The next morning, Hejingyuan began to get busy.
Amei methodically directed everyone in the courtyard to move their luggage and load it onto the vehicles. Although there were many people walking around in the courtyard, it did not appear chaotic.
Min Yueqing, as usual, helped her two children wash up and have breakfast, reminding them to eat more, because once they got into the carriage, there would be no hot food for them.
After all, it was only a half-day journey, so they didn't need to make a fuss by bringing pots and pans. At most, they would bring a small stove to ensure they had hot tea along the way.
Shi Tou and Pei Ji both nodded obediently and ate an extra bowl of rice porridge.
After finishing their preparations, they couldn't leave the manor directly. After all, they would be staying outside for a while. If they didn't inform the main courtyard, it wouldn't be good if Lord Pei accidentally remembered them and asked about them one day while looking up from his wine cup.
Min Yueqing led Pei Ji to the main courtyard.
The people in the main courtyard no longer dare to stop her. The maids who were "lightly pushed" by her before are still in shock. Moreover, they dare not report the truth to the madam even though they have suffered a loss. After all, there are no obvious external injuries. If they report the truth, they will definitely be scolded for their poor performance and shirking responsibility.
Anyway, the Madam is very polite to the First Madam now. Even if she is allowed in without being informed, the Madam is only angry and has no energy to blame them.
Min Yueqing arrived at the main house of the main courtyard without any obstacles.
Unfortunately, they were received by the Third Miss Pei Yun today. When Pei Yun saw Min Yueqing, she managed to force a smile.
Pei Yun has been exhausted these past two days. For some reason, Liu suddenly became irritable a couple of days ago, often throwing tantrums and breaking things. Even Pei Yun herself has been scolded several times for no apparent reason.
Even though Pei Yun was resentful, she was still her own mother, so she had no choice but to swallow her anger and suffer in silence.
But today Liu was acting strangely. When she ate breakfast, she acted like a child, making a mess everywhere and leaving her face filthy, which left Pei Yun speechless.
Although Liu was shrewd and strong-willed, she was, after all, from a respectable family and always paid great attention to her words and actions. Pei Yun had never seen such a mother before.
What puzzled Pei Yun even more was that when she finally couldn't help but speak up to remind her mother, "Mother, there's something on your face..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Liu suddenly became irritable again. But this time, Liu's anger was different from the previous two days. Instead of her domineering cursing, she shouted like a child. Pei Yun was stunned.
Before Pei Yun could even call for a doctor, a maid from the courtyard rushed over to report that the First Madam had arrived.
Pei Yun hurriedly instructed Xi'er to watch over Liu Shi, and then rushed out the door to greet her.
"Sister-in-law, Mother is feeling a little unwell today. I wonder if there's anything you need? I'll pass on your message to her later," Pei Yun said with a forced smile.
Min Yueqing sensed Pei Yun's unusual behavior, but she already had a guess in her heart, so she didn't press the matter. She just pretended not to notice Pei Yun's reluctance and said to herself, "I plan to take Lele to stay at the manor outside the city for a few days. Since it is inconvenient for Madam, please pass on the message."
Pei Yun had previously been focused on keeping Min Yueqing under her watchful eye and had tried every means with Liu Shi to prevent Min Yueqing from going out. However, upon hearing this, she suddenly felt relieved, thinking that it was good that they were gone, at least her mother's strange behavior would not be discovered for the time being.
Pei Yun replied, "Please rest assured, sister-in-law, I will definitely tell Mother that you have a safe journey."
They seemed eager for them to leave.
Min Yueqing chuckled inwardly, not interested in saying anything more. She led Pei Ji out of the main courtyard, and after returning to Hejing Courtyard, she immediately got into the carriage and left the Earl's Mansion without looking back.
One could imagine that the main courtyard would be quite lively afterward, but she had no interest whatsoever; her attention was never drawn to irrelevant people. Life is neither long nor short, and even if one focuses entirely on moving forward, the distance one can travel is inevitably limited. Where is there so much leisure to look around?
Min Yueqing and her group set off early in the morning and arrived at their own estate in the evening.
Even in the dim light of dusk, it is clear that the village is in an excellent location, backed by lush mountains and bordered by a flowing river. The land is very fertile, with a considerable amount of good farmland.
Along the way, Min Yueqing saw a thriving scene in the fields.
Pei Ji found everything fascinating and kept asking his friends questions, such as, "What are those tall, green things over there?" and "What were those little animals that just ran past us?"
Every day, Shi Tou was forced by Pei Ji to learn to read. He often had to rack his brains to recall how Pei Ji had taught him the day before. If he couldn't remember, he would feel so embarrassed that he wished he could crawl into a hole in the ground and hide inside.
Now, Shi Tou finally felt a sense of triumph, for he finally knew something that Pei Ji did not.
Shi Tou happily acted as Pei Ji's tour guide, not minding at all that Pei Ji's questions were childish, and even hoping that Pei Ji would ask more questions.
The reason is simple: such opportunities are too rare. With Pei Ji's abnormally good memory, he would never ask a question a second time after asking it once.
When the carriage arrived at its destination, Stone still felt that he hadn't had enough!
Recently, when Min Yueqing mentioned that she might be staying at this estate for a while, Manager Liu immediately sent someone to inform the estate manager, telling them to make good preparations. He warned that if they neglected the master, even if the master didn't hold it against them, they would still suffer the consequences.
The head of the village here is surnamed Li, and people call him Old Li. He lives in the village with his wife, children and grandchildren, and manages the farmland for Min Yueqing. Old Li is kind and honest, and has a good reputation here. Many of the villagers are tenants of the Min family and have a very good relationship with him.
After receiving news from Steward Liu, Old Li immediately led his entire family to clean the long-vacant main courtyard thoroughly, removing all the clutter in sight and even wiping the window frames several times.
All the furniture in the main courtyard had been arranged in advance, and all they had to do was wipe and wash it, which Old Li could manage.
From that day on, Old Li would bring his grandson to the main courtyard every day to inspect it, sweep away the dust, and check for any oversights. This made the grandson curious about the family he had never seen before.
The grandson's name is Li Ze, and he is twelve years old this year. This name was given by the village scholar at Old Li's request. Otherwise, he would have had to be named like his brothers, such as Gou'er, Dazhu, Erzhu, or something similar.
The villagers all believed that humble names were easier to raise, so they named their children using local materials, the more rustic the better, so that the children would grow up well.
The grandson was born at a good time. The year he was born, Old Li was promoted to head of the village by Master Min, and the family's life improved visibly. So Old Li specially asked a scholar to name his grandson.
However, since the formal name was already chosen, Old Li gave the child a more common nickname, hoping that the child would grow up safely. The nickname was Mao Mao.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
