When Ma Liuan saw that Min Yueqing's expression softened, he knew that there was hope for the matter, so he quickly continued to steer the conversation toward the children, "Look, what a coincidence! Xiao Jun is six years old this year, and he looks about the same age as your son. Why don't we let the two children become friends? No matter where your family is, our two families can visit each other more often in the future, and the children will have a playmate."
This is blatant lying.
According to the rules of the Great Gan Dynasty, as the two children grew older, they would even avoid meeting alone, let alone playing together.
Min Yueqing replied helplessly, "We are not from Weicheng. We are just passing through your area and will be leaving soon."
Upon hearing this, Ma Liuan became even more anxious. His benefactor was about to leave Weicheng and might not return. If he didn't seize this opportunity to befriend him, who knew if there would be a next time?
"Since our benefactor is just passing through, he must be staying at an inn. Inns are not very convenient. Why not stay at my humble abode for a couple of days? Although my abode is simple, it is still more comfortable than an inn."
Stone was astonished that they were invited to stay at his home, thinking to himself, "You really dare to say that!"
Min Yueqing naturally declined the invitation firmly, saying, "That's not necessary. With so many of us, staying at an inn is more convenient."
Ma Liuan said dejectedly, "Since my benefactor finds it inconvenient to stay at my residence, I will not force you. However, please do me the honor of coming to my residence for a simple meal."
With so many people blocking her way and a little baby staring intently at her in his arms, Ma Liuan meant no harm and simply wanted to express his gratitude. Min Yueqing didn't want to offend him too much, so she had no choice but to agree.
Ma Liuan was overjoyed and immediately invited Min Yueqing and the other two into his carriage.
He said his home was close, and it really was close. Shi Tou felt like he had just gotten into the carriage and hadn't even warmed his seat when it stopped. But Ma Liuan didn't ask anyone to get off; the carriage paused briefly and then continued on its way.
Stone was a little curious, so he lifted the carriage curtain to take a look. It turned out that they were about to enter the main gate, and they must have been waiting for someone to open it. After the carriage entered the gate, it passed through two more gates before slowly coming to a stop.
Upon seeing this, Min Yueqing immediately understood that Ma Liuan's use of "my humble abode" was an extremely modest remark. The Ma family must be a very wealthy family, otherwise, how could they have built such a large mansion?
Moreover, judging from Ma Liuan's attire and demeanor, Min Yueqing guessed that this family was likely in business rather than politics.
After the carriage came to a stop, Ma Liuan handed his daughter to a maid and then personally opened the carriage door, inviting Min Yueqing and the others to get out.
Several maids and servants had already gathered around the carriage, some carrying footstools, others standing by to receive orders.
As soon as Min Yueqing stepped out of the carriage, a maid reached out to help her. Seeing this, Min Yueqing had no choice but to take her hand and step off the carriage using a footstool.
The maidservant next to her saw a little boy who was about the same age as her young mistress and was very handsome step out of the carriage, so she reached out to pick him up, but the little boy dodged her.
The little boy was naturally Pei Ji; he never wanted to be held by strangers.
Only when he saw Min Yueqing reach out to him did Pei Ji walk back to the carriage and throw himself into his mother's arms.
Shi Tou intended to jump off the carriage as usual, but unexpectedly, as soon as he reached the carriage, the maid grabbed his hand. He wasn't familiar with her and was too embarrassed to pull away, so he obediently stepped off the carriage onto a footstool. The maid only let go of his hand when she saw that he was standing firmly.
For once, Shi Tou was unusually polite, only to realize that visiting someone's home wasn't always an easy thing. The hospitality was so meticulous that even if you felt you didn't need it, you couldn't very well refuse.
Ma Liuan had already instructed his maid to inform his wife that a distinguished guest had arrived at their home, and that this guest was none other than Xiao Jun's savior.
When he led Min Yueqing and the others to the covered walkway, his wife was indeed already waiting at the door. As soon as she saw them, she came to greet them. She had heard from the maid that Min Yueqing had saved someone.
When they arrived in front of Min Yueqing, Madam Ma called her her benefactor and thanked her profusely. Min Yueqing, of course, perked up and gave her a round of polite greetings, telling them not to take it too seriously.
After exchanging pleasantries at the entrance, the group entered the main hall.
As soon as Min Yueqing sat down, a maid brought tea and snacks and placed them in front of them.
Ma Liuan warmly greeted them, saying, "Our household may not have much else, but we have plenty of good tea. This is the top-grade Taiping Houkui tea that we just harvested this year. Please try it."
Min Yueqing doesn't know much about tea; she can only tell whether it tastes good or not. However, as soon as this tea was served, she could smell its refreshing orchid fragrance and taste its mellow and sweet aftertaste. Even she, who doesn't know much about tea, could tell that it was definitely not an ordinary tea.
"I don't know much about tea, but it tastes very good."
When Ma Liuan saw that she liked it, he immediately showed a happy expression. Hearing her modesty, he said, "Don't think that just because my family has been in the tea business for generations, I can be considered an expert on tea. It's enough that I like to drink it."
Madam Ma chimed in, "That's right. I've been married into this family for so many years, and I still only know a little about tea. There are so many kinds of tea, and sometimes I even get the names wrong."
Min Yueqing knew that the two of them were saying this to comfort her so as not to embarrass her, so she just smiled casually and didn't reply.
Ma Liuan continued, “You don’t know, it’s because my father loves tea that our names are all named after teas. I’m called Liuan because of Liuan Melon Seed Tea, and my daughter is called Junyin because of Junshan Silver Needle Tea. Both of these teas are my father’s favorites.”
Upon hearing this, Pei Ji compared it with the two people's names and found that it was indeed true. He couldn't help but smile, thinking how interesting this family was.
Min Yueqing couldn't help but chuckle. If Ma Liuan hadn't mentioned it, she really wouldn't have expected this. "It seems your father truly loves tea."
"The old man can talk about tea all day long. He even has several tea trees planted in his yard! He doesn't expect to pick the tea; just looking at the tea makes him happy."
After chatting and laughing for a while, a maid came to invite them to dinner.
Ma Liuan and his wife walked to the side and led Min Yueqing and the others to the dining table, which was already full of delicacies, with many plates still steaming.
Upon reaching the table, Ma Liuan and his wife invited Min Yueqing to take the seat of honor, but Min Yueqing waved her hand and politely declined, instead sitting down on a chair to the side, with her two children sitting beside her.
Seeing that she acted with grace and politeness, and had her own set of rules, Ma Liuan realized that she was not easily persuaded, so he had no choice but to give up.
The maids served the food, so Min Yueqing didn't need to worry about the two children.
Madam Ma grew increasingly fond of Pei Ji. This child was so small, perhaps even younger than her own Xiao Jun, yet his dining manners were impeccable, and every move he made exuded elegance and nobility.
After the meal, Ma Liuan suggested that they take a stroll in the small garden to digest their food.
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