Chapter 143 Chapter 143 Fang Ying changed into men's clothes and went with him...
When Ji Yanlang heard that Fang Ying's sedan chair had come out, he went outside to wait. Unexpectedly, when Fang Ying saw him, she only said, "Let's talk about it when we get home. Go quickly." Then she lowered the curtain.
He didn't say anything at the time and got on his horse as he was told. But when he got home, he couldn't help but laugh at Fang Ying: "If someone didn't know you, they would think you were a thief. You said you were leaving as soon as you came out of someone's house."
"I'm afraid they won't accept the money and will chase me out to get it back."
Ji Yanlang asked, "What's wrong? Are those two ladies difficult to talk to? You took so long to come out, I thought the conversation was going well."
Fang Ying said, "It was a very good conversation. Both ladies are very kind, but besides being kind, they also have a certain backbone that makes it hard to offend."
"Don't worry, you only put in two strings of cash, didn't you?"
"I thought about it later and asked them to put two more five-liang silver ingots in it."
Ji Yanlang laughed, "No wonder you feel guilty." He added, "They didn't send anyone after them, which shows that the two silver ingots you gave them were just the right amount."
Ten taels of silver is not a lot, but at least it is not worth the Feng family to chase it out and return it. It is not a small amount either. Considering the Feng family's expenses, it can last them for a year or two.
"I just thought copper coins were too heavy. Too many would be hard to carry, and too few would be useless. Besides, this is my first visit, and if I don't accept any today, wouldn't it be even harder to send them later?"
"That's right. It's right to give a generous gift when you first visit. If you visit frequently in the future, it would be inconvenient to give money directly." Ji Yanlang agreed.
Fang Ying continued, "The two elders actually felt sorry for the Crown Princess. When they mentioned the Crown Princess giving birth to the little prince, they were only concerned about whether the Crown Princess suffered any pain during the delivery. It was only after I mentioned the Crown Princess's pain of losing so many relatives that Madam Wang was willing to accept the gift."
There are also the regretful remembrances of Mrs. Zhou and the sincere praise and closeness to Zhou Congshan's mother, Mrs. Feng, which all show the closeness of the two families in the past.
Fang Ying suddenly felt a little strange. "Logically, when Madam Feng passed away, the Crown Princess was already seven years old and could remember things. Since the two families were so close, why didn't she mention my aunt and uncle to me?"
"Didn't the two families have a falling out? Maybe she's forgotten about it since they stopped interacting."
"I originally thought so, but seeing the attitudes of the two ladies today, it's clear that the quarrel is only between Feng Tao and Uncle Zhou. There should be no grudges between the women. Besides, their uncle and aunt only stopped communicating after Madam Feng passed away a year or two ago."
Zhou Congshan was already eight or nine years old at that time. His biological mother had passed away and his father had remarried. Shouldn't he have felt closer to his uncle's family?
"Even if there's no grudge, I won't mention it in front of the Crown Princess again. It's not surprising that I've forgotten it. When I was a child, I lived in the Shu Palace for a few years. My grandfather's concubines treated me very well, but after I returned home, no one mentioned them, and gradually I couldn't even remember what they looked like."
Fang Ying felt that this analogy could not be made, but this was, after all, a matter between the Zhou and Feng families. There might be some hidden secrets involved, and there would be nothing more to say. So he nodded and turned to talk about the outing during the Cold Food Festival.
Although the government ordered a seven-day holiday for Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival, the Imperial Guards and the Inspection Office had to arrange shifts and keep people on duty. Ji Yanlang was better off, as he only had to work two days. The Inspection Office had more work to do, so Ji Yanhui had to work three days and could not even take a break.
Therefore, if the two families wanted to go for an outing, they had to choose a day when neither of them was on duty.
Ji Yanlang wanted to take Fang Ying and her daughter on a tour of Luoyang, so he arranged for them to go to Tongtuomo to admire the peach blossoms. "If you're in a good mood and don't feel tired, you can also take a walk along the banks of the Luo River."
