Volume 1 Chapter 134 Accompany (Middle) (Pink Tickets: 1350)

  The Third Lady saw Shiyī Niáng enter and, as if to cover up her own early arrival, smiled before Shiyī Niáng could even pay her respects: "Fourth Brother's wife is late!"

  Although she arrived early, she said she was late.

  However, she has always been punctual, whether it's early or late, Madam should understand in her heart, there is no need to argue with her verbally, and instead give Madam an impression of being unreasonable.

  The eleventh girl smiled slightly and greeted her.

  The old lady looked at him with a slight nod and a smile, taking over the conversation: "Have you brought everyone? Let me take a look!"

  She was able to get Ta Furen to personally resolve the situation, so 11th Sister naturally smiled and replied "yes".

  A clever little maid next door went to fetch Old Mother Tao.

  The three madams saw that everyone was no longer pursuing their own early arrival, and they also breathed a sigh of relief, happy to watch the excitement on the side.

  Before long, Mrs. Tao brought in Wen Zhu and several little maids.

  After paying respects to the mistress of the house, they stood in a line from one end to the other in the center of the room.

  The three ladies looked at Zan and said: "What a fine appearance!"

  The old lady smiled and nodded, beckoning to several little maids: "Come, come over here and let me take a look!"

  Several young maidservants, although somewhat timid in their expressions, did not hesitate and quietly walked to the front of the kang.

  Mrs. Du handed the glasses to Madame Tai, who looked at them carefully and then took out the list that Eleventh Sister had given her in the morning and asked about each person's name, age, family members, and what they did for a living.

  Wen Zhu and several little maids all answered in soft voices, only Taohua, seeing that the old lady was very kind, became more and more casual.

  Wei Zi, who was standing beside him, saw a few hints of anxiety on his face.

  The eleventh girl's heart slightly stirred.

  Wei Zifu served Empress Dowager, and knew her mind best. It seems that the possibility of choosing Peach Blossom is very small! This is also good, so as to avoid having outsiders around Xu Siniang.

  The old lady asked for a good half of the time, and then sat up straight and took a sip of tea.

  Old Lady Tao knew she had asked enough and led a few little maids away.

  The old lady smiled and said: "That one called Peach Blossom should look for another job! The others are all right."

  It's just as I thought.

  The eleventh girl smiled and replied "yes", then apologetically glanced at Wei Zi.

  Wei Zi was very disappointed, but didn't dare show it, and forced a smile towards Shiyi Niang.

  "Give those little girls to Du's mother!" The old lady smiled and said, "I'm a bit tired. Everyone can disperse now!"

  Eleventh Sister and Third Madam paid their respects and withdrew, Old Lady Tao handed over Wen Zhu's four to Du Mama, while Old Lady Gan handed over Fang Ting's four, then each led the unselected ones back to the house.

  Peach Blossom innocently asked Old Mother T'ao: "Am I going to be a maid in the mistress's quarters?"

  Just now, when Old Mistress asked about Peach Blossom, Eleventh Sister was listening on the side. Wei Zi's mother and father are both at the Zhuangzi. This child is probably relying on her own sister serving in Old Mistress' house, so she doesn't know how high the sky is or how thick the earth is, thinking that with Wei Zi everything will go as she wishes.

  Tao's mother also guessed it and smiled: "You want to go to the lady's house as a maid?"

  Taohua smiled and said: "My mother said that it would be best to go to the second young master's house as a servant. This way, I can also become a senior maid like my sister."

  Tao's mother smiled slightly and led her down. The eleventh girl asked, "What should we do with this little girl?"

  "Let's just find her a job that's a bit of a nuisance. That way, we can save Wei Zi's face."

  "Mother Tao sighed: 'It can only be like this!' But in her heart, she thought that speaking without knowing the weight of one's words would only lead to trouble wherever they went!"

  After Tao's mother left, Shiyi Niang couldn't help but sigh with Hupo: "It's really one mother and nine sons, each different!"

  Amber smiled and said, "You don't know. Wei Zi used to be called Li Hua. There were many maids in the house, and they couldn't afford to raise her, so they abandoned her to her aunt who worked in the laundry room. She grew up in the mansion from a young age. Unlike this Peach Blossom, who grew up in the countryside with limited horizons."

  Eleventh girl smiled and said, "Huh, our Amber also grew up in the Zhuangzi, but she's so clever and capable. It's just that everyone's fate is different." Amber's face turned red, and she stammered for half a day, not knowing what to say.

  She asked about the situation on the other side of Xishan Villa: "...... Is there any news?"

  Amber shook her head: "The main gate has been closed all along, I haven't seen anyone going in or out."

  Eleventh daughter is also headache-free.

  What happened that people didn't notice? Or was it just nothing happened at all?

  She let out a sigh, thinking about going to the Zhongshan Houfu with Tai Furen tomorrow, and called Binju in. The three of them discussed what clothes and accessories to wear tomorrow.

  Xu Lingyi is back.

  The eleventh girl hastily put down what she was doing and went out to welcome her.

  Compared to this morning, Xu Lingyi's mood had improved a lot. After changing out of her mourning clothes, she even noticed the changes in the house.

  "Has the warm room changed its flowers?"

  "Yes." Eleventh Sister smiled and said, "And also sent a big red hibiscus."

  Xu Lingyi gazed at the bright flowers in the blue and white porcelain vase on the kang, nodded, took off her shoes and got onto the kang.

  The eleventh girl personally went to brew tea for him: "Master Hou has returned so early today!"

