Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Three joys have come together, today is the day for a feast...
Li asked Fang Ying to follow her into the inner room, not because she had anything to say. "Let them talk," she said with a smile. "Although I've written about Liu Lang's experiences in Jiaozhi to your father, I can't go into too much detail. He still needs to ask Liu Lang in person before he can feel at ease."
Fang Ying was curious after hearing this. "I've heard since I was little that father is a very brave and heroic person. Mother also said that father was very strict in disciplining Liu Lang and the others. But from what I see today, father seems more like a kind father."
Li sighed softly, "Your father used to be stricter than most fathers, but ever since Dalang passed away..." Her eyes reddened slightly, "He's changed a little. Later, when Liulang got into trouble, he was tormented as much as I was."
Seeing her mother-in-law's eyes getting redder and redder, Fang Ying said hurriedly, "No wonder my father treats Liu Lang so lovingly now. He doesn't act like a strict father at all."
"That's because he just came back, and it seems fresh to him. You should wait and see." Li also felt that there was no point in dwelling on sad things at this time, so she joked, "If Liu Lang dares to make trouble, your father will still beat him."
Fang Ying asked with a smile, "Did Liu Lang really get beaten by his father?" She always thought that Ji Yanlang was a pampered young man who had never been hit by a finger since he was a child.
"Yes, he did. Of the six brothers, he got beaten the most." Mrs. Li said with a smile as she talked about her youngest son being beaten. "Who made him so naughty?"
"Was it when you were a child?" If he was still beaten when he was older, she should have heard about it.
"Well, he was beaten most when he was seven or eight. He had just returned home from the Shu Palace at that time, and the former lord had spoiled him into being lawless. Your father was afraid that Liu Lang would grow up to be a bad person, so he put a lot of effort into disciplining him."
"So that's what's going on." Fang Ying chuckled.
Li also laughed. "At the time, I felt a little distressed, but now looking back, I think I achieved two goals at once. Not only did it prevent Liu Lang from growing up, but it also brought them closer. Your father has been too busy since he was sent to pacify the area to take care of the family. Your brothers rarely saw your father since they were young, and when they grew up, they were even more afraid to get close to him. They were all well-behaved, not daring to speak unless asked. Only Liu Lang was close to him."
Just as they were talking about this, someone came in to report that Erlang and his wife, Sanlang and his wife, Silang and his wife, Wulang and his wife, as well as Siniang and the children had all arrived. Fang Ying helped Li out and retreated to Ji Yanlang's side.
Ji Guangting was happy looking at his grandchildren. He called his grandchildren to his side and asked a few questions to those who could speak and patted their heads. When it came to Ji Yanshou and Yue Qing'e's second daughter who could not speak clearly, he reached out and took them and hugged them.
Yue Qing'e was flattered. Her father-in-law didn't hold any of his grandchildren, but only held his second daughter, whom she herself had somewhat neglected. She was quite excited for a moment.
"Have you chosen a name?" Ji Guangting held his granddaughter in his arms. Seeing that the child was not shy and did not cry, he liked her even more and turned to ask his wife.
Mrs. Li smiled and shook her head: "Girls are only given nicknames."
Ji Guangting asked, "Auntie's name is Yun'er, right?"
"Yes, Erlang named it, Yun as in Yunxiang."
"That's great. Then let's call her Huaiyun, Second Mother," Ji Guangting tapped the forehead of his little granddaughter in his arms, "Let's call her Huaizhi."
An Shi heard that they were of the same generation as the boys, and she pushed her husband. Ji Yanchang looked at her and saw that she was desperately winking at her own daughter, so he had no choice but to say, "Father, there is also our little Sanniang."
Ji Guangting glared at him and said, "I can't forget. Little Sanniang...let's call her Huairong."
The three granddaughters were all named. Ji Yanshou, Yue Qing'e, and Ji Yanchang and his wife An thanked their father together. Li then said, "It's getting late. Let's go to the flower hall and have the banquet."
Ji Guangting nodded, handed his granddaughter back to the wet nurse, stood up, waited for Li to put on her cloak, and then took her hand and walked out first.
