Chapter 19 Shang Qilang
This meal was the first one for the couple in the three years since they got married.
Neither of them spoke much during the meal, except for Cherry and Danruo, who would pick out the ingredients and talk a little about the taste when they were serving the dishes.
In the past, Du Jingyi liked to discuss philosophy with Dan Ruo, but today, seeing that her husband didn't say a word, she didn't want to chatter non-stop.
After simply eating half a bowl of rice and some meat and vegetables, he put down his chopsticks.
Shang Ji saw that she ate so little, so he thought that she was embarrassed to eat because he was here.
So, he quickly finished the last few bites, put down his chopsticks, and said to Du Jingyi.
"I just came back from Cezhou. I have military reports to deal with these days, so I won't leave the study unless it's important. You should eat and sleep as you like. There's no need to restrict me."
And then he added another sentence.
"I've made note of the return visit tomorrow. Is it ok to leave at 7 pm?"
Chen time?
Considering Du Jingyi's usual habit of sleeping in, it was naturally too early.
But she was returning to the Du family, which made her very happy.
So, he answered with a smile.
"I will obey the general's orders."
Shang Ji nodded, and told Madam Dou beside him to arrange the carriage for tomorrow, and then he got up and left the main house.
After walking out for a while, he turned around and said to Madam Dou.
"The lady probably hasn't eaten enough. Ask the kitchen to make some of her favorite dishes and send them to her."
"Yes, I've made note of it."
Nanny Dou was very satisfied with the general's initiative to care about the young lady.
You know, he is almost thirty years old now and he doesn't even have a wife.
This is the most taboo thing for military generals.
Therefore, Madam Dou was eager to force the general and the young lady to consummate their marriage as soon as possible, and for the young master to be born soon.
But she also understood that neither the general nor the young lady were the kind of people who would put themselves in a difficult position, so it would be better for things to develop naturally.
Therefore, anything that could help enhance the relationship between the couple, Madam Dou was extremely happy to do, and she had to do it beautifully.
Not long after the two of them finished talking, they saw Butler He walking towards them.
He first bowed respectfully to Shang Ji, and then spoke.
"General, the Seventh Young Master is here and wants to see you."
Shang Qilang? He was Madam Wei's most beloved youngest son.
At such a young age, he had already achieved the status of a juren.
Shang Ji remembered that when he left Beijing, Shang Qilang had already become a disciple of the great Confucian scholar Master Ming.
Seeing that passing the imperial examination is just around the corner, the bright future makes everyone in Mrs. Wei's family proud.
Why did he suddenly come to look for me in Dongyuan, who had always kept to herself with Madam Wei? After a moment's silence, Shang Ji said in a low voice.
"Tell him to wait in the hall. I'll be there right away."
"Yes, General."
The flower hall in East Garden hasn't been open to guests for a long time.
The last time it was used was more than a year ago.
Ever since the third and fifth rooms couldn't get any good things from the people in East Garden, they seldom came.
Occasionally, when there was something to say, he would just send the servants over, so there was no need to entertain guests in the flower hall.
But even so, the hall was still very clean.
Shang Qillang had just taken a sip of the fragrant tea, and before he could even appreciate the aroma of the tea, he saw Shang Ji walk in.
He is so majestic and has people from all directions submit to him. He is indeed a great general who has fought in battles for many years.
This aura is enough to intimidate anyone.
Compared with Shang Ji, Shang Qilang seems a little weak.
After all, his future path is to become a clean civil servant, so he is naturally not as strong and muscular as Shang Ji, who has to fight with knives and guns every day.
Perhaps it is because he has been spending many years sitting in front of his desk, so his whole body exudes an elegant temperament like the breeze and bright moon.
It's just that because he is only sixteen years old, he doesn't stand out much.
But if you look closely, you will find that there is a calmness in his eyes and brows. This kind of calm and dignified character and attitude is rare among young people.
Shang Ji's impression of him was still that of the young boy he had seen many years ago. Now, when he suddenly saw him like this, his expression fluctuated slightly.
On the other hand, Shang Qillang's eyes and mouth corners showed more joy.
In the whole family, if there is anyone who is sincerely looking forward to his return, it is probably Shang Qillang.
Although they are in different camps, his relationship with Shang Bamei has been pretty good over the years.
So, Shang Bamei opened her mouth and shouted.
"Sixth Brother."
"Um."
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
Shang Qilang wanted to get closer to Shang Ji, but after hearing Shang Ji's indifferent answer, he couldn't help but sigh.
Firstly, there is a big age difference between the two people, and secondly, the living environments they live in are not very similar.
If you must talk about it, they don't have any hobbies or topics to chat about, so he sighed and Shang Ji watched him, unmoved.
"Tell me something."
In one sentence, the closeness of the relationship is immediately revealed.
Shang Ji still had a lot of military reports to deal with, so he didn't have much time to spend talking about the Spring and Autumn Annals with Shang Qilang.
Helpless, Shang Qilang smiled bitterly and then spoke.
"Today was supposed to be the day when Sixth Brother came home to have a good reunion dinner, but unfortunately there was no peace at home, which disturbed the joy. So as your younger brother, I specially sent you a gift that I prepared earlier to celebrate your safe return home."
After saying that, Shang Qilang handed over the box that was on the Eight Immortals Table.
From the outside, the brocade box looked very finely crafted, but one couldn't see what was inside.
Shang Ji sat calmly and did not intend to reach out to take it.
Instead, Luo Yuan beside him stepped forward, took the box, and nodded in the direction of Shang Qilang.
Throughout the whole process, Shang Ji showed no intention of opening it.
Seeing this, Shang Qillang felt a little sad.
"Sixth brother, don't you want to open it and take a look?"
There is a rare copy of military strategy that has been lost for many years, but it took him a lot of effort to find it.
He had originally expected to see Sixth Brother's happy expression, but he didn't expect that the other party didn't even bother to look at what the gift was.
Hearing what he said, Shang Ji didn't react at all, he just said lightly.
"What is it?"
"This is a unique copy of the Art of War. I spent a long time searching for it. I thought Sixth Brother would like it!"
"Yes, thank you very much."
The tone was indifferent, as if it was as normal as eating and drinking water on ordinary days.
Shang Qillang felt very disappointed, but he also knew that his sixth brother had been like this since he was a child.
So, don’t force it.
After adjusting his mentality, he said with a smile.
"We are all family, Sixth Brother, you don't have to be so polite to me."
After he finished speaking, Shang Ji stopped talking, and the coldness emanating from him became more and more obvious, as if he was trying to chase the guest away.
Shang Qillang also felt very unhappy.
Finally, he gritted his teeth to break the silent deadlock and said with some helplessness and expectation in his eyes.
"Sixth brother, although you and I are not born of the same mother, when Madam Gu was still alive, I often visited her. Besides, you and I have the same father after all, so there is no need to make things so awkward."
(End of this chapter)