The Tong family soon received word that they would be leaving in ten days. In fact, they had already packed everything they needed. It was only because Old Man Tong was obsessed with taking his grandson and kidnapping his granddaughter that they hadn't left yet.
On the morning of the day of departure, Jiabao suddenly had diarrhea, so the family quickly called a doctor. After drinking a bowl of bitter medicine, Jiabao became drowsy. Grandpa Tong wanted to carry his grandson on the journey, but was stopped by his wife.
"Since Jiabao is not feeling well, he should stay in Kyoto." Mrs. Tong glanced at Zhang coldly. She really didn't expect that her daughter-in-law would come up with such a method to prevent Jiabao and Ping'an from traveling together.
When my daughter rejected this marriage proposal, I thought she was making a big fuss. How could a Zhang family cause such a big stir? Now it seems that this is a ruthless character. I really don’t know what is wrong with Ping An that makes her torture Jiabao to such an extent. It’s not like my granddaughter can’t get married. This time, let her take care of her own son!
Tong Guangyu's eldest son Tong Jinsheng and his wife Qian came from Suzhou to Kyoto to meet and take care of their grandparents, Xiao Jingkang and Tong Mingyu, Wen Boran and Tong Minglan, Tong Guanghui and his children... and sent the old man and his party to the city gate. Then the women turned back, and the men continued to escort the convoy forward.
"It seems that there are members of the Xiao family among those people just now." Mu Fengwu, who was riding on a horse, tilted his head to ask the followers around him for confirmation.
"There is the eldest master of the Xiao family, the third master of the Wen family, and the second master of the Tong family." The follower told the story.
"It must be that Minister Tong has returned home." The attendant guessed.
"That should be the case." Mu Fengwu was not familiar with the Tong family. After taking a few glances, he turned his horse's head and galloped towards the city.
After three days of carriage travel, the Tong family arrived at a dock where numerous boats, large and small, were docked. Scattered about were sheds and simple houses. Groups of men in coarse linen shuffled among the merchants. The slightly fishy sea breeze, the diverse dialects, men carrying fresh fish, women carrying baskets... the scenery was vastly different from Kyoto.
"I'm going to look for our boat. Grandpa and grandma, you can go to the teahouse in front and take a rest."
"Go ahead." Old Master Tong wanted to take a walk. He felt exhausted after sitting in the car for a few days.
There were several people who looked like merchants sitting in the teahouse. The Tong family found a corner and sat together. The old woman took the maid to the back to borrow the stove in the kitchen and used the tea sets they brought with them to make tea for the masters.
Although Xiao Yao was dressed very simply and plainly, she still attracted everyone's attention. Some people looked at her with admiration and curiosity, and some people whispered to each other. How about asking the maids to buy her a veil? Xiao Yao didn't like that thing. It was too inconvenient for walking and seeing the scenery. But looking at the current situation, she really had to bring one with her when she went out in the future, just in case.
"You'll have to get used to this kind of life slowly in the future." Xiao Yi rubbed his sister's hair. He was deeply touched by such looks. As the leader of the new generation of the Xiao family, although Xiao Yi was not as handsome as Xiao Jingyan, he was more masculine than his fourth uncle. Coupled with his handsome looks, the second young master Xiao was now also a well-known figure in Kyoto, and there were many ladies who showed their affection to him.
Xiao Yao had rarely gone out in the past few years, and because she was still young, her family hadn't noticed anything amiss. But now? Ever since meeting the ill-intentioned youngest son of the Prince of Qi, Xiao Yi's nerves had been on edge. He felt the burden on his shoulders grow heavier, as he realized that his sister was receiving even more attention than his fourth uncle and himself.
After drinking tea and taking a short rest, Tong Jinsheng also came back. Everyone sat in several sedan chairs and soon arrived at the big boat rented by the Tong family.
Tong Jinsheng and his wife first helped Mr. Tong and Mrs. Tong onto the boat, and then came back to carry Xiao Yuan onto the boat.
"Cousin, let me hold Ruyi, and you hold Ping'an." The heavyweight baby should be held by someone like him who has martial arts skills. His younger sister is lighter, so it should be no problem to leave her to his weak cousin.
"Sister, second brother is mine now." Xiao Yuan twisted her chubby little body in Xiao Yi's arms. She was so beautiful. Her charm was too great. Second brother gave up his own sister just to hug her cousin. She felt a little embarrassed. What should she do?
Xiao Yi and Xiao Yao looked at each other, then turned their heads away and smiled bitterly. You can't afford to have a silly sister at home!
"What are you secretly laughing about? Tell me quickly." Don't think that Miss Xiao will be overwhelmed by happiness and will let her guard down. She actually dared to laugh secretly. Do you still take the newly-minted heartthrob seriously? Tell the truth quickly.
"My second brother and I were laughing about a plump bighead carp that tried to jump out of the water. Unfortunately, it was a little fat, so it fell back into the water as soon as it popped up." Xiao Yao blinked her big eyes and made up a story.