Fang Ying and Ji Yanlang were at the end, and they were a little surprised to see this scene. Looking at their brothers and sisters-in-law, they also looked more or less surprised. It was obvious that this scene was very rare.
After they left the house and walked away from each other, Ji Yanlang whispered to Fang Ying, "Was it like this the last time father came back?"
He tilted his chin forward a bit. Fang Ying looked up and saw her parents-in-law still holding hands. She shook her head and said, "I haven't seen that. But I heard from my second sister-in-law that there used to be seats for the concubines at family banquets. But since I got married, I haven't seen that again."
"Really?" Ji Yanlang pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled and whispered, "Father must have heard those rumors too."
"I suppose so."
How could a patriarch who longed for the prosperity of his family and the legacy of wealth and wealth disrupt the principles of propriety and morality with his own hands when the world was already settled? Moreover, the love between Ji Guangting and Li was deeper than that of an ordinary couple.
This can be seen from the fact that Ji Guangting fully supports Li in arranging her marriage with Ji Yanlang.
When Fang Ying's thoughts turned to this, a little girl suddenly ran over to her legs. As soon as she saw that it was Huaiyun, her hand was grabbed by the child.
"Aunt." Huaiyun called out crisply.
Fang Ying smiled and touched her head with her other hand. Ji Yanlang then lowered his head to look at his niece. Their eyes met. Huaiyun shrank behind Fang Ying, looking frightened.
Ji Yanlang couldn't help but touch his face: "...I haven't grown into a vicious person, have I?"
"She's shy." Fang Ying held Huaiyun's hand and soothed her in a soft voice, "Don't be afraid, Yun'er. Have you forgotten? This is Sixth Uncle."
Huaiyun peeked over to look at Sixth Uncle, then retracted, walking closer to Fang Ying's legs. She whispered, "I want to go play with Auntie, but Mom always says Sixth Uncle is back and won't let me go."
Fang Ying smiled and said, "It's okay, you can come later. Your sixth uncle is not at home during the day."
Ji Yanlang was unwilling to be the "bad guy." "Just come when I'm here. What do you like to play with, Yun'er? Uncle Six will buy it for you."
The two men were talking to their niece in high voices. Ji Guangting, who was walking in front, heard them and turned a corner to look back. He saw his youngest son and his wife talking and laughing with his eldest granddaughter, looking like a family of three. He was quite pleased and said to his wife, "You have good taste. The daughter-in-law you chose for Liu Lang is really a good one."
"It's not my good vision, it's our family's good luck." Li also glanced back. "Now I just hope they can consummate their marriage soon and have children. Then I can live a life of not caring about anything else and just enjoying my grandchildren."
"Don't worry, it won't be long. Maybe by this time next year, you will already be holding your grandchildren." Ji Guangting said with a smile.
Ji Yanshou and Yue Qing'e followed behind their parents and listened to most of the conversation. Ji Yanshou stepped forward and said, "Dad, Mom, I've been to see Master Lu. He said he's calculated an auspicious date and will have someone send it over."
Ji Guangting was puzzled, and Li said, "It's what I told you before Liu Lang and his wife came."
"Ah, okay." Ji Guangting nodded with a smile, and then said, "Erlang, remember to send someone to Fang's house later to ask if my in-laws are free tomorrow. Tell them that I'm treating him to a drink."
"yes."
"By the way, your father-in-law is also going to Beijing, did you know that?"
Ji Yanshou smiled and replied, "I received the letter. It will arrive in about three to five days."
Ji Guangting nodded: "Just in time for our banquet."
Yue Qing'e was listening nearby and in a very good mood. She felt that she had not felt so proud for a long time. She could not help but look back at Ji Yanchang and his wife An. She saw that An had a stern face, but Ji Yanchang still had a faint smile on his face, but the smile only hung on his lips and did not even extend to the corners of his eyes. It was obvious that he was forcing a smile because he could not smile.
She was already very happy, and now her happiness increased to twelve points.
The family entered the West Flower Hall in a grand procession, some happy, some angry. The tables had been set up in the hall according to Ji Guangting's instructions. To symbolize reunion, Yue Qing'e had them arranged in a circle, with a space about the size of a table between each, to facilitate movement and allow everyone to hear each other's conversations.
