In the early autumn of the seventeenth year of Tianyu, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the capital was more prosperous than ever before.
In the courtyard in front of Xiao Jingkang's study, the ginkgo trees are handsome and tall, the purple nanmu has an elegant fragrance... Under the steps, pots of colorful and famous products are blooming enchantingly.
A little girl, about five or six years old, wearing a light yellow gauze skirt, was evaluating and selecting the flowers in the rows of flower pots, wondering which one to pick.
Xiaofu and Xiaohui accompanied the young lady and never spoke to persuade her before she took action. The three of them, master and servant, had been together for four years and were very familiar with and had a tacit understanding with each other.
"Miss... you... are here again," the gardener, who was responsible for tending the flowers and plants, stammered. Of all the servants in the household, the most troublesome were the old general and the eldest daughter. The former had a capricious temper, and you never knew when he would explode, his aura making anyone afraid to approach him. The latter was the family's darling, able to do what others couldn't, and to touch what others dared not. Fortunately, these two never gave the servants any trouble, but the occasional challenge was still a source of frustration.
Didn't you just want a pot of green peonies a few days ago? And you didn't succeed, no, you didn't get it. Thinking of the pained look on Daddy's face at that time, Xiao Yao secretly rejoiced more than once.
"If you won't give me a pot of green peonies, you can at least pick one."
That is the best, Miss Top Quality, do you understand? I just finished paying tribute to the orchid that died unjustly the day before yesterday, and here you come again.
"Miss, please don't pick them. It's such a pity." Xiaohui advised. If she let me pick the flowers now, I would probably not be able to sleep again tonight.
Xiao Yao reached out and tugged at her bun. This had become a habitual movement for her, something she would do whenever she was hesitant or pondering a problem. Oddly enough, Xiao Yao considered herself not stupid; she could write and memorize quickly, but she had no talent for flower gardening, and every pot she planted died.
For this reason, Xiao Jingkang sighed more than once, wondering why his daughter didn't inherit his strengths! Imagine a beautiful girl tending to a top-quality plant. How beautiful that picture would be. It's a pity that he has no chance to see it!
"Ping'an, you are here to destroy your father's flowers and plants again. If you like a pot this time, your fourth uncle will send it back for you." The one who walked over gracefully was Xiao Jingyan, who was still as suave and handsome as ever. He was 24 years old but still a bachelor.
The gardener almost fell to the ground. It seemed that his two masters were not going to leave him any chance to survive, so he turned around and left silently. Out of sight, out of mind. Since he couldn't stop them, he would just leave it to fate.
Seeing the gardener walking away with a resigned look on his face, Xiao Yao really wanted to call him back. At most, he could just give up the flowers. Was it necessary to be so sad?
"Look, you scared them away!" Xiao Jingyan said gloatingly.
"Fourth Uncle, you got it wrong." It was clearly your words that scared them away, why are you blaming me?
"Grandma was talking about you this morning. How about I go with you to pay my respects to her?"
"I won't go over today. I'll come back to get some things and then leave. Don't tell your grandmother that you saw me, do you hear me?" Xiao Jingyan said as he looked around, afraid of being seen by a third person.
"Why?" Xiao Yao blinked her big eyes and put on an expression that seemed to be asking for an explanation seriously. At the same time, she laughed secretly in her heart. The person Fourth Uncle was most afraid of seeing now was Grandmother. She had a deep understanding of the feeling of being urged to get married in her previous life. So she felt extremely sympathetic towards Fourth Uncle who had a similar experience. She would always try her best to help cover up. However, this did not prevent her from occasionally using this matter to hit Fourth Uncle. Who made him bully people?
"Ping'an, you are getting worse and worse." Xiao Jingyan took advantage of his niece's inattention, raised his hand and rubbed her hair vigorously, admired her new hairstyle, turned around and left while smiling.
"We still have to go see the madam. How can you stay like this? Find a place to wash up quickly, otherwise it will be too late." Xiaofu pulled the young lady away.
