The weather was sunny in the morning, but after the rain and snow, it became increasingly cold.
"Madam, be careful of the water on the ground." Su Zi supported Fang Xu with a gentle movement, "This trip will take half a month. You and Mrs. Lan must take care of yourselves."
"It doesn't matter to us." Fang Xu held the gold-plated hand stove and said in a relaxed tone, "What matters is the family. You must keep an eye on the whole family and don't reveal the news of my departure to the outside world."
"And..." Fang Xu paused and said softly, "You must take good care of Granny Yuan. If something happens to the house, I would rather not lose those jewelry than carry her out!"
Su Zi nodded hard and lowered his voice, "Don't worry, madam."
Xie Li was nowhere to be seen outside the door, and Xie Wanzhou also went to the girls' school early. Only Liu Fanyin and Song Huixin were waiting in front of the side door.
"Mother." Liu Fanyin stepped forward to greet her with a smile. "Everything has been installed for you. You and your aunt should pay attention to your safety when you go out."
Song Huixin also came forward with a bright smile, "Mother, Xie Li went to the palace early in the morning and was not able to see her off. She specifically asked me to explain the reason to you."
Fang Xu raised his eyelids, looked at the two of them, and whispered, "While I'm away from home these days, I will leave the house to you."
Liu Fanyin smiled lightly, nodded, and said softly, "Don't worry, mother."
Fang Xu looked at her and whispered, "Bring more Huixin with you so that she won't get carried away. I'll leave Su Zi and Ye Ming with you. If there's any difficulty, I'll send you a letter."
Song Huixin shrugged, with a bright smile on his face, "With my sister-in-law by my side, mother, just relax."
Fang Xu nodded, stepped on the footstool, and got into the carriage.
Su Zi walked aside, stared at the accompanying maid, turned her face coldly, and asked in a low voice, "What's your name?"
The maid didn't seem to expect that Su Zi would talk to her. She looked surprised and responded in a low voice, "Sister Su Zi, this servant's name is Danyun. She is the sweeping maid in the outer courtyard. She was chosen by Brother Ye to take care of his wife when she travels."
"Danyun..." Su Zi's face softened a bit, and he lowered his voice and said, "Can you read the words?"
Danyun looked horrified, nodded slightly, and whispered, "I know some common words."
Hearing this, Su Zi lowered his head and took out a pamphlet from his arms, stuffed it into Danyun's arms, and whispered, "While Madam is traveling, you will temporarily take my place. Madam's preferences are recorded in it, you see." Just keep doing it and you can’t go wrong.”
Su Zi stared at her, and his voice became a little deeper, "Just do your work steadily. When you come back, if Madam has rewarded you, I will reward you in another way."
"If you can get into Madam's eyes, you will be indispensable from the outer courtyard to Chengyuan."
Danyun held the booklet, her face was more flattered, and she hurriedly agreed, "Yes, I will serve the good lady and live up to Sister Su Zi's trust."
"Go," Su Zi said in a low voice with some worry in her eyes, "You just remember one thing, no matter what happens, your wife must be the first."
"Sister Su Zi, I understand." Dan Yun agreed and ran to the carriage to wait.
The wheels turned slowly and drove out of the alley under the watchful eyes of everyone.
-
Beijing Suburban Mountains
Fang Xu leaned on the couch, closed his eyes and meditated, and passed the time by turning the string of beads on his fingertips.
Fang Lan sat on the other side, covering his mouth with a handkerchief, and said lazily, "Hey, what's going on with you and Shen Ji...?"
Fang Xu slowly raised his eyelids, looking confused, "Why did sister suddenly mention him?"
Looking at her sister, Fang Lan clicked her tongue, "As your sister, why don't I care about your feelings?"
Fang Xu glanced at him and whispered, "You misunderstood. He has no other thoughts about me at all."
Fang Lan curled his lips and muttered in a low voice, "Go ahead and lie to ghosts!"
"What's more..." Fang Xu raised his eyes to look at her and said softly, "I am three years older than him and have a son. He is in his prime, his parents are alive and he has not yet married, so why should he be interested in me?"
"I don't like to hear this." Fang Lan said with a disapproving look, "No matter who the girl from my Fang family is matched with, she will be worthy of her!"
Fang Xu chuckled, closed his eyes again, and refused to comment.
"Chen Ji... looks pretty good." Fang Lan patted her knee and whispered, "Tell your sister, do you really have no interest in him?"
Fang Xu raised his eyelids helplessly and said leisurely, "Not to mention that all my children are married, just how old Yinyin is. At this age, why does my sister insist on persuading me to remarry?"
"It's not like I'm forcing you to remarry." Fang Lan looked embarrassed and murmured, "As you said, the children have their own families and live their own lives, but you are the only one. I feel uncomfortable watching it. Very much."
"I am your sister, a compatriot from the same mother. How can I not wish you well?" Fang Lan looked a little lonely and whispered, "It doesn't have to be Shen Ji. I just hope that you can have the right to choose love."
"If one day you meet someone who truly loves you and protects you, and you have the idea of remarrying, your children will definitely agree." Fang Lan raised a smile at the corner of her mouth, "Sister just wants you to be happy."
Fang Xu looked into her sincere eyes, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly, "Don't worry, sister, if I really want to remarry, I will definitely ask you to be my adviser."
"But even if I remarry, I will not consider someone who is inferior to the Marquis." Fang Xu sat upright and said in a calm voice, "People can only walk up, not look down."
Fang Lan laughed out loud and joked with her eyes, "If you don't marry someone below the Marquis, then who do you want to marry? Is it possible to marry a chief minister and become a lady who is more than ten thousand people?"
Fang Xu was amused by her, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, noncommittal.
"Sister, you only talk about me, but why don't you talk about yourself?" Fang Xu smiled warmly and spoke softly, "After your ex-husband died, your sister brought up two children, so you never thought about remarrying?"
Fang Lan choked and looked embarrassed. He curled up his clothes with his fingertips and looked a little nervous. "What can I think about?"
Fang Xu looked at her and whispered, "I see you look like you already have an eyebrow?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Fang Lan pursed her lips and said in a low voice, "Xunfang is very good to me. She is much more reliable than men. With her here, why should I remarry?"
Looking for fragrance...
The image of a woman appeared in Fang Xu's mind, and his eyebrows jumped suddenly, "Sister, can you..."
"How long have you been gone now?"
Before she could finish speaking, Fang Lan interrupted hurriedly, opened the curtains, and asked loudly outside.
Danyun sat on the carriage board, her nose reddened by the cold wind. She turned sideways and looked at the master in the carriage, and whispered, "Mrs. Huilan, we have been walking for an hour."
"Stop for now, let's take a rest." Fang Lan waved and said in a loud voice, "It's almost noon, I have to eat something."
The carriage was stopped at the sound, and Fang Lan rushed out of the carriage and ran outside to breathe in the cold wind.
Fang Xu looked at her fleeing back and couldn't help but want to laugh, "You can't even hide your thoughts, but you still have the nerve to lecture me."
