Xiqiu’s eyebrows slightly raised as she asked, "Why didn’t they co in again? What did they say?" Chunliu then showed a teasing smile, covering her face as she replied, "I saw her standing at the door for quite so ti, saying she heard you were granted a title and wanted to co in to congratulate you. But considering you must be busy, she thought it would be fine to just congratulate you from the door." After a pause, Chunliu added, "I listened to her for a while before I figured out what she really ant..."
"Oh?" Xiqiu took a sip of her tea. Jin Dairui, Zou Bochang, and the others had been entrusted with tasks, and there had been no news for a day or two. There might be disagreents. Nanny Jin must have been waiting at the door on purpose, trying to probe Chunliu’s thoughts, right?!
Chunliu chuckled and said, "I reckon she wants to go to Tongzhou. The fields there are fertile with high yields, and several people are arguing over it."
Two villages, three families; if everyone wanted to move to the village, it would indeed be difficult to negotiate.
However, there were advantages to moving to the village. With ample land, they could raise chickens and ducks for extra inco, and plant beans and fruit trees along the ridges. Although working in the village was tiring compared to looking after a house, the inco was more stable.
Xiqiu was about to speak when Ziwei from the Grand Dowager’s room arrived: "Fourth Madam, the Grand Dowager requests your presence." Xiqiu set down the shoe model she was holding, got up, and replied with a smile, "I’ll go right away."
Upon saying this, she went into the inner chamber to change clothes, then left the room with Chunliu and Bihuai. On the way, she casually asked Ziwei, "Did she ntion the matter?"
Ziwei replied with a smile, "I don’t know either, but the Grand Dowager seed quite pleased."
Xiqiu nodded and said nothing more.
When she entered the Grand Dowager’s courtyard, Ziwei lifted the curtain into the Warm Pavilion. The Grand Dowager was talking with Nanny Wu, and when she saw Xiqiu co in, she nodded with a smile and gestured to the stool in front, saying, "Sit down."
Xiqiu sat on the stool indicated by the Grand Dowager, who took a sip of tea and said, "I’ve called you over, not for anything else, but because today the housekeeper from Shandong’s village arrived to pay taxes at year’s end. She ntioned her eldest son is eighteen this year and hasn’t married yet, and asked if I could arrange a girl from the estate for him. I thought to ask if you have any suitable maids."
Xiqiu was taken aback. With so many maids in the house, why would the Grand Dowager specifically ask if she had anyone suitable by her side?!
Seeing Xiqiu’s silence, the Grand Dowager continued, "I’ve t the boy. He’s honest and simple, a hard worker. He doesn’t speak much, but he’s excellent at farming. Any maid paired with him wouldn’t suffer!"
Suddenly, Xiqiu understood that the Grand Dowager was referring to Chunyan.
"Mother!" Xiqiu asked with a smile, "This is a happy occasion, but unfortunately, I don’t have anyone suitable here..." She feigned regret: "Otherwise, marrying into Shandong would indeed be wonderful."
The Grand Dowager hesitated slightly, glanced at Xiqiu, and then sighed, "Then I’ll ask your second sister-in-law to have a look around the estate." It seed like she didn’t plan to ntion this matter again.
"I’m sure second sister-in-law will have a way." Xiqiu said with a smile, though her heart was slightly anxious. Was the Grand Dowager casually ntioning Chunyan, or did she really intend to send Chunyan away from the estate?
Regardless of what the Grand Dowager intended, it was undoubtedly a potential warning for her.
The Grand Dowager nodded slightly, and the conversation cooled for a mont. Just then, Min and Xing ca out of the green gauze cabinet, each held by their respective nannies. Xing reached out to hug the Grand Dowager’s neck, who noticed his new outfit and asked the nanny, "Did he wet himself again?"
The nanny awkwardly nodded.
Xing buried his face in the Grand Dowager’s neck and, with a disgruntled expression, said, "Grandmother, does Xing seem foolish?"
The Grand Dowager patted Xing’s back with a smile and said, "Xing is very smart, how could he be foolish!" Xing then lifted his head, his eyes teary, and said, "Min is younger, but he doesn’t wet the bed, but I..."
"It’s alright, no problem!" The Grand Dowager tried to console him, but Xing, with his face puffed and unhappy, appeared on the verge of tears, clinging to the Grand Dowager and refusing to let go, despite the nanny’s attempts to take him away.
Nanny Wu, worried that the Grand Dowager might tire from holding him, also tried to step in, but Xing opened his mouth and started crying, deeply aggrieved.
"No problem, no problem!" Min wobbled his little legs to climb off the kang bed and patted Xing’s head like an adult, saying, "Don’t cry anymore. From tonight on, I’ll wake you up at night, alright?!"
Xing ignored him, his teary face red and sobbing so loudly that his cries echoed throughout the courtyard.
The Grand Dowager creased her brows in worry.
"Mother." Xiqiu approached cautiously and said to the Grand Dowager, "Let try."
The Grand Dowager hesitated, looking at Xiqiu, who nodded with a smile. Her gaze lingered...
"Xing, be good." Xiqiu tried to embrace Xing, saying, "How about letting Auntie Fourth hold you?" Xing didn’t listen and clung tightly to the Grand Dowager’s neck. Xiqiu gently pulled Xing’s hand, praising, "Xing is so strong, such a little man."
Xing’s cries montarily paused, and Xiqiu took the opportunity to take him from the Grand Dowager.
Xing pouted at Xiqiu, who, with a smile, sat him on her lap and wiped his tears with a handkerchief. "Xing just hugged Grandmother’s neck very tightly, so tightly that Auntie Fourth almost couldn’t pull him off."
"Re... really?" Xing looked up at Xiqiu with teary eyes, not quite believing her.
Xiqiu nodded seriously, "Yes, Xing is a little man!" She then saw Xing’s lips tremble ready to cry, "I’m not a man, Min is. A man wouldn’t, wouldn’t..."
"Don’t cry, Xing." She whispered into his ear, "We all wet the bed as children, even n wet the bed when they were young!"
Xing’s eyes brightened as he listened, tilting his head at Xiqiu, "So, did Father and Uncle Fourth and Uncle Fifth wet the bed too when they were little?"
Xiqiu paused before glancing at the Grand Dowager.
The Grand Dowager furrowed her brows at Xing, then relaxed her expression into a smile, saying, "Yes, your father, Uncle Fourth, and Uncle Fifth also wet the bed when they were young."
Xing finally stopped crying, seemingly having learned sothing extraordinary, and widened his eyes, asking, "Grandmother, is that true?" The Grand Dowager smiled and nodded.
"Auntie Fourth." Xing innocently turned to Xiqiu again, "Did you wet the bed when you were little too?"
Xiqiu didn’t mind, but the Grand Dowager was taken aback and was about to scold Xing when Min furrowed his small brows and called out to Xing, "Xing, don’t speak nonsense!"
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