Chapter 95 To Qinghe
It turns out that this harsh-tongued prince also feels lonely sometimes.
But when talking about drinking tea and watching the sunset, was he referring to the pavilion on the mountain?
Xu Shuyao thought of what she saw that evening: the setting sun melted into gold, the evening clouds merged into one, and it truly deserved the word "extremely gorgeous".
"Mo'er is a kid who likes to come to my place every day. He must be a little bored when I'm gone." Old Madam Xiao, who was leaning on the bed in the guest room, interrupted her thoughts.
Who isn't?
"If I didn't come with you, I would miss the old lady too." Xu Shuyao raised her head and continued seriously.
In the mansion, she went to Songhe Hall almost every day.
After coming to the capital, my relationship with the old lady is actually deeper than that with my aunt.
This was something she had not expected before coming to Beijing.
The next day, they left the post station without saying goodbye to Prince Chun.
Three days later, Xu Shuyao and his party finally arrived in Qinghe County. Early in the morning, the county magistrate, who was from the Cui family, received the news and led people to the intersection to meet them.
Seeing the old lady from the Duke's Mansion, the county magistrate seemed very excited, and the call of "Aunt" made Xu Shuyao tremble with fear.
This man with a goatee, who looks not much younger than Old Madam Xiao, is actually her nephew?
After the two sides exchanged greetings, the county magistrate sent an official with the same surname Cui to lead the way for them.
Madam Xiao lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the small hills shaped like buns on both sides, as well as the archway faintly visible in the distance. She smiled and said to Xu Shuyao, "More than half of the people in Qinghe County have the surname Cui. You don't have to be too surprised."
Xu Shuyao nodded thoughtfully.
After a while, the carriage arrived in front of the archway engraved with "Cui Shi" and drove further in before stopping at the gate of the house.
The door nails are decorated with vermilion animal heads and are held in copper rings. Above the door lintel hangs a plaque inscribed with "Loyalty and Filial Piety Passed Down from Generation to Generation." The ink has seeped into the grain of the rosewood.
The stone lions on both sides stand majestically, silently telling the rise and fall of several generations of the Cui family.
Xu Shuyao followed the old lady out of the carriage and saw an equally kind-faced old woman with a group of men and women coming out to greet them.
"Sister!" The woman cried and then hugged Madam Xiao tightly.
The two people who hadn't seen each other for many years hugged each other.
Xu Shuyao listened to the old lady chattering about Qinghe's close relatives all the way, and guessed that the white-haired old woman in front of her should be the eldest sister-in-law she was talking about.
In her early years, Madam Xiao's brother went to Beijing to serve as an official, and she followed him to see the world. As a result, she was noticed by the old Duke and was hired as his daughter-in-law.
At that time, the Cui family was wealthy and powerful, and had deep roots in the court. However, later the old emperor became wary of them, and these people gradually withdrew. Even her brother resigned from his official position and returned to his hometown in Qinghe, and never entered the capital again.
The first time Xu Shuyao stepped into the legendary Cui clan's land, she was shocked by its profound heritage.
A woman nearby went to persuade the two elderly people, and a young lady with a delicate face walked towards her, "Let me call you cousin!"
The girl had bright eyes, was wearing a pink dress, had her hair combed into a bun, and was smiling at her.
Xu Shuyao also smiled and said, "Of course, Cousin Cui." After a pause, she added, "My last name is Xu."
She knew that Mrs. Cui had a fifteen-year-old granddaughter who was said to be very cute and lively. Most of the letters sent to the Duke's Mansion were written by her.
Cousin Cui immediately came over and pulled her hand, "Come on, let's go in!"
Xu Shuyao looked up and saw that the two old men seemed to have a lot to say, so she nodded.
When they reached the main hall, Mrs. Xiao introduced Xu Shuyao to everyone: "This is my second daughter-in-law's niece. She and I get along quite well. I'm lucky to have her with me on this journey."
All eyes were immediately drawn to Xu Shuyao. She was wearing a lilac-colored jacket with a floral pattern and a plain white skirt with twined flowers. Her hair was braided in neat little braids, and two jade flowers were inserted on the side of her head. She looked both elegant and beautiful.
The girl has clear eyes and skin as white as snow, and she has a different temperament compared to the most outstanding granddaughter of the Cui family.
Mrs. Cui smiled and said, "Come here and let me see! I like these beautiful young ladies the most."
Xu Shuyao walked over and saluted the old man.
As the eldest sister-in-law, Mrs. Cui is naturally older than Mrs. Xiao. It is said that she took good care of her younger sister-in-law when she married into the Cui family.
Although the old man was old, his eyes were very bright. He looked at Xu Shuyao for a moment and nodded: "You are even more handsome than my Zhaoran."
The girl who had just brought Xu Shuyao in winked at her.
Zhaoran, that turned out to be her name!
The Cui family members around laughed, but this cousin Cui said, "Isn't it? So grandma knows that I'm not the most handsome."
Cui Zhaoran was the daughter of the third branch of the Cui family. Her sisters were all married, leaving her as the youngest and the one who spent the most time with her grandmother.
Because she was born beautiful, she was loved by everyone in the mansion. Old Madam Cui had never disparaged her granddaughter in front of any other girl!
Cui Zhaoran said this frankly, which made everyone laugh.
Xu Shuyao also smiled and said, "The old lady is being too polite to me! My cousin is very pretty in my eyes."
She was already pretty, and when she put on such a smile, everyone in the Cui family sighed in their hearts: It really is true that the climate and soil of the capital make the people better.
The room was filled with lively conversation and laughter, and the two were assigned a courtyard to live in.
Xu Shuyao lived next to Cui Zhaoran, and the old lady lived with Madam Cui.
They had been on the road for nearly half a month and were already exhausted.
But she had been with the old lady these days, so she felt a little uncomfortable at this moment.
Madam Xiao patted her on the back and said with a smile, "Now that you're here, take a good rest. After you've rested, let your cousin Zhao take you around!"
Xu Shuyao was startled, and then she saw the old man winking at her, and Cui Zhaoran was already walking over with a smile.
For a moment she smiled a little sheepishly.
"Okay!" Xu Shuyao nodded.
Old Madam Xiao has returned to her hometown and probably has a lot to say, so she should be relieved.
Xu Shuyao followed Cui Zhaoran to his residence, but it took them around several courtyards and through several porches to reach the old lady's main hall.
When you go in, you will see a clump of banana trees with two moon gates on the left and right.
Cui Zhaoran's courtyard is on the left, and Xu Shuyao's is on the right.
They sent a letter before leaving the capital, and the Cui Mansion received the letter early in the morning, so everything in the courtyard had been arranged properly and thoroughly.
In addition, the Cui Mansion also sent two maids over so that they could get familiar with the environment here as soon as possible.
Xu Shuyao arranged the two of them together in the courtyard so that Qiaowei and Huixiang could get to know each other first.
She didn't know how long she would stay this time, but since she was already there, she should follow the local customs and try not to cause trouble for the host family.
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