Qin was a little displeased when she heard this. The young master lived in the backyard, and if Xie Nanfeng wanted to go see the child, he had to get her consent. But now he went there without even informing her. It was really rude.
Madam Cao asked the person who brought the news and heard that the steward was accompanying him. She thought it was nothing to worry about and advised him, "The young master has always been like this. He learned his rough temperament from his father in the army. As long as he doesn't make a fuss, let him go."
Qin said gloomily, "What else can he do? He is so comfortable in our house. I don't know how scared Ping'er is in the general's mansion. I feel aggrieved when I think about it."
After a while, Marquis Dingyuan came over and asked where Xie Nanfeng was now.
Qin had no choice but to complain to her husband again.
Dingyuan Hou said, "He is not yet an adult, and he is a relative of ours. If he goes, then he will go. If you are worried, I will go over to see him. I haven't seen my grandson for many days, and I miss him very much."
As he said this, he took his close followers and went to Sijinyuan.
After he left, Qin sighed to Madam Cao again, saying that no matter when, as long as there were different opinions, the Marquis never stood on her side.
Madam Cao said, "In my opinion, it was the best thing for Madam to go with the Marquis just now."
Qin said disdainfully: "I won't go. I get angry when I see him."
For more than ten years, she had never completely given her heart to Marquis Dingyuan. There was always a place reserved for her former love. Even when she competed for favor with the concubines in the mansion, it was only for her own status and dignity, and never for love for this man.
It would be better for her to check the gifts here than to ask her to go with Marquis Dingyuan.
Soon, the cart of gifts brought by Xie Nanfeng arrived. Qin asked someone to unload them one by one and check the registration. She couldn't help but be secretly surprised and whispered to Madam Cao: "Sheng Qingluan is so generous. She actually prepared such a generous gift."
Sheng Qingluan is the maiden name of the general's wife, the eldest daughter of the Sheng family, the Marquis of Zhongyong. She was also a famous and talented woman in Beijing in her time. Her younger sister, Sheng Qingyun, is the young lady of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Before Sheng Qingluan got married, she and Qin were very good friends. However, they later became enemies for various reasons and never had any contact with each other again.
A big part of the reason why Madam Xie never set foot in the Marquis' Mansion was that she didn't want to see Qin.
Madam Cao said, "The general's wife has always been very polite. Even though her daughter is gone, she still has her grandson. She has to consider everyone's appearance no matter what."
"Then do you think the gift I prepared for Ping'er is okay? It won't be outdone by Sheng Qingluan, right?" Qin asked.
Madam Cao said, "Don't worry, Madam. Our gifts are not bad either. We also have fresh lotus roots and lively fish, shrimps and crabs sent from Hongou Manor. These are fresh goods that other places don't have."
Qin was relieved and said, "I don't want to lose to her in this regard and let her laugh at me for being stingy."
The fresh lotus roots, fish and shrimps were delivered overnight by Song Ce, the current steward of Hongou Manor. In order to ensure their freshness, he changed horses several times along the way. It can be said that he rode non-stop.
In addition to delivering the goods, Song Ce also had important matters to discuss with Xie Nanjia, so after the handover, he asked the second steward in the mansion to inform Xie Nanjia to meet him outside the Chuihua Gate.
When Xie Nanjia learned that Song Ce had come, she was very excited. She had not seen him and Xiu'er's mother for several months, and she often missed him and Xiu'er's mother. However, due to her limited mobility, she could not write letters to greet them.
She went to report to the Fourth Young Miss, saying that the manager of the farm had come and brought news about her mother, so she wanted to go and see her mother. The Fourth Young Miss was happy for her and told her to go and there was no harm in talking for a while.
After Xie Nanjia left, the fourth young lady was sad and said to Su He, "On such a festive occasion, Lian Xiu'er has her mother thinking about her, but I am all alone."
Su He comforted her: "Miss, you are not alone. We are here to accompany you. If you are bored, why not go and see the young master? No matter how sad you are, seeing the young master will make you feel better."
Since Xie Nanjia often went to see the child, the fourth young lady also went with her a few times. She liked the little nephew who lost his mother at birth very much, and felt a sense of love for him as if they were connected by the same fate.
After Su He suggested this, she thought that since she was free anyway, she might as well go for a walk!
So the master and servant packed up a little and went to the young master's yard.
Xie Nanjia went to the Chuihua Gate and saw Song Ce waiting there from a distance, with his head lowered awkwardly, not daring to look around.
For a moment, she felt the joy of meeting an old friend in a foreign land. She walked quickly to Song Ce and called out in a crisp voice, "Manager Song."
Song Ce was startled and quickly looked up. Seeing Xiu'er standing in front of him in bright clothes, he couldn't help but burst into tears.
"Xiu'er..." He stuttered, his smile a little stiff, "Long time no see, how are you doing in the mansion?"