The large floor-length screen that was originally used to separate the seats was placed at the door to prevent the last seat from facing the door and feeling cold.
Ji Guangting and Li sat down in the main seats first, and each family sat down in order of seniority. An was very angry, and only then did she realize that there was a low table between their seats and the main seats, which made their seats move back half a food table, obviously behind Ji Yanshou and his wife. She could not suppress her anger immediately.
"There's still a seat here," she said, looking straight at Yue Qing'e with a forced smile, "Who did Second Sister-in-law reserve this for? Why is it placed right in front of us?"
Yue Qing'e knew she would ask, so she smiled and said, "That's for Fourth Sister and the children. Didn't Third Sister-in-law notice that the table is a little short? I thought that since Father rarely comes home, he must miss the children, and this will also allow the children to get closer to Grandpa."
Ji Yanchang, who had already sat down, pulled his wife by the arm and said to Yue Qing'e with a smile, "Second sister-in-law is really thoughtful." Then he said to his wife, "Why don't you sit down quickly?"
An sat down reluctantly. The maid had already led Ji Si Niang and the children to their seats. Ji Guangting was delighted to see this, but after counting the heads, he felt that the family was still not prosperous enough. His five sons had only given birth to four grandsons and three granddaughters, and no one family had two grandsons. So he said to his wife, "I hope we can have such a feast again next year."
Li smiled and said, "I'm afraid it won't happen next year, maybe the year after. Erlang's wife is four months pregnant. The baby will be born in March next year. By this time the year after, the baby will be almost as big as Wulang's little four."
Although An and Ji Yanchang were seated a little further apart, they still heard Li's words clearly, as her voice was neither too loud nor too soft. It was all well and good that Ji Yanchang was cunning, but An's heart sank at first, then she felt a bit gloating. She couldn't wait to ask, "Oh, such a big happy event, how could Second Sister-in-law be so calm and not tell us about it?"
Cheng, who sat at the table below Yue Qing'e, didn't hear clearly and interrupted, asking, "What's the good news?"
"Didn't Fourth Sister-in-law hear?" An raised her voice, "Someone in Second Sister-in-law's room is pregnant. It's been four months."
"Really? Congratulations to my second uncle and his wife."
Yue Qing'e knew they had no good intentions, so she smiled even more cheerfully: "My two younger brothers and sisters are so thoughtful. Congratulations to you all."
At this time, Li Shi took her time to speak: "Yes, isn't there good news in your room too? I heard that the one in Silang's room is a little bit pregnant."
As soon as these words were spoken, An immediately turned around and glared at Ji Yanchang in disbelief. Cheng, on the other hand, looked as if she already knew what was going on and replied with a smile, "Yes, they say it's been almost five months."
Seeing An turn around again and glare at Cheng, Yue Qing'e almost laughed out loud, "Then I was right. We are indeed celebrating together."
"Three good things have happened together. Today is a good day for a banquet. Shall we start the banquet?" Mrs. Li asked her husband with a smile.
Ji Guangting nodded and said, "Begin the feast." He then said to his sons, "Today you may drink to your heart's content."
Ji Yanlang sat at the end of the table. As his brothers agreed, he turned and quietly asked Fang Ying, "Why do I feel like something's not right?"
"What's wrong?" Fang Ying asked knowingly.
"Third brother and his wife don't seem to be happy. She is even very angry." Ji Yanlang glanced at his third brother's seat and said in a low voice.
"I guess Third Sister-in-law didn't know anything about this until Mother told her."
"How is this possible? It doesn't make sense for my mother to know first..."
Fang Ying kindly explained his confusion: "When you went to welcome Father and the others, didn't you notice? Third and fourth uncles both brought concubines back home this time. I didn't know why at first, but now it seems they brought them back because she was pregnant."
Ji Yanlang frowned: "Didn't you mention this matter when you sent the letter back before?"
"Probably not. Otherwise, with Mother's temper, she would have asked the third and fourth sisters-in-law to prepare in advance. I heard this from the second sister-in-law. She only found out about the two people after she sent the luggage back home, but she didn't know she was pregnant at that time."
