Chapter 371 The Visitor

Chapter 371 The Visitor

On December 16th, in the capital city, the snow had just stopped, and sunlight shone through the clouds onto the bluestone road, refracting into tiny dappled patterns.

At the city gate, pedestrians came and went in an endless stream. Hao Yu, Chen Shi, Wang Xiaozhi and Chen Zhao, along with their children and attendants, as well as the two young men from Chen Lizheng and Chen Daifu's family, stopped at the end of the line.

Their faces showed signs of fatigue from the long journey, but their eyes held a hint of excitement and anticipation at arriving at the emperor's doorstep.

"This capital city is truly magnificent. The city gates and walls are all taller and sturdier than any other city we've seen along the way." Wang Xiaozhi peeked out from the half-open car door, marveling at the sight while also looking somewhat worried. "It's just that this place is too big. Once we get into the city, where are we going to ask A Yuan's family where they live?"

Madam Chen gestured for her to look at the guards following outside, "They're here, don't worry."

Although these people had been with them all along, they certainly didn't know where Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan were staying. But their efficiency was undeniable. Even if they didn't know now, they could find out the information they wanted quickly after making some inquiries.

As soon as Chen finished speaking, several men dressed in close-fitting clothes walked over quickly. The one in the lead was Da Yang, a guard from Xie Wan's family.

He recognized Hao Yu and the others at a glance, and his face lit up with joy. He quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Uncle Hao, Brother Chen, we've been waiting for you! The princess specifically instructed us to wait here so that you wouldn't have to ask around after you get to the capital!"

When Hao Yu and Chen Zhao saw him, they knew they didn't need to worry about the follow-up matters. The two returned the greeting with a bow, and then introduced Chen Lizheng and Dr. Chen's grandson to Da Yang and the others.

After the soldiers guarding the city gate finished their inspection, the group followed Da Yang to Rong'anfang.

After a long and slow journey, the group finally arrived at the new residence that Xie Wanniang had just bought.

Da Yang led the group in through a side door. The servants at the door bowed and greeted them warmly.

Upon receiving the news, Xie Wanniang did not stay in her own courtyard to wait for their arrival. Instead, she took the children and went to the second gate to personally greet them.

After a long separation, the group greeted each other and exchanged pleasantries at the second gate. Then, Xie Wanniang had someone take them directly to the east courtyard.

She had arranged for people to clean the several small courtyards in the east wing. At this moment, the houses there had been covered with brand new bedding and furnished with all the daily necessities.

Once Hao Yu's family, Wang Xiaozhi's family, Chen Lizheng's grandson, and Dr. Chen's grandson had moved into the three small courtyards prepared for them by Xie Wanniang, the servants of the mansion kept bringing them tea, snacks, candied fruit, and other items.

While leading everyone to visit the temporary accommodations she had prepared for them, Xie Wanniang pointed to the side gate of the east courtyard and said to them, "It's more convenient to go out through this gate than through the front side gate. If you need to go out in the future, you can choose to enter and exit through this gate."

This way, they don't have to go all the way to the main courtyard, which shortens their travel distance while ensuring that they still have a certain degree of privacy and freedom even when living in someone else's home.

After everyone had been escorted to their temporary residence in the small courtyard, Xie Wanniang turned to Cunyu and said, "Cunyu, go and tell the kitchen to bring over the prepared hot water and noodles."

It wasn't dinnertime yet, but they had come from afar, and everyone must be tired, hungry, and dirty. So Xie Wanniang thought she should let them wash up, have something to eat, and rest for a while.

It must be said that her arrangement was indeed very much to everyone's liking.

The adults were okay and could still manage, but the children were all exhausted.

Upon entering the warm and cozy room, the children almost immediately felt sleepy, their eyelids drooping uncontrollably.

The gifts Xie Wanniang gave them, which they had previously treasured, were now being discarded by them.

Exhausted, what appealed to them most at that moment was the soft, warm, brand-new bedding on the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove).

After being urged or cared for by the adults to take a bath and then wolfing down some hot soup noodles, the children immediately rushed to bed to sleep.

The toys, purses, fans, and gold and jade accessories that Xie Wanniang had carefully prepared were all placed on the table in their room.

After settling the children in and cleaning herself up, Wang Xiaozhi finally had time to eat something.

Unlike others who would fall asleep immediately, she left her husband and children behind and went to Xie Wanniang's place.

