Summer days are long, and Xu Bai is full of energy. He wished he could skip his midday nap. In the end, Xu Di threatened him, and only then did he reluctantly go to take a nap with Granny Lu.
Xu Di had passed the prefectural examination in April and would be taking the provincial examination in June. After entering June, it was really too hot. Although there was an ice cellar at home and ice blocks were placed in the house, it still didn't feel quite right.
Xu Di then came to discuss with Zhang Zhaoci whether they could go to a manor in the suburbs to escape the summer heat. Zhang Zhaoci had gone to see it once when she first arrived in the capital. After the New Year, there were many things to do at home. She was busy with Xu Di's exams and Xu Gao's wedding. After Xu Gao's wedding, Xu Pu's family was going on a long journey. She felt busy all the time. Now that those things that had been on her mind had passed, she felt a little bored.
Zhang Zhaoci went to see the old lady. The old lady was also very interested when she heard this. Xu Di's examination was at the end of June. It was only the beginning of June. Wouldn't it be quite comfortable to go to the estate for ten or twenty days?
When the Marquis heard that the old lady was going to the estate in the suburbs with Zhang Zhaoci, he sent several guards from the manor to accompany her. On the morning of the second day of the sixth month, before the weather was too hot, Zhang Zhaoci and the old lady, along with Xu Di and his two siblings, and their maids and servants, took several carriages to the estate in the suburbs.
After leaving the capital, all the way to the vicinity of the village, the road was paved with bluestone slabs, making it very easy to walk. In half a day, we arrived at the mountain road paved with gravel leading to the village.
The village is located halfway up the mountain, covering an area of several dozen acres. After turning onto a side road from the main road, it takes a few miles to reach the village.
The mountain forests near the village are quite lush, and because there are hot springs in the village, it is not cold in winter. Also, because the mountains are covered with shady trees, it is not hot in summer. There is even a clear, shallow stream flowing gently on both sides of the road leading up the mountain. Looking at the cool stream water makes you feel refreshed.
A mountain breeze swept through, dispelling the heat from her body. The old lady smiled and said to Granny Shen, who was sitting in the same carriage as her, "It's so comfortable here, it really feels cool."
Granny Shen said, "Yes, I heard from the head of Li Village that the vegetables and crops in the village are grown very well. When we arrive, we can even pick vegetables from the garden ourselves."
The old lady chuckled and said, "That's true. It's been so many years since I last worked in the fields. The last time I went to the fields was when I was in the border town with my father and the others. It's been decades since then."
The news had already been received in the village, and it was lunchtime. The cooks from the manor came early to prepare lunch. The hungry people got off the carriage, washed up briefly, and then sat down to eat lunch.
The estate has been expanded. Originally, it was just a simple two-courtyard house, but Xu Di expanded it into a large five-courtyard house. In the past two years, the hot pot restaurant has been very profitable, and with money in hand, he naturally spends it as he pleases. Not only has the house been expanded, but the facilities inside are also in accordance with Xu Di's requirements. The toilet uses pipes made of coarse porcelain. The hot spring was originally a small spring in the backyard, but Xu Di built it inside the house and even enlarged the spring. The walls of the house are firewalls with special ventilation openings. When it gets cold, you can come over, burn down the firewalls, and soak in the hot spring inside. It's a real treat. Even now, it's extremely comfortable to soak in it.
After the meal, the old lady, supported by Granny Shen, followed Xu Di on a tour of the front and back yards before returning to her room in the back yard to rest.
The old lady sighed and said to Granny Shen, "Our young master is truly a capable person. He is good at his studies, and he does these things very well."
Granny Shen smiled and said, "Yes, I feel that coming out with the young master is really reassuring. I don't have to worry about anything, I just need to eat and drink well."
The old lady said, "That's true. By the way, let's find some time to ask Di Ge'er about his unmarried wife. When Zhao Ci and the others return to Hexi in a while, we should prepare some gifts for her. She is my great-granddaughter-in-law who is not yet married to us."
Granny Shen quickly agreed, thought for a moment, and said, "When the eldest young lady came back a few days ago, I heard that she discussed with the madam about arranging a marriage for the eldest young master."
The old lady waved her hand and said, "That's their idea. We still have to see if Rao'er and his wife, the Marquis, and I are willing. Marriage is a major event, and it's a matter of parents' orders and matchmakers' words. It's not up to her, an aunt who has been married for many years, to come back and interfere."
Upon hearing this, Granny Shen understood what the old lady meant.
The old lady said, "Our eldest daughter-in-law, to be honest, is a bit arrogant. Back then, she insisted on marrying into the Yongping Marquis's mansion. I told her that the Yongping Marquis's mansion was not a good place. Don't be fooled by the glamorous appearance of the Yongping Marquis's mansion at the time; she couldn't see the dangers inside. In addition, the lady of the Yongping Marquis's mansion was not easy to deal with. She wouldn't listen, and her mother was also clueless. So I didn't try to take control. If I interfered too much, I would only make people dislike me."
Seeing that the old lady was a little angry, Granny Shen said, "Old lady, since you're angry, why don't we just let it go and not talk about her anymore?"
The old lady said, "I'm old. Everything else in my life is fine, but I just can't bring myself to be firm when it comes to my children's and grandchildren's marriages. The Marquis is like that, and so is my eldest daughter-in-law. If I had stood up for them back then, they would have blamed me instead of me. It would have been better than doing such foolish things today."
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