Several carriages stopped one after another in front of an antique house.
"Father-in-law and mother-in-law, thank you for your hard work on the journey." A lady in her forties said as she walked forward and supported Mrs. Tong.
Tong Guangyu personally went to the outskirts of Suzhou to pick up his parents. He was the first to get off the carriage and held his father's hand. Xiao Yi, Xiao Yao, and Xiao Yuan went over to pay their respects to their aunt, Wang.
"We are family, so don't be polite. Come in and talk." Wang was a gentle woman from the south of the Yangtze River. Even though she was in her forties, she was still quiet and elegant.
After entering the courtyard, Xiao Yao finally discovered the difference between the architecture of Kyoto and Jiangnan after comparison. Kyoto, probably because it was the capital of the emperor, was beautiful in its height, grandeur, and splendor; Jiangnan was completely different, with small bridges, flowing water, and poetic and picturesque scenery. Walking into such a garden, no matter from which angle you looked at it, it was like appreciating a painting.
Jiangnan gardens are the best in the world, and Suzhou gardens are the best in Jiangnan. This is indeed a well-deserved reputation. It seems that no matter which dynasty, Suzhou gardens can always leave a strong mark in the history of architecture.
Entering the upper room specially prepared for Mr. and Mrs. Tong, the Tong family's children and grandchildren greeted their elders again in order of seniority. Afterwards, the three younger generations of the Xiao family greeted their uncle, aunt, cousin, and cousin's wife. Arriving at the Tong family in Suzhou, Xiao Yao was pleasantly surprised to discover that she had become an elder because her eldest and second cousins both had children, three babies, all boys. This meant that she would always have guardians wherever she went.
"This is Ping An." Even though they were mentally prepared, the women of the Tong family were still shocked when they saw Xiao Yao. This little girl, who was more delicate than the people in the painting, was actually their relative. Wang and the daughters-in-law could hardly believe this fact.
"How about my granddaughter!" Grandpa Tong boasted.
"I, your daughter-in-law, have never seen a girl prettier than Ping'an. Ping'an came here with you two elders. If I saw such a cute child somewhere else, I would definitely think she was a fairy from heaven!" Wang praised her endlessly.
"I want to show everyone in Suzhou how outstanding my granddaughter is. If anyone disagrees, let's have a competition."
"Please stop it. If you scare Ayi, he will kidnap your sister back tomorrow." Mrs. Tong deliberately frightened her husband.
The Xiao family tried every means to conceal the beauty of their granddaughter. General Xiao protected Ping An very closely, fearing that someone would take advantage of her at such a young age. Old Man Tong, on the contrary, wished that everyone in Suzhou would know that he had an outstanding granddaughter. The two families had never reached a consensus on the issue of Ping An.
"Father and mother are tired too, let's take a rest first, and we will have a reunion dinner in the evening. Ping'an, Ruyi, go with your second cousin's wife to check out the accommodation, and ask her to help you get whatever you need. Don't be polite." Wang said.
"Thank you, aunt. We'll go down first." Xiao Yao bowed obediently and retreated with her people.
"Ping'an is such a dignified and well-behaved girl. Children from Kyoto are just different." Wang commented.
Old Man Tong and his wife smiled at each other. Most people who met Ping An for the first time would be deceived by her well-behaved appearance and regard her as a little lady or a good baby. However, after getting to know her for a long time, they would realize how naughty and clever this child is.
After a day's rest, the famous doctor from Suzhou was invited to the Tong family. What Xiao Yao didn't expect was that this doctor was actually a female doctor named Qiao Hui. Her examination was meticulous and comprehensive, and it took nearly half an hour to complete the whole process.
"This young lady has recovered very well. The previous doctor must have been an expert in medicine." Qiao Hui praised the doctor who treated Xiao Yao without hesitation.
"That's an imperial physician." Nanny Ruan responded.
"No wonder, why don't you let him continue the treatment?" Qiao Hui asked puzzledly.
Nanny Ruan smiled without saying anything, which meant that Xiao Yao should speak up and answer.
"The old man in Doctor Sun's family passed away, and he went back to his hometown to mourn." Doctor Sun's father passed away at the beginning of the year, so his family returned to his hometown. Although Doctor Sun took the time to leave Xiao Yao with prescriptions and some pills before he left, the pills had been used up by now.
"Can I see the imperial physician's prescription?" Qiao Hui asked tentatively.
"Of course." Xiao Yao asked Xiao Hui to get the prescription.
After carefully examining it, Qiao Hui smiled. She returned the prescription to the maid and said, "This prescription is very suitable for your condition. As long as you take the medicine according to the prescription, I can guarantee that you will recover within two years. Since you have recovered very well, I would like to adjust the prescription slightly. What do you think?"
Nanny Ruan turned to look at Madam Tong and Xiao Yi, as they had more say than she did.
"Ayi, what do you think?" Mrs. Tong did not make a decision on her own. She asked Xiao Yi for his opinion again.
"We have long admired Dr. Qiao's medical skills, which is why we have come all the way from Kyoto to Suzhou. Please feel free to use the medicine. We have no objection."
