After seeing off Granny Shen, Xu Pu felt that the old lady was truly a wise and generous elder. He put eight one-hundred-tael silver notes in his purse and asked Madam Chen to keep them safe. Seeing that it was still early, he went to tell his father about the matter.
Xu Qi was a wealthy idler. As a child, because he was not the heir of the Marquis's mansion, he was not good at studying or martial arts, so he became a person with nothing to do all day. Later, when the old lady divided the family property, she took two shops from her dowry and gave them to Xu Qi in front of the Marquis, telling Xu Qi to manage them well and that the money he earned could be considered his private savings. Xu Qi used those two shops to open a restaurant and a fur shop, and over the years he has indeed made a lot of money.
With the Marquis's mansion as its backing, the shop opened smoothly. Xu Qi felt that his descendants could not be like him. It was just a pity that neither of his two sons were good at studying. They could only rely on his family's influence. One entered the Ministry of Revenue, and the other entered the Five Cities Garrison.
After hearing Xu Pu explain the whole story, Xu Qi said, "That's just how the old lady is. If she gives you something, just take it. Take some time to thank her, and if you see anything nice or interesting on the way, just buy her a few things."
Xu Pu was finally relieved after hearing this.
However, Xu Pu's plan to take his family out still caused quite a stir in the mansion, especially among the women and children in the back courtyard. They usually only frequented the back courtyard, and when they suddenly heard that their sisters-in-law were going to a faraway place, they were all very envious.
When Xu Zhi came back from school, she said during dinner, "My second aunt and my sister Mian are going to Jiangnan with my second uncle. Mother, when can we go to Jiangnan to see it too?"
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Well, it's really hard to say." Zhang Zhaoci disliked the inconvenience of transportation nowadays and didn't really like taking the children out. Horse-drawn carriages were bumpy, boats were rocking, and they were all so slow, but they couldn't avoid these options.
Xu Zhi said longingly, "Jiangnan is shrouded in mist and rain, and it looks like a painting. It must be very, very beautiful."
Looking at her daughter, Zhang Zhaoci rarely expressed such sentiments, saying, "I've only heard that during the rainy season, clothes never dry, and you have to wear damp clothes all day long. I think I'm going to go crazy."
Xu Zhi frowned at Zhang Zhaoci and said coquettishly, "Mother, I was just expressing my admiration for the beauty of Jiangnan. How could you dampen my spirits like that?"
Zhang Zhaoci said with a smile, "I'm just stating the facts. But don't worry, I'll try my best to take you all over these beautiful places before you get married."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhi's eyes lit up immediately, and she asked, "Then when can we leave?"
Zhang Zhaoci looked at Xu Bai, who also looked happy, and said, "At the very least, we have to wait until Bai-ge'er is over three years old."
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