
Qiao Ruoying nodded in response, "I'm leading you to the old lady's Fu Shou Tang now."
"I've prepared some food for my sister that she likes to eat." Qiao Ruoying looked at Shi Jianli who was holding her arm. "Li'er likes mint cakes, am I right, auntie?"
"No, thank you, Auntie."
"That's great. There's a time-honored restaurant in Beijing called Shangweiju that makes excellent mint cakes. I asked your cousin to buy some for you yesterday."
"Auntie really loves me." Shi Jianli turned to look at Ming Zhouhe and said with a smile, "Thank you, cousin."
Ming Zhou and Qingqing nodded: "You're welcome."
After entering Fushou Hall, Shi Jianli and Qiao Ruowei bowed to the old lady together.
After chatting with Qiao Ruowei for a few words, the old lady looked at Shi Jianli who was standing obediently beside her and waved to her kindly, "Li'er, come over to me and let me see you."
Shi Jianli came forward and asked with a smile, "Old lady, do you know my name?"
"Your aunt has told me about you, so of course I know." The old lady took her hand and looked at her. Her lively and cheerful appearance, with a smile on her face and a graceful demeanor, looked a bit like her second granddaughter. "My dear girl, my surname is Chen. Please call me Grandmother Chen. Don't be so distant."
"Okay, Grandma Chen."
"Ah." The old lady responded, took the brocade box handed to her by Nanny Li, and placed it in Shi Jianli's hand. "Come, this is our first meeting. As your elder, I should give you a gift. Please accept it. Don't be polite."
"They're not expensive things, just some jewelry that a little girl can use."
Shi Jianli accepted it and thanked her, "Thank you, Grandma Chen, for your kindness."
Qiao Ruoying interrupted at the right moment: "Mother, I just told my sister that I want Li'er to stay with me for a few days. What do you think?"
"Of course there's nothing wrong with it. Li'er and Lin'er are of the same age and can get along well." The old lady looked at Ming Zhouhe and said, "He'er will take your cousin to visit the mansion later. The flowers in the garden are in full bloom in spring."
Ming Zhou and Wen Sheng responded, "Okay."
After a brief meeting, the old lady said to Qiao Ruoying, "You two sisters haven't seen each other for many years. You must have a lot to say. So don't accompany an old woman like me. Go and catch up."
"Thank you for your consideration, mother." Qiao Ruoying led Qiao Ruowei back to her own courtyard, then turned to look at Ming Zhouhe, "He'er will take your cousin around the mansion first, and I'll chat with your aunt for a while."
"Okay." Ming Zhouhe pointed to another road and raised his head towards Shi Jianli, motioning her to go to the side. "Here."
Shi Jianli blinked and tilted her head to look at him.
Ming Zhouhe asked, "What are you looking at?"
"You seem to look a bit like me, but I can't quite put my finger on where," she said frankly.
Ming Zhou and Huan Shou leaned over to look her in the eye. "You are quite bold, daring to stare at a man. But we do have some similarities."
"You are my cousin, why don't you dare to look?"
The atmosphere became harmonious with her words. Ming Zhouhe chuckled, "Still as bold as when I was little. What do you want for lunch? I'll ask someone to go to the kitchen and ask the cooks to make it."
"I want to eat fish, any way I cook it is fine, as long as it tastes good."
Ming Zhouhe looked at Xuan Yun and said, "Did you hear that? Your cousin wants to eat fish."
Xuanyun cupped his hands and said, "I heard you. I'll go to the kitchen and give you the instructions right away."
"Cousin, do you want to pursue a literary or martial career?" The Duke of Anguo's Mansion has been famous for its military talents for generations, but the previous generation had her uncle who preferred literature.
"Welcome." Ming Zhouhe took the box from Xuan Yuan and handed it to her with a twist of his wrist. "Gift for meeting you."
"Thank you." Shi Jianli took the box. "I also brought you a gift. It's a specialty of Duzhou. Someone put it in my aunt's yard. Remember to ask someone to find it."
"Okay, do you know how to ride a horse and shoot arrows? If not, I'll teach you. If you do, I'll take you out to play."
Shi Jianli was delighted to hear this and said, "Cousin, what you said is very fitting for a son of a military family. I can do all these things, and I can shoot arrows with perfect accuracy. Would you like to compete with me, cousin?"
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