The bride, wearing a red veil, entered the main room of the Ma family home with Ma Xiaobao's help, and then the meal was served.
Since Xichun would be staying for another day, the village chief invited Xichun over and gathered several clever people from the village. They discussed and discussed the matter of buying an oxcart to travel back and forth.
As soon as it was light, Xichun was preparing to set off with Aunt Zhang and her group when she saw Wang Shi, Xiaofeng, and Ma Xiaobao's bride, Mo Xiaoling, waiting at the door. Upon seeing Xichun, they gave her a big smile.
"Xichun, are you going back now? Here are some things that your mother and I prepared for you to eat on the way." Xichun didn't expect the bride to be so polite. The shoes in her hand were probably for her, and there was also a handkerchief. The embroidery was more delicate than that of many women in the village.
"Yes, this is from Xiaoling. Please accept it. These are chickens raised at home. Look how much weight you've lost lately. You need to eat well. This chicken is for you two. The other one is for Changfeng. I heard he's studying very hard, so he needs to eat well too. Don't sell them."
Wang pointed to the two large roosters in the cage. Xichun knew that these were old chickens that Wang had raised for a long time, and they were very delicious when used to make soup.
"Sister, sister, I want to go with you, I want to go with you." Xiaofeng looked at Xichun with teary eyes.
"You silly child, your sister is going to do business, not go out to play. Hurry up and go back to your room." Wang pinched his ear.
“Okay, then I’ll take it. Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Sister-in-law. We’ll be going now. Xiaofeng, stay home and be a good boy. I’ll bring you something fun next time I come back for the New Year.” Xichun didn’t refuse. Qiangzi drove the cart, and the group went back to the county town.
"Mother, Xichun has already gone far away, let's go back." Mo Xiaoling helped Wang Shi back.
"Xiaoling, it's alright. You should go back and rest. There's not much to do at home anyway. In the dead of winter, everyone prefers to stay home." Wang was pleasantly surprised by her daughter-in-law's behavior. She was very generous and seemed easy to get along with.
It should be noted that Wang Shi did not get involved much in Ma Xiaobao's marriage. It was mostly decided by Ma's mother and Xiaofeng's father. She was only responsible for helping to prepare things, so she didn't know much about the bride's character.
"It's alright, Mom. I told everyone at home before I left that I should be filial to Grandma and my parents-in-law, and love my younger brother. Anyway, it's not tiring. I'll help you tidy up the house."
Xi Chun took the rooster given to her by Wang Shi to the Fu family and handed it to Zhu Nian. When Madam Fu heard that she had arrived, she quickly ordered tea and snacks to be served so that Xi Chun wouldn't go hungry.
"Xichun, your mother is too kind. How did it go?"
"It went very smoothly. The bride seemed very enthusiastic, so she must get along well with my mother." The Fu family knew about Xi Chun's family situation, so she didn't hold back and spoke frankly.
"Your mother is truly blessed to have a daughter like you. I always wanted a daughter, but unfortunately I had two rascals. Look at them, all they do is study all day long, they don't even leave the yard anymore. We hardly ever see them in the house, they're not at all caring. If you have time in the future, you must come and have a good talk with me. I'm bored every day, and I just want to hear something interesting."
“Okay, I’ll definitely come and chat with Auntie whenever I have time.” As Xichun was speaking, Fu Changfeng arrived.
"Oh, you finally have time to come see your mother today?" Madam Fu said deliberately, knowing full well that he had come to see Xichun, just to tease the two of them.
"Mother, I haven't seen you. I often come to have meals with you." Fu Changfeng knew that his mother was just joking.
"Alright, alright, I won't bother you anymore. I'm actually quite sleepy at midday. You two can talk amongst yourselves." After saying this, Madam Fu led her maid back home.
"Xichun, is everything alright? I heard you brought a big rooster, so I went to see it. It's really well-raised and looks very majestic. It must taste even better." Fu Changfeng's words amused Xichun.
“That’s not my child. It’s my mother who was worried about you studying all day and wanted to give you some extra nutrition. Grandpa Hu has already gone home for the New Year. You should also balance work and rest and not overwork yourself.”
"Yes, I know. I listen to you every day. I get up first thing in the morning and run ten laps around the mansion. I also take a walk at noon to digest my food. Even my brother does it with me. He doesn't just stare at his books all the time."
"Yes, I'll be going back to the village for the New Year in about ten days. See you next year."
"That won't do. I'll make time to have dinner at your restaurant the day after tomorrow afternoon. Don't worry, this time my brother will treat us, so I'll make sure to charge him a lot more money."
"You bastard, you actually tried to cheat your brother! Don't worry, I've arranged a private room for you guys in advance. How many people are there?"
“Okay, it’s just some classmates and friends, about seven or eight of them. We’ll get together before the New Year. My brother will be going back to the academy to study after the New Year, so it’s good to talk to those classmates in advance and find out how they are doing now. My brother is preparing to take the imperial examination again.”
Fu Changjin is now also preparing for the exam. The two brothers study together and can exchange ideas. In addition, Fu Changfeng's knowledge is much better than his now. Besides Grandpa Ma's teachings, he has also benefited a lot. However, he is still a little uneasy, afraid that he will become rusty in his studies after being away from the academy for two years. That's why he invited some classmates who are still studying to accompany his younger brother and exchange ideas.
Hearing that it was an invitation from the Fu brothers, none of the classmates from the academy refused to come. Fu Changfeng had been engrossed in his studies at home for several months and hadn't seen any guests. They wanted to learn from him and understand the situation of the academy examination.
"Brothers Fu, it's a rare treat to see you both. This meal must be on me today, don't try to take it from me." One of the classmates, Zhao Yuping, was also Fu Changfeng's neighbor. He had also taken the exam, but failed the prefectural exam.
"No, I have to pay. We finally got to have a meal with Brother Changfeng, how can we let you pay?"
"Hey, hey, hey, you guys are being way too enthusiastic. My brother is treating us today, he's the host. I have some authority here, and I've already told Boss Chen that my brother has to pay for this."
In front of his classmates, Fu Changfeng was still the same carefree and playful person he always was, which made the others feel much closer to him.
"Oh, we forgot that Brother Changfeng can also be half in charge of this place. Perfect, let's not argue anymore. Today, let's follow Brother Changfeng and empty Brother Changjin's purse. The food here at Boss Chen's place is quite delicious."
"Don't worry, everyone. It's my treat today. Just order whatever you like, as long as you don't waste food," Fu Changjin said with a smile.
As they were talking, Taozi came in with the menu and asked them to order first. Everyone then stopped being polite.
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