"Really? How come I didn't see it? Next time something like this happens, be sure to tell me." Xiao Yuan looked left and right, and sighed with regret. There was a fish! How come I didn't see it!
Xiao Yi really wanted to ask his cousin to be more obedient. The fish was so heavy. Fortunately, he had the foresight to choose her to hold it. If it was his cousin, they might have fallen into the sea and watched the "fathead fish" up close!
After boarding the boat and reaching a wide area, Xiao Yi quickly put Xiao Yuan down. He ordered the maids to accompany the two girls to enjoy the sea view while shaking his numb arms. He had thought this trip to Suzhou would be a wonderful trip, where he could enjoy the mountains and rivers, taste delicious food, and see the beautiful scenery. But who would have thought that there would be a beauty of considerable weight waiting to be served by him. No, I have to discuss this with my family when I get home. If this girl doesn't control her weight, I will refuse to go out with her in the future.
"Ah! Second brother, come quickly." Xiao Yao shouted loudly on the deck. Xiao Yi had no time to daydream anymore. He rushed over in one step, and couldn't help but think in his heart: I hope nothing happens to this little ancestor, otherwise I will be skinned and torn apart by my grandfather and father when I go home.
"Ping An, what's wrong with you?" Xiao Yi asked nervously. He couldn't help but be nervous! If the darling of the Xiao family got hurt in his hands, the consequences would be unbearable for ordinary people.
"Brother, I lost a tooth." After Xiao Yao was surprised, she felt a little embarrassed. It was just a tooth, why make such a fuss? After being a child for a long time, she almost forgot that she was an adult and what she had experienced.
"Ping'an, do you want to scare my second brother to death?" Xiao Yi leaned on the railing and stroked his chest.
"Second brother, I'm sorry. I just lost a tooth suddenly and got a little scared. I really didn't mean to scare you." Xiao Yao said apologetically as he looked at the crowd that gathered around him.
"It's time for Ping'an to change her teeth." Mrs. Tong calculated her granddaughter's age and felt relieved. In comparison, Xiao Yao was the one who changed her teeth relatively late, while Xiao Jun had already changed one tooth.
"When will new teeth grow out?" Xiao Yao asked, covering her mouth. Losing teeth really affected her image as a little beauty. She was embarrassed to let everyone see her missing teeth, so she had to take remedial measures. Although it seemed a bit like trying to cover up the problem, she had to make do with it until there was no better way.
"Don't worry, new teeth will grow in ten days or a month." When Mrs. Tong saw her granddaughter covering her mouth tightly with her little hands, leaving only a pair of bright big eyes exposed, she felt that there was no girl more lovely than her.
"Oh, I finally know why second brother hugged me and not my sister just now. It turns out that second brother had noticed that my sister's teeth were about to fall out, and he disliked her, so he hugged me, right?" Xiao Yuan looked at Xiao Yi with an expression of "I finally found the reason", waiting for him to nod in agreement.
"That's the reason." Xiao Yi walked up and rubbed his depressed sister's head, then reached out and scratched the nose of his cousin who thought she was very smart and clever. These two little things were so interesting. If he was with them every day, there would be no need to worry about being in a bad mood!
"Go into the cabin to rest and change your clothes." Nanny Ruan knew that her young disciple would not let her see her gap-toothed face in public, so she thought of bringing her into the cabin, taking a closer look, and then explaining to her what she should pay attention to at this time. The shape of a woman's teeth plays a crucial role in determining whether her face is gentle and whether her smile can be charming.
"Second brother, I have a favor to ask of you." Xiao Yao took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, solemnly wrapped the baby tooth that had just fallen out, and then handed the handkerchief to Xiao Yi.
"Go home and help me bury it next to the gate of Yuanyuan Building."
"Why?"
"Hey! Isn't it like this when a tooth falls out? If it's an upper tooth, you have to bury it by the door. If it's a lower tooth, you have to throw it on the roof. Could it be..." When Xiao Yao said this, she felt secretly annoyed. Why did she bring up the customs of her previous life? She was so careless.
"Grandmother has never heard of such a custom. How did you know about it, Ping'an?" Mrs. Tong traveled from south to north and from north to south and had never heard of such a saying. She couldn't help but ask curiously.
"From books!" Xiao Yao tried to get away with it again, and at the same time lamented that books were omnipotent and ubiquitous, and that this excuse was the easiest to accept.
"What books are you reading?" Xiao Yi couldn't remember which book had such content. His sister always had strange ideas. Whenever he asked her, eight out of ten times she would answer that they were read in books. After returning home, he would go to her study while she was not around to find out which book had recorded these things. If there was content that was not suitable for a little girl to read, he could delete it quickly.
If Xiao Yao knew what her second brother was thinking, she would definitely be in tears and laughter, because those things were not in the books at all but in her mind. She wondered where her second brother would find them?
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