Gu Xin attributed this to the fact that it was the second day of junior high school, and she was going to see her older sister and cousin, so she was in a good mood and didn't think much of it.
The Gu family had just finished breakfast when the gatekeeper came to report that the eldest daughter, eldest son-in-law, second daughter, and second son-in-law had returned with their entire families.
Grandma Gu shrugged, saying that only their Gu family's married daughters would bring their whole family when they returned to their parents' home.
Back when they lived in Sanchakou Village, Lao San would bring his mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law back to his parents' home.
There's nothing they can do; it's their family-oriented tradition.
Because General Peng was coming, Grandpa Gu went out to greet him.
Just as they received the two families and hadn't even exchanged a few pleasantries, the gatekeeper came to report that Prince Kang, his wife, his son, and the princess had arrived.
Well, here we are again, waiting for this family of four in the yard.
When Prince Kang and his entourage arrived, the group returned to the main hall and had just sat down when the gatekeeper came to report that Old Master Huo had arrived with his family.
Old Master Huo was over sixty years old. Before Grandpa Gu fell ill and was replaced in the palace, he had been taught by Old Master Huo. So, Grandpa Gu took his son out to greet him.
Just then, the Gu family arrived, right after the Huo family.
This time, Aunt Gu didn't bring her mother-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law; it was just the five of them.
When Zhang saw that the Huo family had joined them, she realized that the kitchen would have to prepare an extra table of food for lunch.
She now manages the inner quarters of the Gu family, and she makes all the decisions. Moreover, Grandma Gu is very willing to let her make these decisions.
Madam Zhang was quite quick-witted. She figured that since the Huo family had come, it was impossible for the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress not to come as well. So, she instructed the kitchen to prepare at least two extra tables as backup.
Currently, besides Old Master Huo and Old Madam Huo, the only other members of the Huo family remaining in the capital are the eldest son, Prime Minister Huo, and his wife, as well as the third son and his wife. Among the grandchildren, only Huo Yanyu remains. Her married cousins have taken their wives and children to serve in other posts, while her only unmarried relative is her brother. She has two older cousins, one married to a man in Taizhou and the other to a man in Tongzhou. Because Old Master Huo's birthday is on the sixth day of the lunar month, these two sisters usually return to their parents' home on that day. Huo Yanyu has no aunts. She also has younger cousins, but they are from her second uncle's family and are all with him while he is serving in his post.
When Zhang came out of the kitchen, she saw Peng Ze and his brothers, Xue Qianyu, and Cheng Huaijin. She thought of Lu Zheng. After returning to Beijing, she heard a lot of gossip and knew about Lu Zheng's relationship with his family. So she wondered if he was coming too, and went to ask Gu Xin.
Gu Xin smiled and said, "Auntie, Sister Xue is going back to her parents' home today! Grandma Xiao and Grandpa Zhou also said they'd be going, so Brother Yuanyuan won't be coming at noon. But Auntie, you can ask the kitchen to include them in the dinner. They'll definitely be coming tonight!"
Zhang nodded: "Okay, I understand!"
At this moment, Lu Xue and Chen Yujiang, along with their son, Grandma Xiao, and Grandpa Zhou, had arrived at the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion.
The gatekeeper greeted them warmly. Now, the servants of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion could read the winds, so they were very polite to Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Xiao, and even more so to Lu Xue and her family of three.
Today, only the eldest branch of the Zhenguo Duke's family was present at the mansion. The second branch had gone back to Qin's parents' home early this morning. Qin's parents' home is in Taizhou, which takes a day to get there, so they would stay there for two days, as is the usual practice. The third branch, Master Lu, also took his two children to his wife's family home.
In the past, the eldest son's family would also go to the Lin family's house on this day, but now the Lin family no longer exists.
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