Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhaoci said, "Oh dear, our little Jiu is only a few years old, but Mother thinks that little Jiu is already very capable."
Xu Zhi sighed and said, "Mother, everyone in our family is busy except me. And I can't help others with their busy lives. I feel so useless. And look at my handwriting, Mother. I've tried my best, but I can never write well. I feel like a failure."
This pitiful little face immediately touched Zhang Zhaoci's heart. Zhang Zhaoci hugged Xu Zhi and kissed her hard twice before saying, "I don't think it's because you write badly, but because we didn't teach you well. Neither I nor Granny Lu write well. When Father comes back tonight, shall we ask him to teach you? Your father is a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). If he teaches you, you'll definitely be able to write very, very well."
Xu Zhi said cautiously, "But Mother, Father is already very busy. If he comes home and has to teach Xiao Jiu to write, won't that tire him out?"
Zhang Zhaoci said, "No, no, your brother was taught by your father. Look how well he writes now. We're still young, don't rush it. As the saying goes, 'Haste makes waste.'"
When Xu Rao returned home that evening, Zhang Zhaoci told him about what had happened that afternoon. Xu Rao looked at his daughter, who was sitting to the side with bright eyes, and said, "Of course there's no problem. Daddy will personally teach our Xiao Jiu. Our Xiao Jiu will definitely become a little prodigy in the future."
To be honest, Granny Lu was too ashamed to listen to the couple praising Xu Zhi so extravagantly every day. Although she had come along as a foster mother, they were Xu Zhi's biological parents. How could she stop them from praising their child like that?
So every day when Xu Rao came home, he would carefully check the characters Xu Zhi had written at home that day, pointing out any mistakes and then assigning her the characters to practice the next day.
When Xu Rao was teaching Xu Zhi, Xu Zhi looked at her father with great admiration and listened to his lectures very attentively. This made Xu Rao, who had been a teacher for many years, very gratified. However, Xu Zhi's aptitude was really ordinary. Xu Rao had said to Zhang Zhaoci in private that he estimated that of the four family members, this girl was the only one who did not have the talent for learning.
After autumn arrived in Hexi, the temperature dropped in the early morning and evening. Zhang Zhaoci followed the example of some people and bought a lot of cabbages with roots still attached from other people's cabbage fields. He planted them in the flower bed in the backyard, and also bought some harvested radishes. He found a corner in the yard, dug a hole, and buried them in it.
In autumn, the sun shines brightly, and many vegetables that cannot be finished in summer are dried and stored away. They can be added to the table in winter. Zhang Zhaoci arrived late, so she went to the street to buy dried vegetables that people had dried. She bought a lot, sack after sack, and stored them in a special room for food.
Now it's not the time when having money means you don't have to worry about food and drink. Both Granny Lu and Zhang Zhaoci are like little mice preparing for winter, buying food to keep at home and storing it carefully. Not only will they survive the winter, but they will also have to rely on the food they have saved up to get through the lean season in the spring. No one dares to be careless or negligent.
It was almost the Mid-Autumn Festival. Zhang Zhaoci counted down the days. Xu Di had been gone for two months. Due to the inconvenience of transportation and communication, no news had come back. All she could do was worry about him. Fortunately, he had gone with the Zhang family, which was the only thing that put Zhang Zhaoci's mind at ease.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a very important traditional festival, a time for family reunions. After the cooks in the mansion prepared dinner, Zhang Zhaoci had two tables set up in the backyard. One table was for her family of three and Granny Lu, and the other table was for the servants, Qingmiao, Qingsui, Xiaoming, and Xiaoliang. The family enjoyed a lively reunion dinner, and then Zhang Zhaoci distributed mooncakes to everyone before dismissing them.
The family of three cut the mooncakes into small pieces and enjoyed the moon in the yard.
The moonlight was like water, and the night was slightly cool. Zhang Zhaoci put a padded jacket on Xu Zhi, then held Xu Zhi and sat on a bamboo chair in the courtyard.
Xu Rao looked at the round, bright moon, sighed, and said, "People today do not see the moon of ancient times, but the moon of today once shone on people of ancient times. People of ancient times and people of today are like flowing water, all of us looking at the same bright moon."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "What are you feeling sad about?"
Xu Rao said, "I just feel that this full moon has shone on countless generations and witnessed countless dynastic changes. Sometimes, a person's life is not as valuable as an object."
Zhang Zhaoci kissed Xu Zhi's slightly cool cheek and said, "I think it's fine. Our Xu Di has grown up and has a well-behaved daughter by his side. No matter what happens, it's already like this. What's the use of thinking more? Just do your own thing and live your own life."
Xu Rao smiled and said, "I was just too attached to appearances. I'm not as open-minded as you, Madam. I wonder if Xu Di is enjoying the moon with us right now."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Who knows? Maybe it's cloudy and rainy where he is right now. It's really hard to say."
Xu Rao said, "I reckon Xu Di and the others should be back soon. I expect someone from your family will come with you. You are the darling of the Zhang family. If it weren't for the fact that we had no other choice, we wouldn't have let you marry me and stay in the capital. Now that they know about us, and that we are far away from the Marquis's residence, wouldn't they come to see you?"
Zhang Zhaoci said, "It would be great if you could take up a post in the south. Then we can go to the south together. It'll be closer to there, and it'll be easy to see each other whenever we want, right?"
Xu Rao smiled and said, "I've only just started my official career. I'll think about other things after I've done a good job here and made sure the people here have enough to eat and live a peaceful life. But if you want to go, we can find a reliable escort agency to send you there."
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