The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, Xu Jinyu once again returned home with the moonlight on her shoulders. When she arrived at the entrance of the village, she saw Dani and little sister waiting for her. As soon as they saw Xu Jinyu's figure, the two sisters surrounded them from left to right.
Dani took the bamboo basket filled with pens, inks, paper and inkstones carried on Xu Jinyu's shoulders, and felt her palms drop:
"It's so heavy. Dalang has just recovered. Why don't you tell anyone at home? I'll go get it back for you."
Xu Jinyu smiled slightly:
"Sister, I don't know. When I left Dongchen Academy, it was already dusk. If I go through many twists and turns, it might be midnight.
Besides, I am worried about my eldest sister, a girl, traveling late at night. "
Xu Jinyu's words made Dani feel warm in her heart, and then she immediately said:
"Then I'll just wait for Da Lang outside the academy earlier!"
Dani said this with a lot of expectations in her eyes, and Xu Jinyu did not live up to her expectations. Facing Dani's calm and bright eyes, she said in a calm but serious tone:
"Okay, then I'm afraid I'll have to trouble my elder sister in the future."
After hearing Xu Jinyu's words, Dani's eyes suddenly shone brightly. She stepped forward and grabbed Xu Jinyu's sleeve:
"Da Lang, seriously, are you serious?!"
Xu Jinyu nodded with a smile:
"Jin Yu's departure has lived up to elder sister's high expectations."
"Great, great! I'll tell Naihe Niang right now!"
Dani was stunned for a moment and shed tears for a moment. After she realized what she was doing, she quickly rushed towards home, still holding the pen, ink, paper and inkstone in her arms tightly.
Before Xu Jinyu had time to react, he only saw the eldest sister's retreating back. He couldn't help but shake his head. When he lowered his head, he saw that the younger sister was also grinning stupidly.
"Little guy, what are you happy about?"
The little girl held Xu Jinyu's sleeve, walked slowly, and said crisply:
"I have never seen my eldest sister so happy in the past few days. I can't even coax her, but my brother has a way!"
Xu Jinyu raised his eyebrows, and he also discovered that the eldest sister in the family was the most thoughtful, but also worried.
It was rare for her to be so happy today.
"Brother not only has a way to make the eldest sister happy, but he also has a way to make the younger sister happy."
After Xu Jinyu finished speaking, he took out the two candied haws wrapped in oil paper from his sleeves. The little girl's eyes lit up:
"Wow! Candied haws!"
"Is Gao not happy?!"
"I'm so happy! Brother is the best!"
…
"I can hear the excitement of you two brothers and sisters from far away. Come in quickly!"
As soon as Mrs. Xu heard Dani's good news, she came over immediately and just opened the door.
"Milk, please wait a little longer."
Xu Jinyu immediately went up to support Mrs. Xu. The moonlight was dim. Mrs. Xu had injured her eyes from doing embroidery over the years and could not see clearly at night.
The little girl is jumping up and down with a bunch of candied haws in one hand:
"Milk! My brother bought me candied haws! Sister, this is yours!"
Dani had just cried for a while, shedding all the worries of the past two days with her tears. Now her eyes were as red as rabbits. After hearing what the younger sister said, she was stunned:
"Give it to me? I've grown up, and sugar-coated haws are only used to entertain children..."
Dani said, but her voice hesitated. In a family with many children, if there is poverty, it is usually the eldest who tolerates it.
Xu Jinyu saw Dani's scruples and smiled warmly:
"It's just for eldest sister. The girl loves sweet and sour food. Please try it, eldest sister!"
"Sister, eat quickly, eat quickly!"
The younger sister handed it directly to Dani's mouth, and then said:
"Eldest sister is already in the mouth, we can't give in anymore!"
Dani was dumbfounded by what her little sister did, and then she could only take it, take a bite, and narrow her eyes:
"Sour, sweet and delicious."
The family entered the house bustlingly, and Xu Jinyu took out a bag of wrapped snacks from the bamboo basket:
"This is for Naihe Niang. The store is very welcoming. I tried it a little. It's soft, sweet and fragrant. It's quite good."
"Hey, my old lady has one too?"
Mrs. Xu couldn't help but be happy. It didn't matter if the snacks were there or not, what mattered was the child's heart.
Xu's mother came out last, and Xu Jinyu came back at the right time. After stewing for a full two hours, the braised pork was crispy and fragrant, and it was the critical time to come out of the pot.
"Eating meat!"
Mother Xu came out with a smile and a plate of braised pork. Dani reluctantly put away the unfinished candied haws, brought a small bowl of brown rice, and arranged the dishes and chopsticks. The family officially started eating!
"Eat quickly, eat quickly, this is specially prepared by my mother!"
Xu's mother urged, took a chopstick and put the braised pork into Xu Jinyu's bowl, and narrowed her eyes with a smile:
"I knew Dalang must be a promising person! I specially made braised pork to celebrate, and I made it right!"
The mahjong-sized braised pork was stewed until it was soft and rotten, covered in a layer of rich reddish-brown sauce, and shiny.
When you pick it up with chopsticks, the amber-like fat trembles slightly as if you can't bear it, making you uncontrollably put it into your mouth.
