When Xiao Yao celebrated her birthday, the Spring Examination had already ended. Just when she thought she could go home soon, Old Man Tong mercilessly poured a basin of cold water on her.
"Do you think everything will be fine after the Spring Examination? You are totally wrong. You still have to take part in the Palace Examination in April, and then wait for appointment. Grandfather estimates that it will be lucky if your brother can spare time to pick you up in the winter." Old Master Tong said half coaxingly and half jokingly.
"No way." After a brief panic, Xiao Yao calmed down. She believed that even if her second brother didn't have time to pick them up, her father would not let her really live in Suzhou for a year.
"Ping'an has thought it through and wants to stay, right?" Grandpa Tong, who thought he had persuaded his granddaughter with a combination of coaxing and deception, thought complacently that old people are always wise, and how could a child possibly beat an old hand like him!
"If my second brother doesn't have time, dad will come. Even if dad doesn't have time, third uncle will not ignore Ruyi and me." Grandfather, I'm afraid your little plan won't work this time. Xiao Yao has a premonition that someone will come to pick her and her sister up within a month.
"Maybe the people in Kyoto have forgotten you and abandoned you in Suzhou!" Old Master Tong continued to coax his granddaughter.
"Daddy will never abandon me. Where else can I find a child as sensible and well-behaved as me? What do you think?"
"Yes! Who would have a little girl like you who is so naughty and full of tricks? A little girl like you will scare away many good boys in the future."
"Who cares about them? It would be better if they were all scared away! Then I can be with my grandparents, father and mother forever." Instead of marrying someone she doesn't know or understand in the future, it's better to stay with her family. Although the possibility of this is almost zero, this is what Xiao Yao really thinks at this moment.
"You two should stop it now. The old one is disrespectful and the young one is talkative. If outsiders hear this, I wonder how you are going to explain it." Mrs. Tong was almost worried to death by the old man and the child.
"I haven't finished reading a chess record yet, so I'll leave first." Seeing that the situation was not good, Mr. Tong decisively slipped away.
Xiao Yao had no way to retreat and had to admit her mistake, although she didn't think she had done anything wrong.
"Grandma, don't be angry. I will be a good boy from now on." Xiao Yao promised immediately.
"You!" Just as my daughter said, Ping An is a child who cannot be beaten, nor can she be scolded. As a family member, after being tempered by her, the only thing left is to love her, pamper her, and let her "do whatever she wants."
"Don't listen to your grandfather." The child must not be influenced by her husband's twisted ideas, otherwise she will become a sinner.
"Is there any other place you want to go? Your cousin is busy lately, so ask him to take you and Ruyi out for a walk."
"Is it okay to go outside Suzhou city?" Xiao Yao had almost visited all the places in Suzhou city, and she longed to go somewhere further.
"I'll ask your second cousin tonight when he's off, and have them accompany you to Hanshan Temple."
"Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City?" Xiao Yao asked casually.
"Where did you hear that?" She said it quite smoothly, and Mrs. Tong tapped her granddaughter's nose lovingly.
Xiao Yao secretly stuck out her tongue. This was not what she said, but she was able to successfully change the subject and make her grandmother forget what happened just now, so she achieved her goal.
After returning from Hanshan Temple, Xiao Yao received a very thick reply letter from Kyoto. Half or even more of the letter was used by Xiao Jingkang and Xiao Jun to express their longing for their daughter (sister). They fully supported Xiao Yao's idea of returning to Kyoto, and said that even if Xiao Yi did not come in April, the Xiao family would send someone to pick them up.
"I want to see who's coming." In terms of unreasonableness, General Xiao and Old Man Tong must be on par with each other.
"No matter who comes, you are not allowed to use your status as an elder to pressure others. Ping'an and Ruyi have lived in Suzhou for several months. How can such young children not miss home? You can't just think about yourself and not consider their parents." Mrs. Tong was afraid that her husband would become stubborn and reckless, so she persuaded him patiently.
"If I had a granddaughter, would I envy Old Xiao? It's all Jinsheng and Jinxiu's fault. They gave birth to three bad boys but couldn't give birth to a little girl." Tong Jinsheng and Tong Jinxiu, who were innocently caught in the crossfire, quickly apologized to their grandfather and promised to find a way to fulfill his wish. Hearing his grandson's promise, Grandpa Tong's expression eased slightly. In other words, he would no longer prevent his granddaughter from returning to Beijing. This made Mrs. Tong and Xiao Yao feel relieved at the same time. The victory was hard-won!
"Cousin-in-law will take you to choose some fabrics and jewelry tomorrow. Every time you come to Suzhou, you must dress up your sisters beautifully so that you can feel comfortable sending them back to your aunt." Qian took the opportunity to change the subject. She also wanted to give birth to a girl like Ping'an, but that didn't mean she would have one right away. It was impossible that her grandfather would mention it today and she would give birth to the baby tomorrow.
"Ruyi and I were just planning to bring back some fabrics and Suzhou embroidery to give to others. Since we came to Suzhou, we haven't visited any silk shops or embroidery workshops, and we haven't spent a penny." The biggest problem was solved, and Xiao Yao was in the mood to make a joke.