"I'm fine." Xie Nanjia also choked up a little, "How is Manager Song? How is my mother? How are the villagers in the village doing?"
"All right, all right. We are all fine. Your mother is fine too. Since the rainstorm, the farm has been blessed with good weather and good harvests. The crops will have a good harvest in the fall."
"That's good. I feel relieved that you are all well." Xie Nanjia said, "Did my mother ask you to bring me any message?"
"I brought it. Your mother wrote you a letter and made you a few pairs of shoes. She said that the mansion has uniform clothes, so she won't make clothes for you. A maid is busy all day long, so you must have comfortable shoes to wear." Song Ce handed her the bundle he brought with him, "In addition to the letter and shoes, there are also snacks made by your mother. You can take them to show Fourth Aunt to taste."
They all thought that Xie Nanjia was still with the Fourth Aunt.
Xie Nanjia took the bundle and said with a smile, "I have not been in the Fourth Aunt's courtyard for a long time. Now I am the eldest maid beside the Fourth Miss. Go back and tell my mother that I have been promoted."
"Oh, Xiu'er is really capable." Song Ce smiled happily, "I told your mother not to worry about you, you are the safest person to do things."
Xie Nanjia followed suit with a smile, and then whispered, "When there's a chance in the future, I'll try to get you to be the chief steward in the mansion, okay?"
Song Ce was shocked and looked at the guards who were standing far away and supervising them: "Don't dare to talk nonsense, be careful so that people can hear you. Do you think this palace is a market in the countryside? Anyone can come if they want."
"So do you want to come or not?" Xie Nanjia asked.
She could see that Song Ce was an ambitious and capable man, but he just lacked the right opportunity.
Song Ce shook his head and said sternly, "With your mother at the farm, I won't go anywhere."
Xie Nanjia was slightly stunned, then laughed: "Then I will bring you and my mother here together, one to be the manager of the front yard and the other to be the manager of the back yard."
Seeing that she was talking nonsense, Song Ce hurriedly warned her not to talk nonsense: "You don't have to worry about us. Just take care of yourself and don't let your mother worry. That's better than anything else."
Xie Nanjia knew it was too early to talk about this now, so she put it aside and didn't mention it anymore. She took out the pearl necklace that the Fourth Aunt had given her earlier from her sleeve pocket and gave it to Song Ce.
"This is a reward I received in the mansion. I don't need it myself. You can take it back and give it to my mother to wear. Tell her that I am doing well here and ask her to be well at home and be happy and not to miss me."
Song Ce took it and put it in his saddle bag. Before leaving, he looked at Xie Nanjia embarrassedly, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.
Xie Nanjia asked: "But is there anything else you want to tell me?"
Song Ce blushed and said, "I want to marry your mother and give her a legitimate status. Do you agree?"
Xie Nanjia said happily: "I naturally agree that you can take care of my mother for me, but in the end, you still have to respect my mother's wishes. You just need to discuss it with her."
Song Ce was also delighted: "Okay, I'll go back and ask your mother. If she agrees, I'll marry her in the twelfth lunar month. I'll find a way to send you a message then."
The two men exchanged a few more words, and the guard in the distance reminded them that the meeting time was up and urged Song Ce to leave.
Xie Nanjia accompanied him out and proved to the guard at the door that the pearl necklace was a reward from the Fourth Aunt. She waited until the guard let her go and watched Song Ce drive away in the carriage before turning back to the mansion.
The bag in her hand also had to be inspected before it could be brought into the inner house.
When she returned to Yilan Courtyard, she found that the Fourth Young Miss was not there. She asked Zhen'er, and Zhen'er said that Suhe had accompanied the Fourth Young Miss to see the Young Master.
Xie Nanjia took the bag and went to her room, carefully read the letter written by Xiu'er's mother, sighed for a long time, and then went to find the fourth young lady with red eyes.
She didn't know that her brother was with her son, and the Fourth Miss didn't know either. Therefore, when the Fourth Miss entered the yard and found her father and Xie Nanfeng there, she was immediately at a loss as to what to do.
The weather was fine. Xie Nanfeng was holding his little nephew and playing in the yard. Dingyuan Hou was sitting on a rattan chair under the corridor, watching them happily. Hualou made good tea for them and stood by with his hands hanging down. The little master's giggles filled the courtyard like sunshine.
This scene gives people a sense of peace and tranquility.
Zhao Lanzhi was stunned for a moment, and it was too late for her to leave. Dingyuan Hou narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who is there?"
Feng Lun immediately replied, "It's the Fourth Miss."
"Fourth girl?" Marquis Dingyuan was in a good mood and waved, "Come, come, come here. The sun is shining. Come and have a cup of tea with your father."