Just now at the second gate, she spotted Xiao Yang, who was already a little girl, standing next to Xie Wan Niang.

Now, Xiaoyang is dressed in a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her hair is neatly combed, her face is rosy, and her eyes are bright. She is no longer the timid and thin little girl she used to be.

Xie Wanniang took very good care of her.

Upon seeing the child, Wang Xiaozhi's mouth moved subconsciously, as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed the words back—she really didn't know how to bring up the matter of Xiaoyang's parents in public.

Xie Wanniang noticed her hesitation and understood what she meant.

Xiao Yang has a simple social life. If there is anything related to her that makes Wang Xiaozhi feel awkward, then it must be related to her parents.

It must be that the couple has caused some trouble again, making Wang Xiaozhi feel quite unhappy.

She didn't press for details, thinking that when Wang Xiaozhi wanted to talk about it, she would naturally come to her.

However, to her surprise, Jiang Yuan returned earlier than ever before.

Before Wang Xiaozhi could even bring up Xiaoyang, Jiang Yuan returned from his official duties and hurried into the courtyard.

Upon seeing Wang Xiaozhi, Jiang Yuan quickly bowed and greeted her as "Sister."

When Wang Xiaozhi saw him, she didn't care about Xiaoyang's parents at all; she was too busy worrying about her younger brother.

The siblings sat there, chatting away, while Xie Wanniang would occasionally call the servants to bring them tea and snacks.

When it was almost time, she sent someone to the guest courtyard to invite Hao Yu and the others over for dinner.

Everyone came from the east courtyard and, hearing Jiang Yuan and Wang Xiaozhi talking inside the house, immediately went in together.

After exchanging greetings, everyone took their seats according to their roles as host and guest. Jiang Yuan didn't rush to speak but first gave gifts to the younger generation.

The children were a little embarrassed, while the adults kept saying, "Sixth Aunt has already given it to us."

They tried to put the things back to Jiang Yuan, but Jiang Yuan smiled and waved his hand, saying, "They're just little trinkets for the kids to play with."

He gestured for everyone to sit down at the table, saying, "Don't be shy, come and sit down, let's have dinner together."

The welcoming feast prepared by the Jiang family's main kitchen was very lavish. Everyone sat together, eating and chatting in a harmonious and lively atmosphere.

Jiang Yuan hadn't eaten like this in a long time. The laughter and chatter at the table made him feel as if he had suddenly returned to Baoding Prefecture.

After everyone finally finished eating and left the table, Xie Wanniang hurriedly called the servants to clear away the bowls and chopsticks and replace them with hot tea and snacks.

Once everyone was seated back in the flower hall, Wang Xiaozhi spoke first, "Sixth Sister, is Jiangnan really as beautiful as the rumors say? I heard they like to put sugar in their food, can you all get used to it?"

“The scenery in Jiangnan is indeed beautiful, with small bridges, flowing water, birds singing and flowers blooming. It’s a completely different kind of scenery from our Baoding.” Xie Wanniang replied with a patient smile, “As for the food, I did find it a little hard to get used to at first, but I gradually got used to it.”

What she didn't say was that when she said, "I couldn't get used to the food at first, but I gradually got used to it," she was actually referring to Jiang Yuan.

As for herself, she can eat anything, as long as it's not too strong in her taste; she's not picky about food.

Hearing them mention Jiangnan, Chen Zhao couldn't help but ask curiously, "How many days did it take you to travel from Jiangnan to the capital? Did you encounter any danger?"

Jiang Yuan replied, "We've been traveling for almost a month, and the journey has been relatively smooth."

After all, they outnumbered the enemy and their guards were armed, so ordinary thugs and bandits wouldn't dare to mess with them.

"Are the children attending school in Jiangnan? If I remember correctly, isn't your Linlin already of school age?" Chen Shi, holding her youngest child, turned to look at An'an and Linlin beside Xie Wanniang.

“If you remember correctly, Linlin is indeed of school age.” Xie Wanniang spoke of her child with a gentle expression. “The schools over there don’t accept girls, so I hired a tutor to come to our home to teach the siblings to read and write together.”

Hao Yu looked at the well-behaved children sitting there, his eyes occasionally glancing at his own child and Wang Xiaozhi's child, An'an and Linlin, and asked, "What about the future? Do you plan to send them to a private school, or continue to hire tutors for them?"

