Madam Zheng looked at Marquis Pingxi with some helplessness and said, "It is the father's fault if he does not raise his children properly. What right do I, a mere lady of the inner quarters, have to say about how the Marquis educates his children?"
Sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), Madam Chen held Old Madam Zheng's hand, sobbing as she said, "Old Madam, I beg you, please say a word for me, don't let the Marquis send Yun-ge away. Yun-ge is only a few years old. If he goes outside, how can he take good care of himself?"
Marquis Pingxi was already very impatient, especially since Madam Chen had repeatedly embarrassed him in front of Xu Zhi. He said irritably, "You want to keep him here and raise him? Look at what you've raised Yun-ge'er to be like! At such a young age, what kind of things has he been doing? It's a disgrace! Tell me, if you go out and arrange marriages for him now, who would want to marry their daughter to him? If you want to keep him here, fine, but don't come looking for me again if Yun-ge'er does anything in the future."
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen covered her face and cried incessantly, which gave Old Madam Zheng a headache. As the elder of both of them, Old Madam Zheng had no choice but to patiently persuade her, "What the Marquis said makes sense. Boys have to go out and see the world for themselves to know how big it is. While you are still young, go out and see the world properly, find a suitable academy to study for a few years, and take the imperial examination. With our Marquis's mansion, how could we not find a good marriage?"
Madam Chen covered her face, crying as she said, "Madam, that's true, but life outside isn't so good. We can't eat or sleep well."
Marquis Pingxi interrupted her abruptly, saying, "If you want to eat well and sleep well, then stay at home and raise him. Boys have no heroic spirit at all, they don't know anything, and they even went to the pleasure boats outside the city with other people. It's all because you taught him to be so arrogant. I'm telling you this right now, you have to listen to me. In the future, I will naturally help Yun-ge'er find a suitable marriage. If you don't listen to me, then this is it. You can have the child and raise him by your side. I will no longer care about the child's affairs."
Marquis Pingxi spoke with great conviction. Little Chen was filled with conflicting thoughts, and finally covered her face and ran out of the room.
After seeing that Madam Chen had left, Marquis Pingxi bowed to Old Madam Zheng and said, "It is all my fault for disturbing your peace, Mother."
Madam Zheng sighed and said, "You brought this upon yourself, so I can't say much. But there is one thing you must do: you must hurry up with Yun-ge'er's matter. If you continue to let him stay in the manor, he might do something even more disgraceful in the future. Our Marquis's manor is already a laughing stock in the capital. Let Yun-ge'er go out and lay low for a while, take the imperial examination, and it will be good for him in the future."
Marquis Pingxi agreed, said a few more words, and then left.
When Madam Zheng saw Xu Zhi standing to one side since the Marquis of Pingxi and Madam Chen came in, she beckoned to her. After Xu Zhi sat down on the edge of the kang next to her, Madam Zheng took Xu Zhi's hand, sighed, and said, "Your uncle and his wife have lived for so many years, but there are still many things they don't understand. In the future, you and Yuan'er should take good care of this good-for-nothing cousin."
What could Xu Zhi say? She just smiled at Old Madam Zheng with her lips pursed. Although Old Madam Zheng was the grandmother of Zheng Boyuan and Zheng Yuanyuan, she was also the grandmother of Zheng Boyun and Zheng Yunyun. It couldn't be said that Old Madam Zheng didn't see the grievances that Zheng Boyuan and Zheng Yuanyuan had suffered over the years. It was just that when another grandson encountered a problem, she still hoped that the other grandson would lend a helping hand.
Madam Zheng understood Xu Zhi's thoughts perfectly well. She sighed inwardly and, seeing that it was getting late, said, "It's getting late. You've been busy all morning. You should go back and rest."
Xu Zhi then returned home, just as the old woman sent by Chen Zhaoci arrived. Xu Zhi didn't care about anything else, got into the carriage and followed her back.
After Xu Zhi finished speaking, she hugged the teacup and drank water vigorously. The teapot contained Chen Zhaoci's homemade flower and fruit tea, which was perfect to drink at this time. It was good for the spleen and stomach and tasted sweet and sour. They used large teacups, and Xu Zhi managed to drink two large bowls.
Seeing that Xu Zhi was very thirsty, Chen Zhaoci scolded her, "You too, why didn't you ask someone to serve you tea when you were thirsty? Don't do things like that again, you're just making yourself suffer."
Xu Zhi smiled and took Chen Zhaoci's arm, saying, "Mother, I've got it."
Seeing that Xu Rao's injury was not serious, Xu Zhi was finally relieved and said to her parents, "I'm going to my sister-in-law's yard to see my nephew and niece. I haven't seen them for several days and I miss them terribly."
Chen Zhaoci said, "Didn't you just leave the day before yesterday? It's only been a few days and you're already missing me so much?"
Xu Zhi smiled and said, "I am their aunt. Haven't you heard people say that an aunt can be half a mother to her nephews and nieces?"
Watching Xu Zhi run out laughing, so light and playful, Xu Rao and Chen Zhaoci felt a pang of heartache. She was not even fifteen years old yet, and she had to think about so many schemes all day long.
Chen Zhaoci sighed and said softly, "This wicked old society."
Xu Rao laughed and said, "Who says otherwise? I really long for our new society."
Chen Zhaoci nodded and said, "I think the only advantage is that you can have as many children as you want and you can hold your grandchildren early."
The Yongning Marquis's residence was bustling for two days because of Xu Rao's return. Although Xu Rao could not visit relatives and friends freely due to his leg injury, quite a few relatives came to visit him after receiving the letter.
Marquis Yongning, accompanied by his heir, would welcome and see off guests. Those who were close friends would be brought over to visit, while those who were not close friends would be invited to sit in the front yard for a while. Generally, no one was invited to stay at the house for a meal.
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