"Second brother, what you said is so sweet, but why do I feel like a little white mouse in a laboratory at the mercy of others? You are not going to take advantage of the fact that no one at home is here to get rid of me! Otherwise, why does your tone of voice sound irresponsible at all? It's like, "It's up to you, you can do whatever you want to her!" Xiao Yao couldn't help but complain in her heart.
"Since you trust me, I will reopen the prescription shop." Qiao Hui walked to the table, picked up the pen and ink that the maid had already prepared, and started writing.
"Grandma, after Ping'an is settled here, I will go back. If you have anything to bring back for my second uncle, I will take it back with me."
"It's a long journey, so don't bring anything. It's a rare opportunity for you to come here, don't you want to take a look around Jiangnan?"
"My grandson wants to go out and take some gifts back tomorrow, so if you have anything you want to take to Kyoto, just prepare it. It's not a big deal."
"Grandma really doesn't have anything for you to bring." Mrs. Tong was still angry with Zhang, so she didn't plan to bring anything to her son and daughter-in-law when her grandson returned.
"Second brother, um..." Xiao Yuan spoke hesitantly. She really wanted to go out with her second brother, but she didn't know if he would be willing to take her with him.
"Ruyi, you miss your grandmother and parents, right? Then your second brother will take you back with him when he goes home." Xiao Yi said jokingly.
"No, no." Xiao Yuan waved his hands anxiously. He had come here with great difficulty and hadn't even gone anywhere. How could he go home?
"Your second brother is just teasing you!" Mrs. Tong hugged Xiao Yuan. This child was very honest and would believe almost anything others said. Fortunately, she and Ping'an were sisters. If they were in those dirty wealthy families, they would have been eaten alive!
Xiao Yuan pouted and snorted at Xiao Yi in dissatisfaction, "Second brother, is it fun to lie to children?"
"No, I'm hurt and need compensation, otherwise I'll be so sad that I won't be able to eat or sleep." Xiao Yuan put on a sad face and showed it to Xiao Yi.
"Miss Xiao Er can't eat, what should we do? How about this, Ruyi, if you don't eat or sleep for two days, your second brother will compensate you. Whatever you want is fine."
Xiao Yuan choked. Is this a joke about how good he is at eating and sleeping? His life is so miserable. His brother is unreliable, and his cousin discriminates against him for being lazy and gluttonous. This life is unbearable.
"Ruyi, we will have plenty of opportunities to travel in the future, so let your second brother go out alone tomorrow." How could his second brother have fun with two burdens? Anyway, Ruyi and he were going to stay in Jiangnan for a while, so there was no rush for one or two days.
Xiao Yi was just about to stand up and express his gratitude to Xiao Yao when Dr. Qiao Hui finished writing the prescription and packed up her medicine box to leave. Xiao Yi had no choice but to put down his hand that was only thinking about his sister's head and go to see her off first. Xiao Yao touched her head and thought it was a close call. It was almost rubbed into a mess again. She thanked Dr. Qiao for saving her and her head.
After playing in Suzhou and its surrounding areas for three days, Xiao Yi planned to return to Kyoto. When he was packing his luggage, Xiao Yao and Xiao Yuan also brought some packed gifts for their families and asked him to help take them back.
"I haven't seen you two go out on the street, where did this thing come from?" Xiao Yi was full of curiosity about this matter.
"It's a secret." Who said you can't buy things without going to the street? Second brother is really ignorant. We first asked the maids and nannies in the Tong Mansion who have lived in Suzhou for a long time where there are more famous specialties and which shops have genuine goods at reasonable prices. Then we sent the maid to find their shopkeeper to bring the best goods in the store. It only took one day to choose the gifts for the family.
Xiao Yao's method has been praised countless times by the Tong family in the past few days. Her cousins unanimously decided to do the same in the future so that they no longer have to go shopping so tiringly. Of course, they can still go out for a walk sometimes when they feel like it.
"Okay, I'll take them back for you." Xiao Yi had no choice but to accept his fate and become his two sisters' servant again. He secretly swore that he would not come to pick up his sisters when they returned to Kyoto.
Xiao Yi left early one morning. Xiao Yao originally wanted to send her second brother to the dock, but was rejected. Faced with the impending separation, the three brothers and sisters put away their playful intentions and reminded each other to "be obedient" and "take care of yourself."
"Second brother, please come and pick us up when my sister and I go back." Xiao Yuan said as a matter of course.
Xiao Yi wanted to shake his head, but he was afraid of hurting his sisters' feelings. If he didn't shake his head and agree, it would not be what he wanted. This made Xiao Yi very embarrassed. How should he answer his cousin?
"Second brother will definitely come to pick us up, not only because he's been to Suzhou before, but also because after the Spring Examination, he'll be the one with the most free time at home, so you don't have to worry at all."
His fantasy shattered, Xiao Yi walked out slowly.
"Second brother is reluctant to leave us. He keeps looking back every few steps. It's really pitiful." Xiao Yuan said happily.
After hearing what his cousin said, Xiao Yi no longer hesitated and almost ran out of the Tong family's gate.
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