A few days later—
A letter from Yunshui County arrived in Wujia Village.
Upon receiving the letter, Aoyama eagerly opened it and began to read it.
It was sent by my sister. The letter was very thick. Besides describing what had happened to my mother over the past few months, it was also a complaint about being poor.
"Silly girl, she doesn't know yet that she's practically a little rich girl, does she?"
Da Xue listened to her husband reading the letter, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Back then, the girl was still young. The profits from the farmland and shops under her name were either saved for her or put into the public fund. It's normal that she didn't know about it."
Aoyama explained, and then added:
"It's alright, she's our own sister, how could we not give her some pocket money? Later, honey, go to the room and count out some silver notes, and put some loose change in there too. I'll send it with the letter when I go to the escort agency tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll go inside and count them now."
Da Xue nodded. Her sister-in-law was like a younger sister to her; how could she not care about her?
A virtuous wife brings fewer troubles to her husband.
Qingshan read the letter several more times, confirming that his sister had said she and her mother would be returning early for the New Year. He then instructed Yitiao to bring pen and ink and began to reply.
Dear sister,
I have received your letter...
There are only a few months left until the end of the year.
He wanted to renovate his mother's house and the front yard ahead of schedule.
By the way, Mom likes to eat goose.
Tell Ertong to remind him to buy a few geese to keep in the front yard, as well as dried salted fish, cured meat, and sausages...
The girl also really likes candied hawthorn berries and soybean powder, and she ordered a batch of these pastries in advance.
The second son's nephew must be able to stand or crawl by now, so all the corners of the house should be covered with cotton wadding.
I wonder if anything good is going to happen to the third son's family. His house is a bit small, so it needs to be renovated and expanded.
The furniture needs to be repainted or replaced.
Qingyao had no idea that her letter home had kept her brother and sister-in-law extremely busy.
On the list that Da Xue Xiang Gong had made, a few more items were added, such as new cotton wadding and pillows.
My mother-in-law loves high pillows, the kind that are soft and high.
During the year-end season, the weather is bitterly cold, so protective gear such as shoes, scarves, hats, and gloves are essential.
Wenwan has been much more well-behaved lately and hasn't been chased around by her parents anymore.
I vaguely saw my parents still discussing things. I rubbed my eyes, then turned over and went back to sleep.
Even if the sky falls, Dad will hold it up; she just wants to sleep.
You can have anything in your dreams!
......
Seven or eight days later, letters from Jinling and Taohua Town were all sent to Yunshui County.
Qingyao was exhausted after a long day. When she returned home, Aunt Ge personally brought her three large bundles and said:
“Young lady, the eldest master, the second master, and the third master have all replied. These are the letters and packages they sent. Please keep them safe and read them at your leisure.”
"Oh? That's great! My brothers have all replied!"
Qingyao's fatigue vanished instantly. She quickly put away the bundle, thanked Aunt Ge, and went back to her room to unpack it.
The first thing I opened was the bundle given to me by my third brother and sister-in-law. Inside was a brand-new set of clothes and jewelry, as well as two one-hundred-tael silver notes and some pocket money.
The third brother and sister-in-law said they would definitely go back to their hometown at the end of the year to celebrate the New Year with their relatives.
Qingyao was overjoyed and continued dismantling.
Next came the package sent by my second brother and sister-in-law. It contained a brand-new set of clothes and jewelry, along with three or four hundred taels of silver notes, some whole and some in pieces.
The second brother and sister-in-law replied that they would bring their little nephew back to their hometown for the Chinese New Year!
Tell her to greet her mother and remind her to take care of her health.
Waaaaah~
My second brother, who used to be so irresponsible, has grown up a lot.
Next came the eldest brother and sister-in-law's bundle. When opened, it contained two or three hundred taels of silver notes and some loose silver.
In her letter, her elder brother and sister-in-law told her that if she ran out of money, she should ask her brothers for it and not be embarrassed.
She's the only sister in the family. If we don't spoil her, we won't be able to openly spoil her after she gets married.
The older brother also said that Wan'er and her siblings both miss their aunt very much.
Waaaaah~
Qingyao was deeply moved; she also missed her brothers and sisters-in-law, her nephews and nieces.
At this moment, she understood why Master Lu and Master Qian had made them recite the poem about homesickness.
Yes, when you grow up, you have to leave your hometown, and what you miss most is still your hometown.
The moon in my hometown is always rounder than the one outside.
"Miss, these gentlemen and ladies are so kind to you."
Xia Hua looked at the many gifts and banknotes with envy.
If her parents hadn't been so sexist, she wouldn't have been sold to a human race.
No, what is she thinking!
If she hadn't been sold to a slave trader, she wouldn't have been bought by the old man to be his maid!
Fortunately, she met a good master!
"That's right, my brothers and sisters-in-law all spoil me the most~"
Qingyao was very happy. She grabbed Xia Hua, who had been with her for many years, and after Xia Hua fell onto her bed, she tickled her all over.
"Cough cough~"
The master and servant stopped what they were doing and hurriedly tidied themselves up when they heard a soft cough from outside.
Xia Hua was feeling uneasy, and just then, Steward Ge discovered her. Now she was in trouble; she was going to have a vegetarian meal!
None of the disciplinary methods established by the master involved corporal punishment of the maids and servants.
After making a mistake, you can only eat vegetables.
She loves to eat meat; eating vegetables is practically torture for her!
"Aunt Ge~"
Qingyao stood up and bowed respectfully, showing great respect to the other party.
"Miss, the princess said to keep the money safe and not to spend it recklessly."
Aunt Ge covered her mouth, a smile in her eyes.
She was just there to deliver a message and to check if the young lady's room was missing anything.
As for the playful banter between Miss and Xia Hua, she simply pretended not to have seen it.
"Yes, yes, I definitely won't spend money recklessly~"
Qingyao understood, turned around and blinked, signaling Xia Hua not to be afraid.
Waaaaah~
How long did Xia Hua's sadness last? What an unexpected surprise!
"Summer flowers~"
Aunt Ge looked around the room and gestured for Xia Hua to come over and give an answer.
"This servant is here~"
"Have you put away all of Miss's summer clothes?"
"Reporting to the steward, it has been put away. There are mothballs in a box in the inner room."
"Hmm, have you prepared the autumn clothes for Miss? Are there enough to change into?"
"Reporting to the steward, everything is ready. There are four sets of clothes for changing. Also, when I was helping Miss unpack the package earlier, the Second Master and the Third Master each sent Miss a set of autumn clothes..."
With years of experience taking care of the young lady, Xia Hua was already quite adept at handling the young lady's daily life and answering Steward Ge's questions.
After hearing this and checking, Aunt Ge was finally relieved. She smiled and took her leave. After leaving, she looked back at Xia Hua, who was growing very fast, and thought to herself, "This girl, how come she doesn't gain weight even after eating meat all these years?"
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