The other stone sculpture is An Er, who has been leaning against the gate with his arms crossed for quite some time without moving.
He only turned his head slightly to glance at it after hearing the commotion in the lobby.
Its eyes were wide open, and the blinking intervals were a bit long, before it turned back into a stone sculpture.
Shopkeeper Li's cheerful voice came from behind the counter: "The owner is so beautiful and elegant today, I have truly had my eyes opened!"
Jiang Shan smiled generously and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Manager Li. I love hearing that, it's very kind of you!"
"Hahaha!" Manager Li stroked his beard and laughed.
An Jing's thoughts were pulled back by Manager Li's laughter. He cleared his throat, walked up to Jiang Shan, gave him a quick look, and then turned his head away as if to cover up his thoughts, saying, "You are... quite different from others today."
"Just say I'm pretty!" Jiang Shan smiled, her eyes crinkling, without any hint of subtlety.
An Jing choked for a moment, then pointed at Jiang Shan with her folding fan and said, "You're a young lady, how can you act like this...!"
"Young Master is back!" Liang Chen's voice came from outside the door.
"My dress!" Jiang Shan exclaimed, happily running towards the door while carrying her skirt.
Just as I reached the door, I heard Jiang Huai's clear, tender voice call out, "Mom!"
Jiang Shan suddenly stopped in his tracks, his black eyes staring in astonishment at the two people, one big and one small, getting off the carriage.
"Mother!" Jiang Huai called out again, this time with exceptional clarity.
Along the way, his grandma kept teaching him to call her "mother," not "sheep."
Fu Qiyuan's dark eyes fell on Jiang Shan, carrying a captivating power, with undisguised admiration, appreciation, and possessiveness in his eyes.
Jiang Shan didn't have time to respond to her son. She felt a chill run down her spine under Fu Qiyuan's gaze and didn't know what to do with her hands and feet.
"Mother!" Jiang Huai reached out to Jiang Shan from Fu Qiyuan's arms, twisting his chubby waist in protest.
"Mother heard you... You, why are you here?" The first sentence was addressed to Ying Jianghuai, and the second sentence was addressed to Fu Qiyuan.
Fu Qiyuan carried Jiang Huai to Jiang Shan and stood there, his dark eyes seeming to draw her in.
“I came to Yuzhou to handle some business. Huai’er’s birthday is coming soon, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it in time, so I thought I’d celebrate his birthday in advance.”
When Fu Qiyuan came to Yuzhou, Jiang Shan couldn't help but think of the Pei family. It was because of her that he got into all this trouble, and his coming to Yuzhou must also be to resolve this matter.
Jiang Shan paused for a moment, then said, "Since you're here, why don't you stay for lunch?"
After saying this, he turned to the crowd and said, "This is Magistrate Fu of Guyang County."
Everyone greeted him, and Fu Qiyuan nodded in acknowledgment to each of them, his gaze finally settling on An Jing.
An Jing's expression was beyond ugly. He was extremely sensitive to interpersonal relationships, and from the moment he saw Fu Qiyuan carrying Jiang Huai into the room, he felt a sense of crisis. When he saw Fu Qiyuan's appearance clearly, his mood sank to the bottom.
Fu Qiyuan glanced at An Jing for a moment, then subtly moved away, beckoning to the stunned Sanlang in the hall, "You didn't even greet your elder brother when you saw him. Where did you learn your manners?"
Sanlang's eyes reddened, and he stammered, "Ah, brother..."
Jiang Shan cleared his throat: "Lord Fu is my mother's adopted son and also Sanlang's sworn brother. It's perfectly acceptable to call him brother."
Sanlang ran over and buried his face in Fu Qiyuan's arms, choking back tears as he said, "Brother, I missed you so much!"
Fu Qiyuan patted his head and said softly, "Your brother misses you too, your mother misses you too, and so do Teacher Wu and your classmates at Qingfeng Academy. They all miss you!"
Jiang Huai looked down at Sanlang, struggled to get off the ground, and hugged him, laughing heartily.
They looked like a close uncle and nephew.
Fu Wen received a signal from Fu Shu and quickly stepped forward to bow, saying, "Lord Fu, Miss, Sanlang, and Young Master have been reunited after so long. Why don't you go upstairs for a cup of tea first?"
Manager Li realized what was happening and went up to invite Fu Qiyuan to a private room upstairs for a chat.
An Jing wanted to go forward to greet the distinguished guest, but her feet seemed to be rooted to the spot, and she couldn't move an inch.
He watched helplessly as Jiang Shan led Fu Qiyuan, Jiang Huai, Sanlang, and others upstairs. Seeing Fu Qiyuan with one arm around Jiang Huai and the other around Sanlang's shoulder, chatting and laughing, he felt a mix of emotions.
Anyone who looked at them would think they were a family. Jiang Huai's eyebrows and eyes even bore a slight resemblance to Fu Qiyuan's. No one would doubt that they were father and son.
But he's clearly Jiang Shan's sworn brother! A sworn brother is still a brother! Siblings shouldn't have an improper relationship; doesn't he know he should avoid suspicion? Besides, why would a county magistrate like him travel so far? Jiang Huai's birthday is still a month away; is it his place to celebrate Jiang Huai's birthday in advance? Does he think they're pushovers?
An Jing was internally complaining, while An Er patted him on the shoulder from behind.
"What is it!" An Jing was furious.
"The banquet arrangements need to be rearranged."
An Jing glared angrily at An Er, "What do you mean? I don't mind adding an extra pair of chopsticks, but he's still unwilling to sit at the same table with us?"
An Er glanced at him dismissively, crossed her arms, and walked out.
"Hey, we're the partners, which side are you on?"
No matter how unhappy he was, An Jing couldn't be impolite, especially since the other person was an official and he was a businessman.
Jiang Shan sipped his tea, his gaze occasionally drifting towards Fu Qiyuan, his thoughts wandering.
"How is Mother? Is she still staying up late making shoes? Her eyesight isn't very good, so you should talk to her more often when you have time."
Fu Qiyuan's voice was warm and had a rich, magnetic quality. "I know, you can rest assured."
"How's business at the shop? I've already spoken with Xia Qing and the others. They'll be supplying Jiang's Private Kitchen regularly from now on, including seafood, meat, fruits, and vegetables. They can supply whatever there's demand."
"Business is booming in the shop. Uncle Qiao and Ah Sheng are both very capable, and with the help of Sister Wang, we now have a stable customer base and turnover."
"That's good." Jiang Shan gave a dry reply and said nothing more.
Sanlang's eyes shifted from Jiang Shan to Fu Qiyuan. After holding back for a while, he couldn't resist taking the initiative to speak.
"Brother, did you come all the way to Yuzhou to see me? The teacher will be here later, and you can test my studies in front of him. I've been studying very hard, and I haven't fallen behind in either my academic or martial arts studies!"
This was an agreement between Fu Qiyuan and Sanlang in their letters. When they met, he would check his studies to see if he had studied diligently and whether he had lived up to his expectations.
"Of course I believe you, brother. Sanlang is so intelligent, I can't be more at ease with him!"
Sanlang was very excited. He looked at Fu Qiyuan eagerly, took his hand and said, "Brother, stay in Yuzhou for a few more days. I will draw for you, recite for you, and I can also practice boxing. Brother An taught us a set of boxing techniques, and I have learned them all!"
Jiang Huai also grunted twice, then slowly moved to Fu Qiyuan's side, rolled into his arms, and sweetly called out, "Dad!"
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