Fang Ying was very interested in going out for a walk more often, but when she discussed it with her fifth sister-in-law, she found that she was indifferent and not in high spirits. She also suggested that it would be better to ask the kitchen to prepare some wine and food, and set up two tables for a banquet in the flower hall after returning from the outing.
"Yes, the peonies in the garden are indeed in full bloom. We will be more comfortable enjoying the flowers and feasting at home."
Fang Ying agreed, and when Ji Yanlang returned home, she told him what Fifth Sister-in-law meant. "It turns out that every time the whole family goes out for a trip, Fifth Sister-in-law isn't as happy as others. I thought she was just introverted, but now I see, maybe she just doesn't like going out anyway?"
Ji Yanlang smiled and said, "That really matches Fifth Brother. Fifth Brother doesn't like crowds either."
Fang Ying remembered what he said, "Yes, that year the Crown Prince and Crown Princess got married, and we went out to play. Mother and Second Sister-in-law told Fifth Sister-in-law to go too, but Fifth Sister-in-law said that Uncle Wu didn't like crowds."
"Okay, we'll go by ourselves after we pass the Bian River." He has five days of vacation anyway.
So they first took Hong'er and Wufang to Tongtuo Mo to appreciate the peach blossoms between the Cold Food Festival and the Qingming Festival. After the Qingming Festival, they left Hong'er at home and the couple went to tour the banks of the Luo River.
"No wonder the government insisted on moving the capital. The ancient capital is indeed extraordinary." Fang Ying and Ji Yanlang sighed.
Ji Yanlang smiled and nodded: "Next time, bring Hong'er with you and let's go to the suburbs to fly kites."
Fang Ying is now very free. There are few people in her house, and her social interactions are still at the Ji Mansion in Bian Jing. She and Gao just need to take care of the affairs in their own courtyard. She has nothing to do, so she even picks up reading and practicing calligraphy. She would love to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather and go out for a walk more often.
Hong'er also loved to go out and play, fly kites, and when he saw the horses led by the servants, he would clamor to ride them.
Ji Yanlang went to discuss with Fang Ying: "I promised her, I have to keep my word, so I'll carry her up and take her for a slow walk."
The weather was fine that day, and although it was windy, with Hong'er in his arms, he thought she wouldn't catch a cold, so Fang Ying agreed. "It's agreed, we'll take it slow, just take a stroll and come down."
Ji Yanlang picked up Hong'er and spun him around: "Your mother agreed. Let's go and ride horses."
Hong Er cheered: "Ride on, ride on."
Fang Ying couldn't help but smile as she watched the father and daughter happily mount their horses.
Ji Yanlang was riding a horse. When he looked back and saw her smiling, he held his daughter's hand and waved to Fang Ying. After taking a walk, he dismounted and asked Fang Ying, "Do you want to try it?"
"I'm not a child." Fang Ying held her daughter's hand and shook her head with a smile.
"Have you ever ridden a horse?" Ji Yanlang asked again.
Fang Ying shook her head. "I rode a donkey when I was little, but it was just like Hong'er. I was led by an adult and got off after riding for a while."
Ji Yanlang took a look at her clothes and realized that it was indeed inconvenient for her to ride a horse, so he didn't say anything else. However, he went back and kept talking about making a set of clothes for Fang Ying that could be worn on horseback.
"I don't ride horses every day, so why would I need to make a set of clothes?" Fang Ying laughed. "If you really want to take me riding, I can just wear men's clothes."
Ji Yanlang's eyes lit up: "Yes! I'll alter my old clothes for you, and next time we'll go horseback riding."
When Hong'er heard this, she wanted to go too. But this time her father refused: "You've ridden a horse before, but your mother hasn't. Wait for Daddy to make you a bamboo horse to play with."
Fang Ying felt that the livestock were smelly and actually didn't want to ride a horse. But seeing Ji Yanlang so excited, she didn't want to spoil his fun. After he took a day off, she changed into men's clothes and went horseback riding with him on the outskirts of the city.
"How is it?" Ji Yanlang held the reins with both hands, hugged Fang Ying to his chest, and asked with his head tilted.
