Xu Di had already sent a fast horse to Xu Rao with a letter detailing the number of people in his party, the condition of their carriages and horses, and most importantly, the route he planned to take.
Xu Rao took out the map drawn by Xu Di himself and carefully calculated with Zhang Zhaoci how many days it would take to reach Ganzhou. They also marked each day to see where they were. Before they even reached the day they marked, the people waiting at Shili Pavilion in Ganzhou sent a messenger on horseback to report that Xu Di and his group had arrived at Shili Pavilion.
In the late afternoon, Xu Rao was at the government office. Zhang Zhaoci quickly sent someone to the government office to inform Xu Rao, while he himself took Xu Zhi and rode in a carriage towards Shili Pavilion to meet him.
Finally, they met the person not far from the city gate.
Zhang Zhaoci was overjoyed to see this group of people. She took Xu Ru's hand and looked at the group of children with delight.
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Hurry home, everything is ready and we're just waiting for you."
Zhang Yukang crawled up to Zhang Zhaoci and said, "Auntie, Auntie, I'm so tired from this journey. My cousin won't let us take a bath on the way. I was thinking that you can boil a big pot of hot water at your house so I can take a good soak. I'm so dirty that I could scrub off the dirt."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Yes, yes, I guarantee you'll have a comfortable soak and get a thorough wash."
Zhang Yukang said, "That's good."
The other children surrounded Zhang Zhaoci, some calling her "Auntie" and others "Third Auntie." Zhang Yuyuan stood shyly to the side, smiling as she watched Zhang Zhaoci.
When everyone was about to get back to their cars and continue their journey, Zhang Zhaoci took Zhang Yuyuan's hand and said, "Yuan-ge, you must be tired from the journey."
Zhang Yuyuan felt a little embarrassed, but she didn't want to pull her hand away from Zhang Zhaoci's. She blushed and said, "Auntie, it's not hard work."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Now that you're here, have some fun. After your cousin's wedding is over, have your cousin take you all to relax."
Zhang Yuyuan said, "Aunt, my cousin will be taking the imperial examination next year. My husband's uncle wants him to go back to study as soon as possible. Aunt, there's plenty of time."
Looking at the increasingly handsome young boy, Zhang Zhaoci sighed inwardly and said, "Studying takes time and effort. Your aunt has made the decision for you. Stay a few more days before going back."
Xu Bai, unwilling to get into his own carriage, stood in front of Zhang Zhaoci's carriage waiting. Seeing Zhang Zhaoci holding Zhang Yuyuan's hand and talking, he called out, "Mother, Mother, let's go home and talk, let's go home first."
Zhang Zhaoci responded loudly, squeezed Zhang Yuyuan's hand tightly, and said, "Hurry up and get on the horse, let's go home now."
In the carriage, Zhang Zhaoci said, "Your brother said in his letter that you hurt your leg?"
Xu Bai quickly said, "My brother is making a fuss over nothing. It's just a fall. Kids grow fast and will be fine in a couple of days. He made me stay in bed for so long."
Zhang Zhaoci pinched Xu Bai's ear and said, "Your brother did the right thing. Do you think breaking your leg is a small matter? What if it doesn't recover well and leaves some sequelae? Even if you want to be an official in the future, no one will want you. There is no equality here. They will discriminate against you if they want to. People have no human rights."
Xu Bai said, "Mother, I know, I know everything. I was just listening to my brother. He told me to lie down, so I obediently lay down."
Zhang Zhaoci hugged Xu Bai and said, "Good child, I know you are sensible. We ask you children to do this and that, always hoping that you can learn a good skill to make a living and stand on your own two feet in this world. In this world, it is actually very difficult to live. If you are not good at it, you can't do whatever you want."
Xu Bai leaned against his mother's chest and said, "Mother, I know, I understand. Don't worry, I'm not a child anymore, I can take care of myself."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "You and your brother, no matter how old you are, will always be children in your father's and my hearts. Parents worry about their children even when they are a hundred years old. That's how it is for parents."
The mother and daughter chatted as they arrived home.
Upon arriving home, everyone in the household busied themselves. With so many children, Xu Rao wrote down the names of the people staying in each room and pasted them on the doors. After the servants inquired about the young masters' luggage and which package it was, they carried it directly to the room with the name on it.
Xu Rao had returned from the government office. After greeting his nephews and nieces, he told the children to go to the outer courtyard to wash up and prepare for dinner. As for Xu Di and his wife, they were arranged to stay in the east wing of Zhang Zhaoci's courtyard. After Zhang Zhaoci and Xu Rao exchanged a few words with the young couple, they sent someone to wash up.
They stayed in a small courtyard in the backyard. After the maids and servants had arranged the luggage they had brought, they washed up briefly and went to Zhang Zhaoci's courtyard in the front.
Zhang Zhaoci was helping Granny Lu prepare dinner when Granny Lu said, "My lady, why don't you help with the preparations too?"
Zhang Zhaoci smiled and said, "Granny, you know I'm not good at this. Yuexi is here, so let her help you."
Granny Lu said, "This young mistress has never lived here before, how would she know about the situation at home?"
Zhang Zhaoci quickly changed the subject with a smile, saying, "Granny, I'm thinking of having Xu Di accompany Yuexi back to her parents' home tomorrow. What kind of gifts do you think we should prepare?"
Granny Lu said, "Prepare an eight-colored gift box. If the eldest young master and young mistress want to give more as a token of their respect, that's their business."
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