"Let's do it here." Xiao Yao pulled the irritable Xiao Fu and sat in a small pavilion by the roadside. Xiao Hui took out a small comb from her purse and carefully and gently combed her hair.
"Ping'an, you're here! It took me so long to find you. Second Auntie came to tip you off. Did you make your mother angry recently? She's been talking about you to me several times this morning. You better think of a way to deal with it."
Li Jiaoying is as radiant as ever, and her complexion is getting prettier. Ever since she started washing her face with fresh milk and taking a bath occasionally thanks to her little niece, her skin has become much smoother. The two of them have developed many beauty projects together, such as applying honey and egg white to the face, and adding some medicinal herbs that are beneficial to skin care when taking a bath... So their relationship has become closer and closer.
Xiao Yao thought carefully and seriously, thinking, had she done anything unexpected recently? Perhaps she had done something and forgot. She looked at Xiao Hui in confusion, thinking that this girl was very attentive and might remember it.
"Memorize 'The Commandments for Women'." Xiaohui reminded in a low voice.
"Oh no! Today is the day that Miss goes to Madam's room to recite her lessons, and you haven't gone yet. It's over, it's over." Xiaofu yelled while rubbing her hands, regretting how she could have forgotten such an important thing.
Reminded by two maids with very different personalities, Xiao Yao finally remembered that she still had a mission to complete today. But what did this "It's over, it's over" mean? Was it a wish for her to die before she could even accomplish her mission? Such an impetuous girl, she shouldn't curse her master like that.
"Endorsement, Ping An, are you ready? Do you need Second Aunt's help?"
Li Jiaoying winked at her little niece with an expression that said, "You know what I mean." What she meant by help was just giving her some prompts or asking the maid to cover for her.
Xiao Yao still had some confidence, but she felt sorry for wasting the idea that her second aunt had racked her brains to come up with.
"Do you want Second Aunt to accompany you?"
After a brief recollection, Xiao Yao sorted out the content to be recited and said to her second aunt with confidence, "Don't worry, second aunt, I can remember it."
"Ping An is so smart."
The two strolled along the path to the backyard, chatting as they went. Uncle and Auntie were now living a happy life. Their eldest son had a job as a palace guard, and their youngest son had begun his education. If there was anything that worried them, it was their son's marriage. The problem wasn't with the son himself, but with their brother-in-law, who stood in their way and refused to marry.
Since the elders haven't gotten married yet, the younger generations can only wait. No matter how anxious Li Jiaoying is, she dare not show it on her face.
How could I comfort Second Aunt? It was hard to tell who was right or wrong in this matter. I couldn't let Fourth Uncle just marry someone off casually, and I was worried that my eldest and second brothers would miss out on finding a husband. After all, my two brothers were already sixteen, and in some families, boys their age were already married and had children. Not only was Second Aunt anxious, but I'd probably also been sighing inwardly.
"Second Aunt will take you to a banquet in a few days, okay?"
Ping An didn't go out often. Aside from family gatherings, she generally stayed home. Part of the reason was that the noise and odors of crowded places made her feel unwell. Another reason, perhaps due to her personality, was that she genuinely disliked noisy situations.
It's okay when she's young, but it's absolutely impossible for her to not interact with others after she grows up, gets married and manages a household, so Tong Mingyu and Li Jiaoying have discussed that in the future, whenever they attend wedding banquets, birthday banquets or other banquets, they must bring Xiao Yao with them.
Is it okay not to go? Xiao Yao looked at her second aunt pleadingly.
"No, all the women in the family have to go. Let your cousin Yan accompany you then. You don't have to be afraid of anything, okay?"
Cousin Yan, that's Second Aunt's niece, and she's also my eldest brother's chosen wife. What a childhood sweetheart story! This kind of pairing was really common in ancient times. Luckily, my cousins are all much older than me, so I don't have to worry about that. As for my shy cousin, it seems my mother doesn't think he's suitable, but my father doesn't have that idea at all, so I don't have to worry about it.
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