This banquet should have been held a long time ago, but it has been delayed for various reasons. Also, there are not many people in the family, so it would be very troublesome to organize.
Now that's great, with so many people here, the mansion has instantly become lively, just like it was back in Xishui Garden in Jingzhou.
Now is the perfect time to hold this banquet properly, so that the nobles of the capital can get to know the Lu family, make friends with those who should befriend them, and distance themselves from those who should stay away.
Having been in the capital for so long, it's time for the mansion to resemble a general's residence.
"Sure, this is a way of supporting SuSu."
The Sun family had no objections. Hosting a banquet would give them a chance to get to know the nobles of the capital, and it would also give the Yao family face. It could be considered a win-win situation.
He Jiuniang added, "I don't have time to organize these things. Since everyone is here, I'll leave this to Lianhua. Youyou and Tingting can learn from her, and Steward Huang can fully cooperate with them."
Butler Huang immediately agreed. He explained that Lianhua had been in charge of similar banquets in Jingzhou before and had grown in experience during this time, so she didn't feel any pressure. He was happy to be able to help Aunt Jiu Niang.
Youya is capable now, but she's still a bit behind Lotus. Besides, she's never been in charge before, so she's quite excited this time.
Even Tingya was very happy. She had always been learning embroidery and had never really been involved in business or worked with her two older sisters. This was a perfect opportunity for her.
She had been studying at the embroidery workshop and hadn't had much contact with her older brothers and sisters at home. Now that she saw how well they had become, she was happy for them and also wanted to learn from them so as not to hold them back.
After the matter was settled, everyone went back to rest. He Jiuniang was also about to go back, but was pulled back by Sun Shi, who looked very mysterious.
He Jiu Niang found it strange. The two of them had whispered to each other all night at the post station. Logically speaking, Sun Shi should have nothing left to whisper to in such a short time. Why did she suddenly pull her aside?
Fortunately, Madam Sun didn't keep her in suspense. After confirming that no one was around, she asked in a low voice, "Before we went to the capital, didn't you want to have a daughter? Why hasn't it happened yet? Is it because the third prince..."
He Jiuniang was stunned. Good heavens, Ms. Sun was going to think her son was dying again.
He quickly covered her mouth and said, "That's not true!"
Seeing that she didn't seem shy, Madam Sun wondered if it wasn't the third son's problem, so it must be hers.
Come to think of it, life wasn't easy for the family during the three years the third brother was away. The third brother's wife was raising the child alone, and even with their help, she was still very tired. Could it be that she was too weak to get pregnant back then?
The third son's wife is such a good doctor, if even she can't cure herself, then...
The more Sun thought about it, the more outrageous it seemed. Her expression became exaggerated, as if she wanted to write "Oh my God!" on her face.
He Jiu Niang was worried that the old lady would overthink things, so she hurriedly said, "Oh dear, it's not like that! It's because the capital has been quite unsettled lately, and the surrounding countries are eyeing us covetously. There might even be a tough battle to be fought during the Crown Prince's enthronement ceremony. I'm worried that being pregnant will make things inconvenient and I won't be able to help Bai Chuan then, so I thought I'd postpone it for now."
This is the truth. When He Jiuniang first came to the capital, she had just recognized Susu as her goddaughter and longed for a little girl of her own. However, after arriving in the capital and seeing the situation, she realized that it was not as simple as she had imagined, and naturally lost the desire to have children.
Upon hearing this, Madam Sun immediately fell silent.
He Jiuniang continued, "The Crown Prince doesn't have many trustworthy people around him, so he entrusts many things to Bai Chuan. But Bai Chuan is only one person, and he can't be torn in two. So I can only help with some things. During that time, Gou'er was all alone and no one took care of him. He was sent to Aunt Jiang's place for a while, and then to the palace for a while. Let alone having another one, sigh!"
Sun's face darkened completely. So the third son and his wife were having such a hard time?
She always thought that although she was busy, it should all be for good reasons. She didn't expect that they were all thorny issues. The Crown Prince didn't have many trustworthy and capable people around him. This was too difficult!
Her son isn't a three-headed, six-armed man; how can she entrust everything to him?
The third son and his wife always wrote back home, only reporting good news and never bad. They really didn't think about those things. They just wanted to do some business to make money and improve their quality of life. But the third son and his wife were busy with national affairs every day and couldn't even take care of their only child.
It's utterly tragic!
After thinking for a moment, she said, "If that's the case, then having children really can't be rushed. Let's wait a bit longer."
He Jiuniang nodded repeatedly.
Madam Sun continued, “You’re all busy outside, and we can’t keep sending Gou’er to the palace. That wouldn’t be right. The eldest and second sons’ families are looking after him in Jingzhou, and Qin Jian is helping out, so there won’t be any problems. On the contrary, you’re really short-handed here. How about this, your father and I aren’t in a hurry to go back. We’ll stay here and help you manage things, and take care of Gou’er as well. The General’s Mansion can’t be empty forever; people will laugh at us.”
These words truly touched He Jiuniang's heart. She nodded vigorously and said, "That's wonderful! My dog no longer has to be a poor little thing with no one to take care of him!"
Madam Sun knew that she was trying to play the victim, but it was a fact that there was no one left in the General's Mansion and that she and her husband were too busy to handle everything, so she didn't argue with her.
Gou'er was her most beloved grandson. He had a harder life than other children since he was a child, so naturally she wanted to protect him.
After returning to her own courtyard, Sun immediately told Old Man Lu about her decision. Old Man Lu said, "You can make these decisions. I'll listen to you. I'll be wherever you are."
After saying that, he continued to flip through a Go manual. It was said that the masters of those high-ranking officials and nobles liked to play Go and drink tea. He also wanted to learn it so that he could show off when the time was right, and he couldn't embarrass his son and daughter-in-law.
Sun was very satisfied with his attitude, so the matter was settled. She would write back to Jingzhou in a few days to inform them.
The next day, the children in the family went out to do their own things, while He Jiuniang took Sun Shi and Madam Yao for a stroll on the streets of the capital.
When Master Yao was an official, Madam Yao lived in the capital for several years. Now that she has returned, she feels like she is revisiting an old haunt and has many feelings.
However, considering that he would be living here for a long time, he didn't feel any particular emotion. He walked with Mrs. Sun and shared what he knew with her. The two got along very well.
He Jiuniang was originally walking next to Sun Shi, but when she sensed someone sneaking around, she deliberately lagged behind and cornered the sneaky little beggar in the alley.
My darlings, I made a mistake about the little girl learning embroidery. The one learning embroidery is Ting. Shan is only the same age as Gou'er, she's still young. I will correct the previous content tomorrow, I'm really sorry.
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