As Fang Ying spoke, she felt strange. Winter was approaching, and even though the journey was not far, she shouldn't be brought along on the road. What if something happened to her? Could it be that they were really going to declare war on Northern Zhao, so they brought her back just in case?
She whispered this guess to Ji Yanlang. Ji Yanlang thought about it and nodded, "My father just told me that the emperor has decided to conquer Northern Zhao."
The two of them huddled together, whispering. Ji Guangting and Li, who were in the main seat, were facing them and could see everything clearly. Ji Guangting smiled and said to his wife, "Isn't this quite congenial?"
"After all, they have known each other since childhood. As long as he changes his mind, given Ying'er's personality, there is no way they won't get along well." Mrs. Li smiled with satisfaction.
"Liu Lang has made progress. I thought he would only change his ways after I came back to teach him a lesson, but I didn't expect him to figure it out on his own first."
After Ji Guangting finished speaking, he looked at the wine and food on the table, raised his glass, and said loudly: "Today's family dinner, the first glass of wine, I want to toast my wife."
Li was surprised and looked at her husband, but he turned to look at her. "Madam and I have been married for twenty-seven years. You have raised us, taken care of our household, and never failed to do anything. The past four years in Beijing have been especially arduous. Madam is the primary contributor to the Ji family's current success."
As he spoke, Ji Guangting raised his glass, clinked it with Li's, and then drank it all in one gulp.
No matter what the sons and daughters-in-law thought in their hearts, they all said, "Thank you for your hard work, mother." Then they raised their glasses and drank it all.
Li also drank the cup, then smiled and said, "I don't dare to take the credit. The Duke has fought on the battlefield for many years, risking his life to build this family business..."
Ji Guangting held her hand holding the cup and said with a smile, "If you keep talking, it will sound like we two old people are showing off in front of our children." Everyone laughed. Amidst the laughter, he turned to his children and said, "Husband and wife are one. Only by working together can the family business prosper. You should do the same in the future."
Everyone responded in unison. Ji Guangting put down his wine glass and picked up a piece of food for Li. Then everyone picked up their chopsticks and started eating.
Ji Yanlang saw a small copper hot pot being served, and the aroma of lamb filled his nose. He remembered that he had promised to buy grilled lamb chops for Fang Ying, so he approached her and said, "I'll buy you grilled lamb chops in two days. It's too late today, and I have a day off tomorrow..."
"I know, there's no rush." Fang Ying asked Lichun to serve her a bowl of soup first, and then said, "Mother has already told the two maids not to go anymore."
"Thank you." Ji Yanlang thanked Fang Ying while picking up a chicken leg and said, "Come on, eat more."
"Don't you always complain that I eat too much?" Fang Ying finally found the opportunity to take revenge.
Ji Yanlang smiled and explained: "No, no, I just haven't seen it before, so I'm a little surprised. It tastes good..."
Fang Ying glanced at him and was about to speak when the host Ji Guangting raised his glass again. He quickly put down his chopsticks and sat up straight.
"The second glass of wine should be toasted to all the women in the family. People say that daughters of generals are born into powerful families, but few people know that being a daughter-in-law in a general's family is particularly difficult." Ji Guangting's eyes swept over the guests one by one, finally landing on Fang Ying. "You are all good children, especially Second Mother and Sixth Mother, you have worked extremely hard."
Yue Qing'e was both moved and uneasy. She took the lead and stood up, bowing and saying, "This is what a daughter-in-law should do. I don't deserve it..."
Ji Guangting saw his daughters-in-law all standing up, all a little uneasy. He pressed his empty hand lightly and said, "Sit down, sit down. I know you're afraid to accept it, but I just want to remind these brats to remember your hard work. Come, let's drink this cup together to celebrate our family reunion."
After finishing the cup, no one dared to speak. Ji Yanlang said first, "Don't worry, father. Your sons will remember this. If you don't believe me, ask mother. Your sons have already promised to prepare a good feast to entertain the women in the family."
"Really?" Ji Guangting looked at his wife.
"You said it, but when will you invite us?" Li asked with a smile.
Ji Yanlang said, "If mother and sisters-in-law are free tomorrow, we'll treat you tomorrow."
The author has something to say:
----------------------
The date is wrong, there is a bug, please fix it
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