  It's just arrived at Shenzheng, usually return home later than this half an hour.

  "Oh, nothing's wrong!" Xu Lingyi said lightly, "So I came back a bit earlier!"

  Nothing's wrong? So you came back early?

  Eleventh sister can't believe it.

  Xu Lingyi is not a romantic man!

  But she just pretended not to know.

  Smiling and telling him about Mrs. Tai's plan to take her to the Zhongshan Hou Mansion tomorrow to offer congratulations.

  Xu Lingyi listened with a daze: "Why didn't Mother tell me?"

  "It's probably because Master Hou hasn't returned yet!" Eleventh Sister said with a smile, "I see that Mother seems to have made a sudden decision too. Perhaps she wants to go take a look at the excitement."

  Xu Lingyi nodded slightly, looking at the maid in the house, with a hint of hesitation flashing across her face.

  Is it like in the morning, talking to myself?

  The eleventh girl was thinking, whether to let Ping Hua help collect the clothes and decorations that she hadn't had time to put away earlier, or to go see if the meal at Mrs. Tai's place was ready, and to send everyone in the house off one by one.

  Xu Lingyi visibly let out a sigh of relief, and suddenly said inexplicably: "I talked to Third Brother for half the night yesterday!" His tone was still somewhat hesitant.

  He's been holding it in since morning, I'm surprised he can bear it!

  The eleventh girl suppressed her smile and sat down opposite him with a serious expression.

  Xu Lingyi looked on, his expression relaxing a bit more.

  The corners of his mouth twitched for a long time, but he never said a second sentence, as if it was hard to open his mouth.

  Was it that Third Master said something too excessive last night, and Xu Lingyi didn't want to let the unseemly things between the two brothers be exposed in front of his wife? Or did Third Master make some excessive demands, and Xu Lingyi had no way to speak out?

  Whether it's the former or the latter, that's secondary. What's important is not to let the little impression you've just left in Xu Lingyi's mind disappear... Otherwise, if something like this happens again, you'll definitely be excluded from his trusted circle. If you're not within his trusted circle, you can't become his confidant; if you can't become his confidant, you can't get his support; if you can't get his support, you can't get the greatest freedom...

  The eleventh girl skipped over those brotherly affections and asked with a clever smile: "Does the Marquis have any plans?"

  Xu Lingyi listened and her eyebrows and eyes relaxed.

  He could talk to San Ge about a few things in his heart, and he knew that the first thing was this wife who was still a bit sour like a green persimmon. But when he treated her as a close friend, pouring out his heart, he felt like something was missing; when he treated her as a colleague, being casual and intimate, he felt uncomfortable; when he treated her as a family member, being simple and direct, he felt too cold... As for his wife, he thought about it for half a day and couldn't remember if he had ever sat down with Yuanniang to discuss family matters in a warm and gentle manner. It seemed that most of the time, they just stuck to their own opinions and parted ways unhappily!

  For a moment, I really didn't know what to do.

  Now she considerately sent someone away and didn't ask what he and Third Brother had discussed, he couldn't help but feel relieved.

  "Third Brother was originally a very intelligent person. He had passed the Imperial Examination to become a Xiucai. It was later that Father said, for people like us, having real talent and learning is enough, don't bother with those empty titles. Third Brother didn't continue to participate in the Imperial Examinations." He said somewhat helplessly, "To say it, Third Brother just worried about the children's future prospects."

  Oh!

  Eleventh saw Xu Lingyi looking at her with a serious expression and restrained herself from raising an eyebrow.

  It seems that Xu Lingning still has some reservations about Xu Lingyi!

  But if it were me, I might be the same.

  How can someone like Xu Lingyi understand the subtle psychology of being both humble and proud like Xu Lingning?

  As long as the goal is achieved, it's not necessary to spread oneself out in front of Xu Lingyi and let him see clearly...

  "I thought about it. Third Brother is right too. Diligent Brother is already thirteen this year, and Frugal Brother is also eleven years old. They are almost at the age of discussing marriage. Until now, they don't have much savings in their hands, so Third Sister can't help but feel anxious and has a greedy thought."

  The eleventh girl nodded, her expression solemn, but in her heart she secretly found it amusing.

  It turns out that Xu Lingyi is a very astute person, and now he actually says such things, obviously just to gloss over the situation for San Ye.

  "My suggestion is to let Third Brother fill in the gap and be released!"

  "Agreed!" Eleventh Sister's eyes lit up, "Young Master Hou has a great idea! In front of outsiders, just say that Third Brother was delayed for many years due to family matters. Now that everything is going smoothly at home, Third Brother also wants to make a career for himself. If Third Sister-in-law is willing to go, then she'll go. And don't mention anything about dividing the family property or not."

  Xu Lingyi saw that her eyes were shining brightly and immediately understood his intention, with a thick smile at the bottom of her eyes.

  "Get a job as a county magistrate. After a few years, when everyone gets used to the fact that Third Brother is no longer in the Lotus Pond, get a promotion to a higher official position. At that time, buy a house outside and come back on the first and fifteenth of each month to pay respects to Mother, and everyone will live in peace."

  The eleventh girl nodded repeatedly, really thinking this idea was good.

  In this way, everyone is nominally together but actually lives their own separate lives. If something happens, they can still take care of each other. Anyway, if the Xu family gets into trouble politically, Xu Lining as a member of the Xu family will not be able to escape.

  "There's just one more thing..." Xu Lingyi looked at Shiyi Niang, her expression hesitant.