Despite the unpleasant parting with Marquis Yongning, Xu Di was not discouraged. After having dinner in Marquis Yongning's study, he strolled leisurely to the backyard.
It was dinnertime, and everyone in the mansion was eating in their rooms. Xu Di found it very quiet as he walked. Standing at the gate of the old lady's courtyard, looking back at the front yard, he felt a sense of peace. However, such peace was not something everyone could enjoy, and it took a lot of effort to keep this large mansion peaceful all the time.
The old lady had already eaten dinner. When she saw Xu Di coming over, she said with a smile, "Brother Di is here! Please sit down. I got some good tea a few days ago, but I haven't given it to anyone yet. Let me let you have a taste first."
Xu Di said with a grin, "Grandma, your things must all be good things, then I really have to try them."
The old lady's maid, Granny Shen, is in poor health and has been recuperating these days. Granny Wu is currently in charge of things around the old lady.
Granny Wu had already brewed the tea and smiled as she served Xu Di a cup of tea.
Xu Di picked it up, tasted it, gave the old lady a thumbs up, and said, "Grandmother, this tea is truly excellent."
The old lady smiled and said, "When you leave later, take two ounces with you. You can drink it whenever you want."
Xu Di placed the teacup on the kang table and said to the old lady, "Grandmother, I have something I want to tell you and ask for your advice."
The old lady was very clear-headed. Whenever Xu Di spoke to her so seriously, it must be something very important. She turned to Wu Mama and said, "Go stand at the door and tell her that I have something to do right now and I won't see anyone, not even the Marquis. Do you understand?"
Wu Mama agreed and hurried to the door to give instructions. Xu Di really didn't want to tell the old lady his thoughts, but now, in the entire Marquis's mansion, if we were to be serious, the old lady was actually the most suitable person for Xu Di to consult.
Xu Di gritted his teeth and recounted what had happened in the palace from yesterday until today. As the old lady listened, her face gradually darkened.
After Xu Di finished speaking, the old lady slowly said after a long while, "Brother Di, do whatever you want to do. If you don't have enough manpower, go to my estate to find some. I'm old, and I don't have the energy to manage those people anymore. What they do and how they live in the future is all up to you, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Di understood what the old lady meant. He stood up, knelt in front of the kang (a heated brick bed), and kowtowed three times respectfully.
Upon seeing this, the old lady chuckled and said, "Get up quickly, get up quickly. We're family, why all this formality?"
Xu Di stood up, shook his head, and said, "Grandmother, not everyone can be like you, able to believe that their great-grandson can do things well."
The old lady sighed softly and said, "Heroes have always emerged from among the young. Di'er, your grandmother believes you can do well."
Seeing Xu Di listening attentively, the old lady said softly, "I've lived to be this old and have experienced so many things. Di'er, I've become indifferent to many things, but you are still young and have plenty of time. Your grandmother doesn't want my children and grandchildren to become sacrifices for others. Go ahead and do it with confidence."
Xu Di nodded, and the old lady said, "The current emperor is a benevolent ruler, but it is also because of his benevolence that some things that should not have happened have occurred. Di'er, I have lived through three reigns and have personally experienced such things twice. Each time, many families were destroyed and people died. It was all done by the men in the family. Why should the women and children in the family bear the burden? At that time, I was afraid that my descendants would also follow the same path of no return as those people. So I restrained your grandfather and prevented him from participating in certain things."
Xu Di listened attentively, mentally recounting the events that had transpired. The conversation continued until late into the night before Xu Di finally took his leave.
Xu Di's heart was heavy. He stood at a small fork in the road. One side led to his own courtyard, and the other side led to his mother's courtyard. Xu Di longed to see his mother, even if he didn't say a word, just sitting quietly beside her would bring him peace of mind.
Turning around, I walked towards Chen Zhaoci's courtyard. Lanterns were already lit throughout the mansion, and even some of the quieter, darker places were warmed by their light.
Xu Zhi has been preparing for the opening of the Tongzhou branch and has already made a lot of money. Xu Zhi plans to write to Feng Wan'er and ask her to come to the capital to discuss the matter of opening an orphanage.
When Chen Zhaoci saw Xu Di coming over, she quickly asked him to sit down and said, "I went to the street this afternoon and specifically looked for a fabric shop. That shop has a kind of fine cotton fabric that is particularly soft, but the shopkeeper doesn't have much stock left. I asked them to leave me a few bolts when they get more stock. We can use them to make cotton clothes for your children, or diapers."
Xu Di didn't pay attention to these things, but seeing that Chen Zhaoci was talking happily, he sat down and listened quietly.
Chen Zhaoci said, "It's only because we have people to take care of us, and someone specifically in charge of washing diapers, that we can manage. Otherwise, with two children, it would take a lot of time just to wash diapers every day. If only we had disposable diapers now." There was a hint of nostalgia in her voice.
Seeing Xu Di smiling at her, Chen Zhaoci, leaning on the kang table, said with a grin, "Back then, when you didn't want to get married, your father and I pretended not to care, but actually we really didn't want to keep in touch with our classmates and colleagues who already had grandchildren. At our age, whenever we went out to eat together, the most talked about weren't our own children, but our grandchildren. Seeing how proud they were, your father and I were actually quite sad inside."
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