As soon as the Marquis returned to the manor, the old lady invited him to her courtyard. The old lady and the Marquis talked behind closed doors for a long time. The Marquis didn't even have time to eat dinner with the old lady. He hurriedly went to his study to have dinner and then went out.
When it was time for dinner, Xu Di returned from outside and ate with Zhang Zhaoci, Granny Lu, Xu Zhi, and Xu Bai. There were no rules about not talking while eating at the Xu family's dinner table. The family members would chat about their own experiences while eating. Granny Lu was quite used to it at first, but she eventually got used to the lively dining atmosphere and even enjoyed it. While eating, she listened to the children talk about their funny stories. Her stomach was satisfied, and her mind was relaxed. It was always a pleasant thing.
Xu Di ate a few bites of rice and said, "Did something happen at our residence today? The atmosphere in the front yard doesn't seem right."
These past few days, Xu Di has been busy calculating the year-end wages for the people on the old lady's several estates, and also helping the old lady plan what New Year's gifts to prepare for everyone. Although it's cold, there are always things to do every day, so Xu Di doesn't feel cold at all.
Xu Bai said, "I know, I know. The Emperor sent several things to Grandmother, including a red coral. My sisters all like it, and I like it too."
Xu Di bypassed Xu Bai and looked at Granny Lu. Granny Lu said, "I'm busy settling some young ladies from the palace today, so I don't know."
Xu Di said, "Since none of you know, I'll find an opportunity to ask my grandfather."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "There are two people sitting right in front of you, panting. Why don't you ask them what's wrong?"
Xu Zhi also looked at Xu Di with disapproval. Xu Di quickly begged for forgiveness, saying, "It was my fault, I apologize. May I ask, ladies, do you know any valuable information?"
Xu Zhi said, "When we were looking at coral in Grandmother's room this afternoon, my eldest aunt came over. I noticed that my eldest aunt's expression was not right. Grandmother told us to go and pay our respects to our sisters, so we came out. I don't know what Grandmother and my eldest aunt talked about, but I guess it was related to my eldest aunt or my eldest uncle."
Xu nodded and said, "Yes, you can see the big picture from small details. Not bad, not bad. Mother, what about you?"
Zhang Zhaoci said, "This matter must be quite serious. When I went to the old lady's room, she looked unwell. I had repeatedly told her not to get angry or overthink things, and she had agreed. So it seems to be a rather troublesome matter."
Xu Di nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."
Xu Bai said, "Brother, come back and tell us what you've found out."
Xu Di sneered and said, "Xu Xiaobai, if you put half the effort into practicing your skills and studying as you do into gossiping, you wouldn't have achieved what you have today."
Upon hearing Xu Di's words, Xu Bai's chubby waist slumped down, and he held the rice bowl in front of his face, muttering, "You can't see me, you can't see me."
Seeing Xu Bai's silly look, Granny Lu smiled and said, "Seventh Young Master, alright, alright. The eldest young master said you're doing this for your own good, to encourage you to improve."
Xu Bai, with a pained expression on his chubby little face, said, "Grandma, it's all my fault. I didn't study hard enough. I will definitely study hard from now on. I want to take my older brother as my role model and become a person as capable as him."
Xu Di nodded and said, "You set up this chess piece yourself, so I hope you can make it float well and never let it fall."
Xu Bai felt even more bitter. He had thought that he had been able to travel to this ancient era, with parents from the same place as him and an exceptionally capable older brother. He thought that he could just sit back and enjoy life without having to do anything. All the studying and hardship of his previous life would be far away from him. Who knew that he still had to work hard and study diligently, and that he had a brother who was like a demon king, watching him intently every day.
Xu Di picked up his rice bowl, ate a few more bites, and said, "You all stay here peacefully in the manor and carefully plan what you need to buy for the New Year. Give me the list, and I'll have someone buy it for you. Things aren't very peaceful outside lately, so try not to go out if you can avoid it. As for Xu Bai, just send him to my uncle's house. You can stay there. My uncle's house is the safest place right now. It's practically heavily guarded."
Upon hearing this, Xu Bai looked at Xu Di in surprise and said, "Brother, I want to go home every day. I miss my mother terribly if I don't see her for a day." Xu Bai glanced at Zhang Zhaoci and finally came up with a clever reason for himself.
Xu Di said, "You're not a child anymore, why do you need to see your mother every day?"
Xu Bai was on the verge of tears, saying, "I'm not even six years old yet, how can I not be a child? Are you still my brother? Why are you going against me like this? I promise you I'll study hard and practice kung fu from now on, okay?"
Xu Di smiled and said, "Your promise won't work on me. Instead of being sad, you should think about who to bring with you. Don't worry, I'll pick you up every ten days. I'm not a cold-blooded person. When it's time for you to enjoy the warmth of family, I will definitely let you come back and enjoy it."
After entering the twelfth lunar month, due to the freezing weather, coupled with the fact that every household needs to take stock of the year's income, receive accounts from the managers of various shops, distribute various year-end benefits to the staff working in their own households, and most importantly, prepare supplies for the New Year, not only the heads of households are extremely busy, but also many men, women and wives who usually have nothing to do are also ordered around to do various tasks. Therefore, gatherings and poetry recitals are basically not held.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