"So it's so tall." Fang Ying stroked the horse's back gently, "No wonder they call it a tall horse."
Ji Yanlang smiled and said, "I'm going to let the horse run away."
Fang Ying hurriedly leaned into his arms, and soon felt the horse's body shaking, and the horse began to trot.
Although the spring breeze was strong, it had become soft, and when it blew on people's faces, it still carried the scent of freshly turned earth. Fang Ying felt very comfortable in the wind, and the horse's back was more stable than she thought, so she asked Ji Yanlang to urge the horse to go faster.
Ji Yanlang squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, and the horse immediately swung its four hooves and rushed forward. Fang Ying was dodged, but there was a broad chest behind her to support her, and strong arms on both sides to protect her, so she was not afraid.
The green willows and red apricots on both sides of the road flew rapidly backwards. In the distance was a vast and flat field. White clouds floated in the blue sky, as if if the horses under them ran faster, they could reach out and climb onto the clouds.
"Do you like it?" Ji Yanlang asked close to her ear.
Fang Ying nodded: "I like it."
"Do you feel free and at ease, that there is no place in the world you cannot go?"
"The two of us?"
"Well, the two of us."
"What about Hong'er?"
Ji Yanlang smiled and said in a clear voice: "Take Hong'er with you."
Fang Ying then nodded and said, "It feels like the world is far away, but it can be reached by horseback riding."
Seeing that she liked it, Ji Yanlang rode his horse for a while longer before returning. Fang Ying didn't feel anything when she got off the horse, but when she got home in the sedan chair and took a rest, her thighs began to ache.
At that time, Ji Yanlang massaged her and it felt better, but after a night's sleep, her buttocks began to ache again. Later, when Ji Yanlang mentioned that he wanted to take her horseback riding, Fang Ying waved her hands and said, "We haven't seen all of Luoyang yet. We might as well go to Tianya later."
Ji Yanlang laughed and changed his horse riding to a boat trip on the Luo River. The family of three went on a boat trip with great joy and returned with great joy.
At this time, the Hu people in the north finally retreated. After several battles, both sides had their wins and losses. Ji Guangting was rewarded along with several other generals who won the battle because of his meritorious service in encircling and killing the enemy in the last battle.
"Neither of us have been given any higher official ranks or titles. The government has granted each of us a mansion. Ours is in Zeshanfang. When fifth brother is free, we can go and see it together." Ji Yanlang came back and said to Fang Ying.
"Okay, now that I've seen it and know what it's like, I can write a letter back to my parents."
This was a major matter, and Ji Yanlang went to discuss it with Ji Yanhui as soon as he got home. The next day, after finishing their shift, they went to Zeshanfang to take a look. He came back and said, "It's still under repair. It looks like it will take at least two months to be completed. Tomorrow I'll go get the blueprints from the construction team and then write to Zhenzhou."
The emperor granted so many mansions at once, how could they possibly complete the construction? Fang Ying and the others had heard that the Princess's Mansion was still under construction, so they were not in a hurry. After all, they already had a house to live in.
"I really think this yard is more comfortable to live in than a large mansion." Fang Ying and Gao said.
At this moment, they were sitting in the flower hall, watching Huaixiu and Hong'er playing in the garden. Gao Shi heard this and agreed, "Yes, when I first came here, I was a little uncomfortable with the noise in the alley. Now, when I sometimes hear the neighbors talking, I find it quite interesting."
Fang Ying nodded: "The wall here is not that high. Not only can I hear sounds, but I can also see farther." She felt more relaxed than before, but of course she didn't say this out loud.
Gao also had something she didn't say - the two families lived comfortably here. She said that the most important thing was that they were the masters of their own household, with no elders to serve and no servants with complicated backgrounds to deal with. Putting aside other things, would Sixth Brother's wife dare to go riding with Sixth Brother in men's clothes in the past?
Of course, there is another very important point - all the food, clothing and other expenses for the two families are provided by the public.
Just two days after the two of them finished talking, someone from Bian Jing came with two carts of money and several letters.
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