It is clear that Madam Xu was genuinely angry when she said that.
Xu Yunci sighed inwardly, but his face showed little helplessness. After all, Old Madam Xu was looking at him as if he were a thief, and anyone who didn't know better would think that he had done something to Li Shiyue.
Now that the Rongguo Duke's Mansion has split up, the second branch has separated and will become the Xu family on Kanghua Street in the southwest of the Imperial Street, with no relation whatsoever to the Xu family of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion.
The fourth branch should have been separated as well, but since no one in that branch had done anything wrong and no one in the household had suggested that the fourth branch be separated, only the second branch was separated from the Duke's Mansion. This operation inevitably made people wonder what the second branch of the Xu family had done to anger the head of the household.
The west courtyard became quiet, and at first it felt a little strange, but life in the mansion became much quieter, and Xu Yunbo, who had undergone tremendous changes, also settled down to live in the house.
Seeing her grandson's changes, Old Madam Xu was overjoyed and gratified. The sadness she felt about the second branch of the family being separated from her family vanished in less than half a day.
I only heard from the servants that Xu Lingwan refused to leave the mansion that day, and the Third Young Master, or rather, Young Master Xu, looked quite unhappy.
Life was peaceful until a guest came to the door. The visitor was Xie Yizhi, the youngest grandson of Madam Xu's own cousin.
"Yizhi has met his great-aunt."
His features were calm and gentle, and he wore a dark round-necked robe. When he stood beside Xu Yunci, the two had very different temperaments.
Li Shiyue withdrew her gaze and, seeing that Old Madam Xu was about to get up, quickly reached out to help her.
Madam Xu did not stand up. Instead, she sat on the wide couch, leaning slightly forward, and carefully examined the object for a long time.
"Get up quickly, you've reached the age of twenty this year. I haven't seen your grandmother for many years. How is my cousin doing these days?"
Xie Yizhi nodded politely to Granny Chang before sitting down on the round stool. He smiled gently and said, "This junior has just turned twenty this year."
“Grandfather passed away early, and Grandmother has struggled to support herself all these years. Her health was severely deteriorated in the past, but she is now taking good care of herself. Apart from not being able to travel far, she is doing alright. Since Grandfather left, Father has joined the army. Since the news of his death in battle came, Mother has been eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist prayers every day.”
“My elder brother is now the Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture in Jizhou, supporting the family. With my sister-in-law around, I don’t have to worry about anything else. My grandmother is now enjoying her retirement at home. As for me, my grandmother and mother have never forced me to go anywhere.”
"When she heard that I was going to the capital, my grandmother was overjoyed. If she hadn't been unwell, she would have definitely come to see my great-aunt in person."
He spoke in a gentle tone, rambling on and on, yet everyone listened attentively.
Madam Xu closed her eyes, letting tears stream down her face, and her mind drifted back to the beautiful memories she shared with her cousins many years ago.
"She has suffered half her life, experiencing the passing of your grandfather and your father. Now that your brother has married and is managing the household, she must feel more at ease."
"Please feel free to stay at my residence. This is Erlang, you've already met him, he is your uncle's eldest son."
As Madam Xu spoke, she looked at Xu Yunci, who then introduced the men in the family one by one. There were only three women. When it came to Li Shiyue, Xie Yizhi could tell that Xu Yunci's voice was gentler, and he couldn't help but look at Li Shiyue next to Madam Xu.
"This is Princess Yichang, whose nickname is Yan Yan. She is the eldest daughter of Li Wenting, the Earl of Yunyang in Yunzhong County, and also the only child of my aunt."
He had vaguely heard of the name of the Princess of Yichang County. Now, it seemed that this princess, whom others talked about with great interest, was somewhat beyond his expectations; her appearance was stunningly beautiful.
Madam Xu held Li Shiyue's hand and said with a smile, "According to seniority, you are all cousins. Yizhi, you can greet people together with Yan Yan."
"Yan Yan is already so beautiful, and with the arrival of Cousin Xie, she is even more outstanding." Since her engagement, Xu Lingzi has rarely gone out, mostly being confined to her room by Madam Yang to embroider her wedding dress.
Li Shiyue had also seen the wedding dress. The silk was sent by Guo Xun, and it was a top-quality product with a smooth and delicate feel. Although it was not as precious as the one used by noble ladies in the palace, it was still the best that Guo Xun had managed to find with all his might.
She was wearing a peach-colored jacket today, and her smile was radiant. She took two steps forward and took Li Shiyue's forearm. She spoke to Xie Yizhi, but the teasing was directed at Li Shiyue.
Li Shiyue nodded and smiled slightly: "Aunt, look, my cousin is teasing me again."
"These two sisters are used to playing around like this, Yizhi, please don't take offense." Madam Yang smiled and glanced at the two sisters who were getting along so well, her expression one of familiarity, her words polite and concerned that Xie Yizhi might overthink things.
“How could that be? There are only my brother and me in the family, and so are my uncles. My grandmother is hoping that my sister-in-law will give birth to a girl. So the family isn’t all boys.”
"If Grandmother saw my two cousins, who are so well-behaved and adorable, she would probably forget even me, her own granddaughter. No wonder my great-aunt dotes on them so much."
Xie Yizhi was gentle and polite, but his eyes were clear and lucid.
Li Shiyue raised her eyes, glanced at Xie Yizhi, and was about to look away when she unexpectedly met Xu Yunci's eyes. The deep meaning in his eyes was hard for her to understand.
She looked away as if no one was there, and didn't listen carefully to the subsequent small talk.
As Li Shiyue stepped out of Shousong Hall, she looked up and saw that the sky was overcast, suggesting another autumn rain was likely to fall.
As the saying goes, "One autumn rain brings one chill," and with a few more autumn rains, another winter night is sure to follow.
"The weather doesn't look too good, young lady, let's head back early."
The girl is so delicate, and it's only with great difficulty that she's recovered. It's her fault that she got caught in the rain again.
Chunling held the cloak in her hands, looking up at the thick clouds on the distant horizon, which were slowly moving towards that patch of blue sky, while the sky above was already covered with dark clouds.
"Let's go back. My aunt has sent someone to deliver the account books again. It's a good time to go back and take a look. If there's anything I don't understand, my aunt told me to ask her."
Chunling was puzzled: "Since you have entrusted the shop and the estate to the Duchess, you must trust the account books that the Duchess sent. Why do you still ask if there is anything you don't understand?"
If the Duchess were more suspicious, wouldn't she develop a grudge?
Li Shiyue, unaware of Chunling's thoughts, could vaguely see the gate of Chengyu Pavilion through the treetops.
"What I don't understand is the experience of running shops and estates, not the accounts. Do you think you can manage shops and estates properly if you just ignore them?"
"My aunt has managed the household affairs for many years, and she naturally has her own methods for dealing with servants. With my aunt around, it would be a pity if I didn't learn how to manage the household well."
"Even if I don't become a mistress of a household in the future, if I learn these things, when I take over those shops and estates, people won't laugh at me. Instead, they will praise my aunt for teaching me well."
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