Like Xie Nanfeng, he was born into a military family, and the two families were relatives, so no one thought that the fourth young lady was a girl and should avoid men outside her family.
Zhao Lanzhi was embarrassed for a moment, but couldn't resist the huge temptation to have tea with her father, so she walked into the yard shyly, passed by Xie Nanfeng, and bowed.
Xie Nanfeng was having a lot of fun with his nephew, so he didn't pay much attention to it and just nodded and said "hmm" as a return gesture.
Zhao Lanzhi went to the corridor with a red face and wanted to pay her respects to her father, but was stopped by Marquis Dingyuan.
"No need to be polite, just sit down!" said Marquis Dingyuan, pointing to the chair beside him.
"Thank you, father." Zhao Lanzhi sat down and Hualou served her fragrant tea in time.
Dingyuan Hou asked, "Why did you come here?"
Zhao Lanzhi replied, "When Xiu'er came to see the child, my daughter came along once. My little nephew is so cute, so she came to see him often afterwards."
"Well, you are his aunt, you should visit him often." Marquis Dingyuan nodded and smiled, seeming to appreciate it, and then casually asked about her homework.
Zhao Lanzhi studied very hard and did well in all subjects. Marquis Dingyuan was just asking casually, but he didn't expect that she could answer any question fluently. He looked at this shy and taciturn daughter with a different eye. In addition, Zhao Lanzhi was beautiful and looked like her biological mother, so he felt even more pity for her. He took off his jade ring and gave it to Zhao Lanzhi as a reward.
Zhao Lanzhi's eyes were red with excitement. She knelt on the ground and kowtowed respectfully to her father, ignoring her father's attempts to stop her.
After a while, Xie Nanjia came.
As soon as she entered the door, she was also surprised to see the happy scene in the yard. It was okay that the Fourth Miss was there, but Marquis Dingyuan was there too, and Xie Nanfeng was there too, and everyone was so casual, just like an unconventional farmer's family on the farm.
However, her attention was soon attracted by the playfulness of her younger brother and son. Seeing the uncle and nephew being so affectionate when they met for the first time, she couldn't help but feel mixed emotions.
"Eh?" Xie Nanfeng saw her and called her in surprise while holding the child, "Xiu'er, I was planning to go find you later. Why did you come first? Did you hear that I was here and come to see me specially?"
"..." Xie Nanjia was speechless. When did this brat become so self-conceited
"Mr. Nanfeng, I don't know you are here. I came to look for the fourth young lady." She bowed with a smile.
"Oh?" Xie Nanfeng glanced at Zhao Lanzhi in dissatisfaction, "What do you want to do with her?"
Zhao Lanzhi's heart started beating wildly when he glanced at her without any warning.
Xie Nanjia replied: "I am now the maid of the Fourth Young Lady."
"Ah?" Xie Nanfeng was surprised, "You're not in the kitchen?"
Seeing that he was asking endless questions, Xie Nanjia temporarily ignored him and went to greet Marquis Dingyuan: "Your servant greets the Marquis. The Marquis looks really good today."
Dingyuan Hou laughed: "Isn't it? I came to my grandson's place to steal half a day's leisure."
Xie Nanjia smiled and said, "My Lord, you have worked hard for the country and have devoted all your energy. Come and see the young master more often in the future, and you will feel more cheerful."
"Very, very much." Marquis Dingyuan stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly.
Zhao Lanzhi was surprised that the conversation between Xiu'er and the Marquis was so natural and unrestrained, even more generous than her own daughter.
She envied Xiu'er's ability to cope with situations, which was something she could never do.
Xie Nanfeng was left out, so she came over with the child in her arms and said, "Xiu'er, you promised to make me something delicious, do you remember?"
Xie Nanjia really wanted to roll her eyes at him. He didn't even look at where he was. The Fourth Young Miss was a girl here, but he just came up to try to join in the fun, completely forgetting his mother's teachings.
Dingyuan Hou smiled and said, "You want to eat the dishes cooked by Xiu'er? That's easy. Just ask Xiu'er to cook here. You can stay in the mansion as a guest at noon today, and then go home to reunite with your parents in the evening."
"Okay!" Xie Nanfeng agreed readily and asked his servant to drive the carriage back home to inform his parents.
Xie Nanjia understood that Marquis Dingyuan wanted to take this opportunity to repair the relationship between the two families. This was also a good thing. At least she could see her brother often in the future and didn't have to worry about him starting a fight as soon as he came.
Thus, the first banquet was held in the young master's courtyard. The masters were talking in the corridor while the servants were busy preparing meals.
To cook, one had to go to the big kitchen to get the ingredients. Soon, everyone in the mansion knew that the Marquis, his relative's son, and the fourth young lady were going to have lunch in the young master's courtyard.
This was really news that left everyone puzzled; even Qin was confused after hearing it.
(End of this chapter)