Xu Jinyu put the braised pork on the bowl into her mouth along with a big mouthful of brown rice, and ate it in big mouthfuls. The sweet look on her face made Xu's mother feel happier than if she had eaten a plate of braised pork.
No one knows that today's braised pork is either a celebration for Dalang's successful enrollment in school, or a farewell for the Xu family as they leave this place.
After a meal of braised pork, everyone's mouths were full of oil. Even the salty and rich sauce was mixed with rice and shared among them.
After eating and drinking, the Xu family enjoyed the cool air in the courtyard to eat. There were red cherries picked by the younger sister and a pot of water on the stone table.
Xu's mother was holding the selection letter that Xu Jinyu brought back as a souvenir, and she couldn't put it down.
Mrs. Xu leaned on a bamboo branch and poked it on the ground a few times:
"Ahem, damn Jinyu, you've been watching for a while!"
Xu's mother came to her senses hastily and wiped the moisture from the corner of her eyes with the back of her hand:
"Mom, aren't I so happy?"
"Your happiness must come to an end, right? Bring it here, it's my turn to look at it!"
Xu’s mother: “…”
Good guy, so that’s what you meant?
After Xu Jinyu's selection letter was reviewed at home, Xu's mother said again:
"Da Lang, tell me, how did you get this brain in your head? How did you really pass the exam?"
"Go! You can't talk!"
Old Mrs. Xu couldn't hold it back and wanted to hit someone with a bamboo branch, but Xu Jinyu held back her laughter and stopped her:
"Mom, this admission letter was given to me three days ago. Today I have to go to the academy to register."
As soon as Xu Jinyu said these words, Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Xu were stunned. After Xu Jinyu briefly talked about how the "fresh and refined" mountain chief handed this precious selection letter to herself in a tattered way, Mrs. Xu She and Xu’s mother looked at each other in disbelief, but then the arrogant mother Xu waved her hand directly:
"It's harmful, I know it! With our appearance and virtue, who wouldn't be confused after seeing him?"
Xu Jinyu: "..."
Although, Dongchen Academy seems to be the seed of a prostitute.
…
In the small courtyard of the Xu family, it was peaceful and quiet, but in Lin'an Hou in the middle of the capital, it was also meal time, but the atmosphere was not very pleasant.
The meals in the Hou Mansion have always been sumptuous, and now Chu Lingjue's favorite braised pork was placed in the middle of the table.
It's strange to say that Chu Lingjue, who grew up in fine clothes and fine food, likes meats with thick oil and red sauce, especially braised pork.
The square braised pork is of perfect shape and size. It is covered with red sauce and is bright and fragrant. It is carefully cooked by the chef of the house.
However, no one moved a chopstick today.
"Ling Jue, you said that you were confident of winning the first place, so I allowed you to take the exam at Dongchen Academy, but you didn't expect that you were just a middle-class student! You really let me down!"
Mrs. Chu's eyebrows were raised, and the anger on her face, which was as well-maintained as that of a twenty-eight-year-old girl, was not concealed at all:
"Do you know that once your mid-level results come out, how many people in Beijing will want to see my Ning Yao's jokes?!"
Chu Lingjue lowered his head, looking at the wound on his hand in concentration, without saying a word, but in his mind was Xu Jinyu's very handsome appearance.
If the mother knew, her biological son was not only an outstanding child, but also an outstanding scholar, and was selected to Dongchen Academy by the admission letter.
Will she still want him?
"Ling Jue, since you are the eldest son of my Marquis Mansion, you should show your ability as a eldest son, and don't let others look down upon my Lin'an Marquis Mansion!"
Mrs. Chu looked at Chu Lingjue with cold eyes, bowing her head and saying nothing, and said sternly.
This was something Mrs. Chu had never been strict with before. Chu Lingjue couldn't help but shake her shoulders:
"Yes, mother. Wait, when I enter the academy, I will avenge my shame!"
Mrs. Chu closed her eyes, calmed her breathing, and then nodded:
"As long as you know, let's eat."
During this meal, Chu Lingjue didn't know how to taste the food. She just ate the rice grains in the bowl. The plate of braised pork she liked the most didn't move at all.
Mrs. Chu, who always loved her son, didn't seem to notice.
After Chu Lingjue finished the meal with Mrs. Chu, she said goodbye and left. Before going out, she still heard the conversation between Mrs. Chu and her servant:
"Where is the Marquis? Why haven't you returned home yet?"
"The Marquis heard today that Xu Fengzhai had a collection of Zhang family's calligraphy and paintings, and he went with a few nobles to appreciate the paintings!"
"What kind of noble people does he know? They are all cunning friends! Watch out, Lord Marquis, and don't buy any more fakes and be deceived!"
…
Chu Lingjue returned to her own courtyard, which was just connected to the main courtyard and the backyard. It had 18 rooms, ranging from the master's room, to the study room, to the children's room, and then to the servant room.
The watery moonlight poured down, precious flowers and plants bloomed silently in the night, and a pool of living water passed through, symbolizing wealth and luxury.
Under the moonlight, there was a figure standing with hands behind his hands. Opposite him, a person was bending to listen. The sound of cicadas chirping was not as clear as a whisper.
After the man left, Chu Ling Juefang raised his head and looked at the moon, silently thinking in his heart:
Brother, I can only apologize to you.