“We will continue to hire tutors,” Xie Wanniang explained. “The capital is in a bit of chaos right now. Once things have settled down, I will send the children to a private school or academy.”

There are girls' schools in the capital. Once the situation stabilizes, Xie Wanniang can send her son and daughter to study in different places.

Hao Yu nodded. "Are there any suitable candidates for the tutor position?"

Xie Wanniang nodded. "There are quite a few suitable people in the Xie clan. I have already asked my uncle to help me find one."

Hao Yu felt relieved and nodded.

Xie Wanniang added, "While your two families are in the capital, why don't your children also study and practice martial arts with An'an and Linlin?"

Hao Yu and the others naturally agreed, but the children, upon hearing that they would have to continue studying while out playing, immediately became dejected.

In particular, Xie Wanniang also practiced teaching according to aptitude. Considering that Doctor Chen's eldest grandson would not take the path of taking the imperial examination to enter officialdom, but instead inherit his grandfather's mantle, Xie Wanniang immediately had someone bring him a large pile of medical books.

Before the children could even relax, the heavy burden of their studies was once again weighed down by the adults, and suddenly the snacks on the table didn't seem so appealing anymore.

The adults, however, showed no empathy for the children's troubles. Wang Xiaozhi changed the subject, asking with a hint of curiosity and amusement, "We heard on the way that A Yuan was impeached in court, and that you... were living off a woman. What exactly happened?"

Wang Xiaozhi said the words "eating a woman's rice" quickly, softly, and vaguely, but Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang still heard them clearly.

As soon as she said this, Hao Yu and Madam Chen both looked at Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang.

Jiang Yuan pursed his lips somewhat embarrassed, while Xie Wanniang explained with a smile, "It's just nonsense. Someone saw that we bought a house in the capital and impeached A Yuan for embezzlement and bribery. A Yuan simply said in court that I bought the house and that all the money in the house was earned by me."

"So that's how it is." Wang Xiaozhi felt indignant for her younger brother. She said, "If you ask me, these people are just bored and have nothing better to do. When someone else buys a house, they have to complain about it. But when they buy this or that, they don't complain about themselves?"

Xie Wanniang laughed, "You said it yourself, that's them."

Where in this world can you find so many people who treat everyone equally? The vast majority of people are actually more lenient with themselves and strict with others.

"But don't worry, A Yuan has been an official for many years, and he has never taken a single copper coin that he shouldn't have. Most importantly, the emperor trusts us."

As long as the emperor believes them, they are not afraid of being slandered from time to time.

After chatting about her own family, Xie Wanniang turned her attention to the acquaintances in Mingfu Village.

She asked Wang Xiaozhi and the others, "How are the Chen family and Dr. Chen's family? What about Atai and Xiaomei? Have they contacted you?"

The last sentence was a question she was asking about Hao Yu and Chen Shi.

The first to answer her was Chen Zhao. When he mentioned the acquaintances in the village, Chen Zhao's smile widened involuntarily. "They are all doing well. The two old men are in good health. They have more and more farmland, and they have also bought houses and shops in the town and county. They are considered well-known small landlords in our Tang County."

"That's good." Xie Wanniang glanced at Chen Baoshu, the grandson of Chen Lizheng, and Chen Baotang, the grandson of Chen Daifu, who were sitting obediently listening to their conversation. "Did their grandfather send these two children?"

Chen Zhao nodded, "The two old gentlemen are getting on in years and don't want to travel around. They also felt this was a rare opportunity, so they had their eldest grandson come along."

Xie Wanniang nodded, "When I have some free time tomorrow, I'll write a letter and have you take the precious book to the Xie residence so my uncle can test your studies."

Chen Baoshu's skin tightened instinctively. He knew Xie Wanniang's background. Her uncle, although he didn't know which one, was definitely a learned man from the Xie family.

He rarely even sees such people, let alone asks them to teach or tutor him.

Chen Baoshu was so nervous that all his joints stiffened. Under Xie Wanniang's piercing gaze, he nodded very slowly, like a zombie.

Xie Wanniang noticed his nervousness, but did not offer any words of comfort.

Young people, if you throw them out there and give them a good beating, they'll improve.

After all, he was aiming to enter officialdom through the imperial examination. If he could pass the examination and become a Jinshi, he would be able to meet the emperor. What was meeting a mere official from the Ministry of Personnel? He could just consider it a chance to practice his courage in advance.