Xichun brought her three children to Taoyuan Village, which is now bustling with people.
Wang and Xiaofeng had been waiting for them at the door early in the morning. When they saw the carriage arrive, Xiaofeng hurriedly ran up to it.
"Sister, you're finally back! Mom's been waiting for you, saying she'll make you lots of home-cooked food."
"No need for all that trouble. As long as there's food, that's fine. Xiaofeng, how have you been these days? Have you encountered any difficulties with your studies?"
"No, no, the teachers at the county school are all very good and knowledgeable. They even said that after this year, they would recommend me to study at the prefectural school."
Xiao Feng didn't want to trouble his older sister and brother-in-law too much, so when Fu Changfeng initially wanted to use his connections to send him to the prefectural city, Xiao Feng refused, knowing that his brother-in-law's official career was also hard.
"That's great. When you go to study in the prefectural city, you'll need to dress better. I brought some fabric with me this time, and I'll have my mother make you some clothes later."
“Why spend that money? He’s dressed well enough now. You can keep your money for yourselves. I heard that housing prices in the capital are not cheap. You’ve just arrived, and you’ll need money for buying a house and furnishing it.”
Seeing that they were still chatting outside, Wang came out and overheard the siblings' conversation. She said unhappily.
"Mom, it's nothing for me to buy clothes for my brother. Don't worry about it. Go and worry about your grandchildren."
Xichun told the children to greet people, and as soon as Wang saw Xuanxuan, she didn't care about anything else and hugged each of them.
"Good, good, the children are all doing well, so I'm relieved. Come in and let's talk."
"Yes, come in and talk to me. The food is ready. Mother, would you like to eat now?"
The rest of the Ma family stood aside. Now that Xichun had been granted an imperial title, they were all cautious and afraid of offending her. As long as Xichun had some face for their family, at least no one would dare to bully them when they went out to do business.
"Okay, these are all gifts for Uncle Ma and your family. We'll distribute them later."
Xi Chun had the gifts meant for the Ma family divided up; she naturally wouldn't refuse such a gesture.
"Why buy so much? We have enough. It wasn't easy for you to go to the capital, Xichun. You should keep it for your own use."
Ma Dawei said the same thing. When he last met Lord Fu, he already had a lot of official air about him. If it weren't for his own status, he would have felt uncomfortable meeting such important people. So he followed Wang's words.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while and having a meal, Xichun took the children up the mountain. Previously, Azheng had been bothered by his surname, and Xichun wanted to talk to him about it and let him see what it was all about.
Hearing that his maternal grandfather was lying there all alone, and that his grandfather's family were all scoundrels, A-Zheng felt ashamed of his previous commotion.
“Mother, we didn’t know you had suffered so much before. Don’t worry, I won’t say those things again. I will study hard so that my grandfather will be happy in the afterlife.”
“Ah Zheng is a good boy. Your maternal grandfather will be very happy to know this. If you have time in the future, come back and burn some incense and paper money for your maternal grandfather.”
"Yes, we will. We will be filial to our parents, grandparents and maternal grandmother, and we will also remember our grandfather often."
Xi Chun led the children to her own courtyard. No one lives in the courtyard now; Xi Chun had Uncle Zhang convert it into a chili pepper processing workshop. The workshop was bustling with activity, and the people inside were quite excited to see Xi Chun and her family arrive.
"Oh dear, it's Xichun back. It's so stuffy in this house. You should stay in the courtyard for a while. I'll go and call Steward Zhang."
Uncle Zhang was checking the quality of the chili peppers when he learned that Xichun had returned. He rushed over with his men. Seeing how busy they were, Xichun didn't say much, just chatted for a few minutes and then left.
When the village chief learned of their return, he waited for Xichun outside the workshop. The two talked for a while, with the village chief mostly talking about the changes in the village over the years, occasionally mentioning Xichun's help back then.
Xichun was in an exceptionally good mood upon seeing her family whom she hadn't seen for many years, and even the children noticed it.
"Mom, I've noticed that you've been smiling more since you came home."
"Yes, this is where I grew up, and it holds many memories for me. How could I not be happy? You'll understand when you grow up."
Children don't yet know what homesickness is; by the time they understand, they're already at the age where they begin to miss their hometown.
Madam Fu had already arranged things at home, and the three of them—mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law—were preparing to go to the prefectural city to care for the sick man, while Old Master Fu stayed at home to look after him, and the children stayed home to study.
"We're going to the prefectural city. You all stay home and study obediently. Don't be disobedient just because your grandfather dotes on you, understand?"
"Mother, don't worry, I will take good care of my younger brothers and sisters. You can go ahead and do your best. If anyone dares to disobey, then they will be punished with a ruler."
Ah Zhao is the eldest grandson in the family, and after returning home, he is also the leader among the children. The children in his older brother's family dare to fight and play with Ah Zheng, but they are very obedient in front of their older brother. Now, after hearing these words, they all act like quails.
“Our Ah Zhao is really acting like an older brother. If they misbehave, he can discipline them as he pleases. When I get back, he will discipline them again.”
Sister-in-law Xie, seeing Ah Zhao's expression, chimed in.
"Hehe, you can go without worry. I'll take care of these children at home." Grandpa Fu was usually very strict with his two sons, but he was very gentle with his grandchildren, and the children were not afraid of him at all.
The three women, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, took a boat to the prefectural city. The Fu family in the prefectural city had already received word of their arrival. However, because of the previous incident, the eldest aunt and second aunt were somewhat uneasy, so they only arranged for a maid and a servant to wait there, wanting to give them a hard time.
However, Aunt Xie Wu didn't dare to be like her eldest sister-in-law and the others. Knowing that her third sister-in-law and the others were coming, she waited at the dock early and led people to greet them when they arrived.
"Third Sister-in-law, you're here! Get in the car, let's go to the old house together."
"Hello, Fifth Aunt." Both sisters-in-law greeted Fifth Aunt Xie.
"Fifth sister-in-law, you've worked so hard. It's kind of you to wait for us here so early."
“There’s nothing hard about it. I just arrived a little while ago. My family doesn’t live in the old house anymore. I heard you were coming, so I was thinking of going with you.”
With Fu Changfeng's help, Xie Wu's son is now a clerk in the government office. Although his position is not high, he would not have been able to get such a position without Fu Changfeng, so the whole family is grateful.
"Sigh, you don't know, my eldest and second sisters-in-law are really outrageous. I've heard from many people that they locked the old lady in the house, saying that she's gone mad and doesn't want to take care of her."
Now, many people in the prefectural city have heard rumors and secretly look down on their actions.
When Aunt Xie heard the news, she couldn't help but share it with her third sister-in-law.
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