Chapter 1054, Longevity Festival
In mid-December, after being away for nearly three months, Xiao Yeyang finally returned to the palace with the rice in the heavy snow.
"Why were you out for so long? Chinese New Year is almost here!"
Daohua personally cleaned the snow off the father and son's coats. Although there was some complaint in her words, the longing in her eyes could not be concealed.
Seeing his father listening to the lecture obediently, Daozi covered his mouth and laughed, took off his coat, and went into the house to see his younger brothers and sisters.
When Daohua saw Daozi running away, she didn't care and wrung out a hot towel to wipe Xiao Yeyang's face.
Xiao Yeyang washed up, then drank a large bowl of milk tea. After he warmed up, he spoke, "After the refugee resettlement was handed over to the prefects of each prefecture, I didn't have to worry too much. The reason I came back a little late was because I took a group of female relatives to various military towns."
Daohua looked surprised: "Female relatives?"
Xiao Yeyang nodded. "Many soldiers guarding the border haven't married yet. This problem must be solved. Every time there's a disaster, many families sell their daughters. I submitted a memorial to my uncle, explaining this problem."
"Don't mention it, this time we actually attracted quite a few girls who are ready to get married. Although there are still too many men and too little meat, at least it gives the single soldiers some hope and something to look forward to."
Daohua: "But such opportunities are too rare after all. If you really want to solve the problem of soldiers having difficulty getting married, you have to think of other ways."
Xiao Yeyang hummed, "Yes, in the end it all depends on the development of Xiliang. As long as Xiliang develops and the population increases, the soldiers will naturally be able to find wives. Bringing people from other provinces is ultimately a small trick."
Without continuing the topic, Daohua asked about Daozi's performance.
Xiao Yeyang couldn't help laughing: "That brat is indeed our son. He is even smarter than I thought."
"This time, I took him to all twelve military towns and gave him a mission: to find the confidential offices in each town."
"Guess how he found it? He went straight to those veteran soldiers to extract information. Before this, I didn't even know that brat was so good at talking. Believe it or not, he actually managed to complete the mission in the end."
Rice Flower couldn't help laughing and said, "That's because Rice is very articulate."
Xiao Yeyang also smiled: "Yes, yes, in this respect, you are like me." He paused and said, "With so many refugees relocated this time, the wasteland has been reclaimed. Xiliang will get better and better in the future."
While resting at night, Xiao Yeyang thought of something and said to Daohua, "Next April will be the emperor's uncle's sixtieth birthday. We have to go back to Beijing to celebrate."
Hearing this, Daohua suddenly turned over and stood up: "Really?!"
Seeing Daohua's surprised expression, Xiao Yeyang smiled and pulled her down to lie down again: "Of course it's true. How many years have we been in Xiliang?"
Rice Flower: "Ten years."
Xiao Yeyang sighed: "It's been so long, it's time to go back and take a look."
Daohua was so excited that she could hardly sleep when she thought about returning to Beijing after the New Year. Although they had exchanged gifts every year during the holidays, she had never seen them in person, so she was still thinking about her grandmother and mother.
Seeing her tossing and turning and not sleeping, Xiao Yeyang had no choice but to reach out and hug her: "After the New Year, I will assign the errands as soon as possible, and we will set off to return to Beijing in February."
In the blink of an eye, it is New Year’s Eve.
Knowing that she could return to Beijing after the Chinese New Year, Daohua was in a particularly good mood, so much so that during this year's Chinese New Year, the Weiyuan Palace was filled with joy everywhere.
The twins could speak, run and jump very fluently. They chased the rice and played everywhere, and the whole house was filled with their cheerful laughter.
After the Lantern Festival, Daozi found his mother packing up her things. He asked in confusion, "Mom, why are you packing up? Didn't Dad say he was going away?"
Daohua's face was filled with obvious joy: "This time, it's not just your father who's going on a long journey, but our whole family is going on a long journey."
Daozi's eyes lit up. "Are we going on an outing?" She looked at the things the maids and servants had packed, puzzled. "But aren't you packing too much?"
Daohua smiled and said, "Not much. We'll be away for several months this time."
Daozi's face lit up with joy, and he ran over to hug Daohua: "Mom, where are we going?"
Rice Flower smiled at Rice and said, "Your Emperor Grandpa's birthday is coming soon. We should go back to Beijing to celebrate his birthday."
"Back to Beijing?"
Daozi was stunned for a moment, then immediately became excited: "Mom, are we going back to Beijing?" He had never been to Beijing in his life.
"Then can I see Grandma and Grandpa Chu?"
Daohua: "Yes, not only can you see grandma and grandpa Chu, but you can also see your grandfather, your maternal grandfather, your grandmother, and your great-grandmother. You have many relatives in the capital, and you will be able to see them all when you go back this time."
Daozi was really happy: "And there's Fourth Brother!" Then he ran out of the house, "Mom, I'll go tell the old ancestor and help him pack his luggage."
Daohua smiled as she looked at her son who had disappeared in a moment, shook her head, and continued to pack things with the maids. When they were almost done, she headed for Nanshan Hall.
As soon as he entered Nanshan Hall, Daohua saw Daozi pouting his mouth high.
"What's wrong? Weren't you so happy just now?"
Daozi looked at Daohua and said, "Mom, our ancestor said he won't return to Beijing."
Daohua paused, asked Daozi to look after the twins, and walked into the house.
Gu Jian sat in front of the fireplace in the house, concentrating on polishing the children's wooden horse he made for the twins.
"Master."
Gu Jian looked up at Daohua and said bluntly, "I won't go back to Beijing with you. I don't want to set foot in that place again."
It was difficult for Daohua to persuade them now. For her master and the deceased Granny Gu, the capital was their nightmare and sad place.
Seeing his disciple looking at him with worry, Gu Jian laughed and said, "You have become more and more fond of worrying over things these years. There are so many people in the mansion, and Dongli and Caiju are here. If I stay in the mansion, I can avoid the hardship of traveling."
"You and Yeyang, just take good care of these three kids. The capital is a big melting pot. Don't let them pick up any bad habits."
"I haven't been to the Prince of Fuguo's Mansion either. When you return this time, take the rice seedlings with you to take a good look at it, and arrange for some reliable people to go in and guard it. When the rice seedlings grow up, you can go back and live there."
"As for the Emperor, I will write him a letter. My old bones can't stand the torture any more. I think he will understand."
Hearing this, Daohua's eyes flashed, and she was shocked to realize that the emperor was already sixty years old, and her master was almost eighty.
After his last serious illness, Master looked even older than before.
After thinking for a while, Daohua said, "Master, I won't go back to the capital with Xiao Yeyang this time. I'll let him take Daozi to celebrate the birthday of the emperor's uncle. When they come back, I'll take the twins back to the capital to see my grandmother and the others. This way, we can both stay in the capital."
"Yes, that's it."
"You're the one!"
Gu Jian looked at Daohua speechlessly. He appreciated his apprentice's concern, but his apprentice had been by his side all these years. Now that he finally had the chance to go back to Beijing to see his parents, how could he leave him behind?
"The family returned in two groups. If someone didn't know, they would think you were two families. You're a mother of three children, yet you still speak without thinking."
"It'll only be a few months before you go back. What else can I do without you?"
Seeing that Daohua was about to say something, she interrupted him directly: "Alright, stop talking. You are not as pleasing to me as Daozi and his three siblings."
(End of this chapter)
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