"You kids, how can I let you two spend your own money here? Just buy whatever you like tomorrow. It's all my money." Mrs. Tong said generously.
"If my granddaughter only had one hundred taels of silver, I would definitely listen to you." After saying this, Xiao Yao took out a few silver bills from her purse. Mrs. Tong took them in her hand and counted them, and was stunned in an instant.
"Have you never seen silver before?" It's just a few banknotes, why are you so surprised? Mr. Tong felt that his wife's behavior was very embarrassing.
"Ping'an, who gave you these banknotes?" Mrs. Tong hoped that her granddaughter could give a reasonable explanation.
"Some of them were given by my grandmother, some were given by my father before he came, which was used to buy things, and some were given by my grandfather when he was at home. That's about it." After explaining... bah... After the explanation, Xiao Yao looked at Mrs. Tong, what do you mean by asking this? Are you afraid that they come from unknown sources?
"Do you know how much this is?" Mrs. Tong asked, shaking the banknote in her hand.
"Probably five thousand taels." Xiao Yao answered calmly.
Who would give a seven-year-old, no, my granddaughter was only six when we came to Suzhou, so much silver? Aren't they worried about accidents? I'll write to my daughter and advise her. It's okay to spoil a child, but overindulgence isn't necessarily a good thing. Maybe even my daughter doesn't know that the child is carrying thousands of taels of silver, because General Xiao and his son-in-law would never give her a safe silver note in front of her. If she knew, she would definitely stop it.
"Your Xiao family is really rich." Old Master Tong opened his mouth wide when he heard this number.
Xiao Yao was afraid that the two old people could not bear the shock, otherwise she would like to tell them that she had already spent part of it, otherwise there would be more than now.
The next day, Xiao Yao finally got to spend the banknotes she had in her hand. In the words of Old Master Tong, "The Xiao family is willing to let Ping An go bankrupt, so why should we stop them? When they can no longer support Ping An, she will take the initiative to get it back."
Xiao Yuan is not very interested in clothes. Most of her attention is spent on finding out where to find delicious food and fun things to do.
After strolling for most of the morning, Xiao Yao bought a lot of brocade with novel patterns, various Suzhou embroidery products, and small items unique to the south. After walking for so long, the group was tired and hungry, so Xiao Yuan suggested finding a restaurant to sit down, mainly to rest their feet and solve the problem of food and clothing.
When they came downstairs after having their fill of food and drink, a man with a rough and bold voice was telling the people beside him: "That old general from Kyoto was truly brave. He managed to capture the enemy leader alive despite being outnumbered. But the battle was so brutal that many people were said to have died..."
"Excuse me, uncle, is the old general from Kyoto you are talking about surnamed Xiao?" Xiao Yao ran towards the man who was speaking. She wanted to know if the "general from Kyoto" was her grandfather.
The man who was boasting happily was about to get angry when he heard someone interrupt him, but he turned around and saw that the person making trouble was actually a fairy-like girl. The dirty words that were on the tip of his tongue could not be uttered. The burly man suddenly became mute and could only scratch his head.
"Don't be nervous. I just want to know the old general's last name. If you have any other news, that would be even better. I can treat you to a drink as long as you can tell me about the old general's recent situation." Xiao Yao looked up at the other person. She hadn't heard from her grandfather for a long time, and there was no mention of him in the letter from Kyoto. It was because of this that she missed her grandfather and two uncles more and more.
"Little...little girl, it's not that I don't want to tell you, I just heard it from others. As for the general's name, I don't even know it. I'm sorry." The big man told Xiao Yao the truth with great apology.
"Are you talking about what happened in the northwestern border town?" Xiao Yao asked in a different way.
"Yes." Although it was just hearsay, he remembered it very clearly.
"That should be the case. You just said that the battle was brutal. Do you know if any generals were injured? What are their surnames and names?" Xiao Yao now wants to hear news about her grandfather and second uncle, but is also afraid to hear that they are injured. She is very conflicted.
"Don't worry, the old general is a veteran of the battlefield and will be fine." Whether it was a coincidence or an encounter, the little prodigy of the Tang family suddenly appeared in the restaurant.
"Really?" Xiao Yao turned to ask Tang Hao. She was not interested in the person who was speaking. These comforting words were the only thing she wanted to hear at this moment.
"It's true." Tang Hao felt very distressed when he saw Xiao Yao's helpless and confused eyes. This little girl should live a carefree life and should not suffer any grievances. Her frightened and hurt expression was so distressing.
"Thank you." Xiao Yao also knew that the other party was comforting her, but she still expressed her gratitude politely.
"No...you're welcome." Tang Hao said with difficulty. Miss Xiao actually spoke to him for several words, and Tang Hao felt a little flattered.
"Cousin, we should go back." Qian pulled Xiao Yao up and deliberately walked around Tang Hao, turning to walk out. This young master of the Tang family must have deliberately appeared in the restaurant, just to find a chance to get close to her cousin. Damn brat, and he's a child prodigy! What a scoundrel.
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