After a busy day's work, Lu Zuo was not as tired as before. He made an appointment to go to his father-in-law's house for a dinner with his wife An Jingruo today. By this time, his wife was probably already at her parents' house. There was something missing on his face. Some smiled and came out from under the door to see Yin Ji and Lao Pan already leading the carriage and waiting at the door. Yin Ji saw his master walking lightly and smiling calmly, so he asked: "Master, is there anything happy today? I have seen you in high spirits since you left home early in the morning!"
"Haha... we'll talk about it after we get in the car!"
Yin Ji pulled his master onto the carriage and the two of them got into the carriage.
"Master, sit down!" Old Pan pulled the horse's reins, and the carriage moved forward slowly.
Lu Zuo slowly lifted the curtains and looked at the crowds of people in the market, but he was not bored at all. Instead, he said: "The Chinese New Year is coming soon, and the lively scene in this market is rare! Let's go shopping in the evening. Buy some new year goods and celebrate the New Year well."
Yin Ji asked puzzledly: "Why not let the servants buy it?"
"How do they know what your brother Renxiang likes to eat?"
"What?" Yin Ji stared at his master dumbfounded, "Master, do you mean that Brother Renxiang will come back? Isn't he working in Suzhou?"
Lu Zuo couldn't suppress the smile on his face, "Haha... I'll be back soon!"
After a long period of calm in the Earl's Mansion, there was finally a burst of laughter. An Yuanshan was sitting in the middle hall and was joking with his daughter An Jingruo who was standing beside him. The father and daughter had not seen each other for some time and they had too much to say in their hearts, which made his son An Shilu who was standing aside a little jealous. An Shilu said half jokingly, half teasingly: "Dad, isn't the child your biological child? I've been talking to my sister since I came back in the afternoon. I'm almost starving when I hold my stomach. Let's eat first!"
An Yuanshan smiled kindly, "Hey! We still have to wait for your brother-in-law to come back first!"
When An Shilu heard his brother-in-law Lu Zuo's name, he seemed a little unhappy and sneered, "Whatever he does, we'll eat ours!"
Anyuanshan glared at his son, "Do you have the right to speak? People will come later. If you show your temper again, watch your skin carefully!"
Jing Jingruo knew what her second brother was thinking, so she smiled and patted her father on the shoulder and said, "Dad, my second brother is duplicitous. Don't be the same as him."
An Shilu snorted softly and looked up at the outside of the hall angrily, "What does the mountain villager have..."
"Still talking!" An Yuanshan sighed with a feeling of hatred for iron. "Hey... if you could be like your brother, why are you still idle like a flying eagle and a lackey?"
At this time, a servant happened to come under the dripping eaves and reported that his uncle was back. Anyuanshan quickly ordered people to come in.
Cold comes and summer comes, but the new year is the coldest time of the year. It snowed again in a small town fifty miles away from the capital, and the ground became completely white overnight. When dawn breaks, the sky is clear and blue, the earth is misty, and there is the sound of heavy snow pressing down on the trees everywhere. Just on the official road to Kyoto, a carriage was slowly heading towards Kyoto. The carriage driver was swinging his willow whip and singing folk songs that echoed in the mountains. His voice was loud and clear, and bursts of joy and laughter came from the carriage.
The driver who was driving the carriage was not too old. He had a thick black mustache and looked to be in his thirties. He shouted to the car: "Second Master, the capital is coming soon!"
A deep voice in the car responded, "Yeah! Lao Li, hurry up." At this time, another female family member's voice in the car said angrily, "Why are you in such a hurry! We're almost there anyway."
"Madam, I think you are anxious!"
"Hmph! Why am I in a hurry?"
The coachman, Lao Li, smiled and interjected: "Madam, you don't have to worry, our uncle is very easy to get along with!"
The man in the car said: "My brother is a very good person. I think you will think it's good too." The woman asked again: "I just don't know how my eldest brother's wife is? I heard that she is the daughter of Uncle Ping Yuan, and she is also a member of the court. Princess? Renxiang, do you think your brother and sister-in-law will disown me as their sister-in-law?"
Lu Renxiang smiled and said: "You are thinking too much. Our sister-in-law comes from a scholarly and general family, how can she be so ignorant? Besides, you, Lu Renxiang, were married by three matchmakers and six betrothals. How could they make things difficult for you?"
"Madam, you don't know that our uncle is well-known as a good person. Although he sometimes doesn't like to talk, everyone knows that he is a cold-faced and kind-hearted person. He is also approachable when dealing with his servants, and he doesn't put on airs. . And like our second master, he is a filial son." Lao Li said as he whipped his horse whip.
"I've heard this for a long time, but..." The woman's brows furrowed, seeming a little worried.
Lu Renxiang took her hands and comforted her: "Believe me! Brother, he will definitely welcome you!"
Kyoto is getting closer, and the suburbs are already a peaceful scene. It seems that after a year, the capital has not changed much, and it is still the same as when I came with my eldest brother. The weeping willows on the official road line up in two rows, seeming to welcome the return of old friends. Under the reflection of the evening sun, a touch of tender green can be seen on the willow tops breaking out of the branches, slowly becoming graceful in the cold wind. Lu Renxiang lifted the curtain, looked out the car window, and said to his wife, "I really can't stand the trouble. Madam, look, the capital has arrived."
Lu Renxiang's wife is twenty years old. Although she is not as beautiful as a flower, she looks dignified and gentle. She is really lovely. Lu Renxiang can't get enough of her every time. This time when he returned to Beijing to see his brother, there were three things in his opinion. The first major event is to return to Beijing to take up a post, the second is to reunite the brothers after a long absence, and the last one is to introduce his wife He to his brother.
Although He is a demure and gentle woman, when she came to Beijing this time, she really couldn't help but want to see the prosperity of Kyoto, so she also raised the curtain and took a few more looks outside. Although she hadn't arrived in the city yet, there were already people outside. The flow of people is like a weave, nowhere can it be compared to the feudal town and state capital. There were all kinds of tourists coming and going, and shops along the bank were lined up in rows. There were constant shouts and the sound of firecrackers from time to time. When I looked further into the distance, there were actually people setting off fireworks in the blue sky and in broad daylight. I couldn't help but laugh and said: "Mr. Look, there are people over there setting off fireworks in broad daylight, it’s really ridiculous.”
Lu Renxiang slowly turned around and said with a smile: "This Kyoto is not comparable to Suzhou. There are so many wealthy businessmen and famous families. Setting off fireworks in broad daylight is just to show off the wealth of the family!"
At this time, Lao Li was also outside the car and said: "Second Master, we have reached the outskirts. Do you want to get off the carriage and take a rest? I saw that the horse was a little tired, and it was too lazy to move no matter how hard it was. I thought he was tired from running for a day!" "
"Well! It's still early in the day! It's not too late to get off the carriage and have a rest before heading into the city!"
