"My husband and I have come today to discuss the business of soft paper with you," the Hou family elders said calmly and respectfully, sitting upright.
Huo Xiaolong and Cheng Xiangxiang played and joked on the chairs nearby, the two sisters occasionally whispering to each other. The adults toasted each other, and settled business matters over the course of a meal.
"Mr. Cen, my wife and I have another request."
"You say so, and as long as it's within my power, Cen Ang will do it without hesitation."
"The clerk in charge of registration at the county government said that all the houses around Fengyue Tower are in your possession. My Xiangxiang has never had many friends since she was little, but she finally met your Long'er this time. I'd like to move here from Shizijie so that the two children can have some fun together."
Upon hearing these words, Cheng Xiangxiang's eyes lit up.
"Really!? Grandpa?"
Old Madam Hou gently stroked her hair a few times and said...
"Yes, you'll be able to see Long'er every day from now on, aren't you happy?"
The little girl's head was like a wooden fish stick, striking hard.
"happy!"
"You're happy, but I'm not so happy~" Huo Xiaolong looked at Cheng Xiangxiang but didn't say it. The little girl didn't know how to get along with her peers and always felt a bit strange. Cheng Xiangxiang was the child she had talked to the most.
"Little Dragon Sister! From now on, we can play together every day!"
Cheng Xiangxiang didn't include returning to Beining County in her life goals. She said it was just the two of them playing, but in reality, it was just Cheng Xiangxiang watching Huo Xiaolong play.
For some reason, she could watch the little dumpling tinkering with the tank all day, then watch her wield a big sword after lunch, and then watch her fight with the bear cubs in the afternoon.
It seems that Huo Xiaolong is another version of himself in the world, another version of himself who, at the age of four or five, did not diligently study female virtues and precepts at home.
Cen Ang had no reason to refuse, and the matter of the house and the paper money was settled at the breakfast table.
After breakfast, the two elderly people from the Marquis's mansion had nothing to do at home, and coincidentally, the Fengyue Tower was currently the liveliest place in Pingyang County. During the day, carriages of wealthy young ladies and wives came and went in an endless stream.
"Would you two elders like to come upstairs for a while?" Cen Ang asked.
"Is it inappropriate for a man like me to do this?" Old Master Hou asked.
Cen Ang shook his head and replied.
"It's normal for couples to come to a brothel together for entertainment. Please, gentlemen, go to the fourth floor."
The fourth floor houses the upscale private rooms of Fengyue Tower. During the day, male guests usually go to the fourth floor. Although there are fewer male guests, sometimes they still manage to come along with their wives' agate cards.
Otherwise, how could we explain it to the guests? "Your wife is inside, and you're going to be out in the cold wind?" That would be somewhat inappropriate. But it's also inconvenient for male guests to go to the girls' rooms with their wives, so Madam Cen opened up a private room on the fourth floor specifically for male guests who come during the day.
Of course, these male guests were all well-mannered and law-abiding people; it wasn't a place where just anyone with money could get in.
"No wonder Xiangxiang didn't want to go home after staying for a few days. The food here is much better than at my house," Grandma Hou teased Cen's mother.
"I've just acquired a few novel recipes. If you like them, feel free to take some back with you when you leave."
— Knock knock knock
"Mom, can we come in?"
Outside the door, several maids carrying wooden basins of warm water asked...
"Enter"
"Greetings, Master Hou; Greetings, Madam Hou"
Several twelve or thirteen-year-old girls greeted the two elderly people in front of them.
"My two elders, please experience the craftsmanship of our restaurant today and enjoy it," Cen Ang said to the two of them before leaving the room.
At first, the two elderly people didn't feel much when several young girls were serving them by washing their faces and feet. But after a stick of incense had burned, the only sound in the private room was the sound of snoring.
"My grandparents are asleep," Cheng Xiangxiang whispered to Huo Xiaolong from the doorway.
Cheng Xiangxiang originally wanted to coax her parents and get some pocket money to buy the plum blossom ointment that Huo Xiaolong had for her mother, but the two little ones had only peeked out the door when they reached the door and then decided not to go in and disturb them.
The elderly couple hadn't been sleeping well these past few days because of their daughter and granddaughter's situation. They looked pale and had dark circles under their eyes. Cheng Xiangxiang knew all this, and the young girl didn't want to disturb them as they finally managed to fall asleep at the brothel.
"What do you want with your grandparents?" Huo Xiaolong asked in a low voice.
"I want money!"
What do you need money for?
"Buy your plum blossom ointment"
Huo Xiaolong frowned and asked in confusion.
"Doesn't Huaxuetang have it?"
"Yours works well."
Huo Xiaolong truly understands how much more discerning children raised in affluent families become. After using the plum blossom ointment from her for just a few days, he realized that the one he had was better than the one from Huaxuetang.
She misunderstood; she thought the little girl was easy to fool.
"Then I'll give you a few bottles, it's free, just don't bother your grandparents."
"OK!"
Cheng Xiangxiang nodded very quickly. When it comes to loving beauty, anyone who hesitates is a fool!
"Can you hold the bear cub and let me pet it for a while?" the little girl continued.
Aren't you scared?
Both girls were from the border town, and their conversation had a strong local accent, which contrasted sharply with their sweet appearance.
"I did miss it a couple of days ago, but after being home for two days, I'm starting to miss it a little."
"Okay, then I'll let you pet it for a while. See, it gets agitated and tries to run away. It's a bit big now, I can't hold onto it."
"OK!"
Watching the two girls walk hand in hand to the backyard, Cen Ang said to He Yi with a headache...
“My dear sister, I originally intended to raise our daughter to be a talented woman of the Great Yan Dynasty. Tell me, where did I go wrong?”
He Yi also thought of the inappropriate ceremony Huo Xiaolong performed this morning. If this were in the capital, he would have been punished by the governess.
Fortunately for Huo Xiaolong, her teacher was Cen Ang, whose mother doted on her, so she didn't have to be punished.
Fortunately for the governess, it was Cen Ang who taught her, because Cen's mother wanted to hit her, and Huo Xiaolong was no match for her and could not fight back.
"Sister, it seems our hopes will never be fulfilled."
He Yi kept staring at Huo Xiaolong. Cen Ang followed her gaze and saw a child, no taller than a car wheel, tightly hugging the brown bear's body with all four limbs, fixing it in place, just like a naughty child unreasonably clinging to an adult's leg.
Meanwhile, the little girl next to them, who had just finished resting a few days ago and greeted them, was now grinning from ear to ear, her hand constantly stroking the brown bear's belly.
"Fine, being a talented woman is tiring anyway."
Cen's mother didn't want to attribute this to her daughter forgetting everything after learning it; it must be that the rules were too tiring and her daughter didn't want to learn them. She thought that fate had destined Huo Xiaolong to never suffer hardship in his life, and that must be it.
He Yi couldn't quite keep it up. When she eloped with Huo Shuwen, she followed all the rules and etiquette exactly as before. Her husband even said every day that she spoiled their daughter. "Come and see this!"
A former head maidservant who used to serve the crown prince is trying to find a way to make up for your daughter's shortcomings. She said that learning etiquette is tiring, and your daughter can't handle that kind of hardship.
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