Chapter 268

Chapter 273: Celebration (Part 2)

Xin Jieer's full moon celebration was held, and the fifth madam eagerly moved back to her original courtyard from Zhaozhuang Hall before returning to her maternal home with Xu Lingkuan and the child.

In the evening, Xin Jieer returned decorated with colorful silk threads. The elder madam held her, chuckling heartily, and counted the threads while teasing Xin Jieer, "See how much our old lord dotes on our Xin Jieer!"

It was the child's first visit to her maternal home since her full moon. If the child was a girl, relatives and friends from her maternal side would each give her a colorful silk thread. The number of threads represented the number of people who came to congratulate her.

The fifth madam laughed and said, "I heard that when Xin Jieer returned, several aunts and sisters-in-law from the extended family came back—it was quite lively!"

The elder madam nodded with a smile.

Sitting opposite the elder madam, the second madam took the chance to hold the child—the elder madam, though well-preserved, was after all of an advanced age. It was fine to tease the child for a while, but holding her for a long time might be strenuous.

The elder madam didn't insist and instead started discussing the March 3rd festival with Eleven Miss, who was standing nearby: "Every year at this time, we invite them over for some fun. This year, with so many things happening at home," she glanced at the fifth madam, "it's even more important to invite people over to liven things up and dispel the gloom."

Was she referring to the sudden deaths of Xiao Lan and her son?

"I was just thinking of discussing this matter with you, mother," Eleven Miss said softly. "I noticed that the household accounts from previous years include this expense. I wanted to ask you how we should handle it this year?"

She was implying whether they should make a big celebration this year! Upon hearing this, the second madam coughed lightly.

The elder madam turned to the second madam: "What do you think?"

The second madam said softly, "The child has just had her full moon—I think it's better to follow the usual practice?"

The ancients believed in destiny, thinking that each person's fortune, longevity, and happiness were predestined. They also emphasized the balance of yin and yang. If yin grows, yang diminishes; if yin rises, yang declines. If the established balance is disrupted, it could lead to an imbalance where wealth increases but longevity decreases.

She meant that the child was still too young, and excessive luxury could disrupt the balance of her destiny, leading to adverse consequences!

The fifth madam had initially wanted to make a grand celebration. Firstly, as the elder madam had mentioned, to bring some cheer. Secondly, it was her daughter's first Girls' Festival since her birth—although the household had set budgets for various expenses, Eleven Miss had allocated fifty taels of silver for Xin Jieer's full moon according to the old custom, and the rest of the expenses were covered by themselves. But they could certainly afford it.

For their daughter, spending this amount of money was certainly worth it!

But upon hearing the second madam's words, she immediately changed her mind.

"Second sister-in-law is indeed considerate. Mother, let's follow her suggestion."

The elder madam also agreed with the second madam's opinion. She hadn't expressed her stance immediately earlier, fearing that the fifth madam might overthink it. Now that everyone was in agreement, the elder madam nodded slightly and instructed Eleven Miss: "Then let's proceed as we usually do."

Eleven Miss acknowledged, and Lord Xu and Xu Lingkuan arrived.

After exchanging greetings, Xu Lingkuan immediately took his daughter into his arms: "Did she cry at all today?" he asked the fifth madam.

The fifth madam walked over to her husband, smiling as she looked at their daughter: "Who would dare to make her cry!"

Xu Lingkuan beamed with joy: "Children cry when they are uncomfortable." He meant that the child had been well taken care of today.

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

Lord Xu's gaze rested on Eleven Miss.

Since taking over the household affairs, Eleven Miss had spent most of her time in the West Flower Hall. Even when at home, she was often approached by stewardesses for instructions. Although he was idle at home, the time they spent together had actually decreased compared to before, and the tranquility they once shared was gone—they had only exchanged a few words during breakfast that day.

Eleven Miss stood beside the elder madam, wearing a peach-red thin jacket. Her dark hair was tied up in a simple bun, with only a small southern pearl dangling by her ear. She stood there quietly, as serene and composed as the pearl by her ear, exuding a quiet beauty.

Sensing someone's gaze, Eleven Miss turned her head and saw Lord Xu standing at the doorway in the distance.

He was dressed in a casual sapphire-blue Hangzhou silk robe, standing tall with his hands behind his back. His gaze was bright and spirited, with a hint of winter-like warmth, making his expression appear softer than usual.

Eleven Miss was momentarily taken aback.

Ever since Wang Jiubao arrived in the capital, many people had come to visit Lord Xu. Lord Xu excused himself, claiming his foot ailment had flared up again, and apart from old friends like Wang Li and Ma Zuowen, refused to see anyone else. He holed up in the Half-Moon Pavilion, painting and writing. Today, for some reason, he went to the outer courtyard after breakfast and only returned now.

Had something joyful happened?

She pondered, gazing at him with a hint of confusion.

Eleven Miss had a pair of beautiful eyes. They were clear and bright, like the waters of a mountain spring, making one's heart feel pure just by looking at them. At times, they resembled stars in the night sky, sparkling with an inexplicable light, leaving one guessing for a while...

Lord Xu studied Eleven Miss carefully.

Eleven Miss felt somewhat awkward.

His gaze felt too intense.

Who knows what others might think if they noticed!

She quickly averted her gaze, focusing on her nose and sitting up straight, when she heard a burst of laughter and Xu Lingkuan asking Lord Xu, "Fourth Brother, what do you think?" His tone was tinged with probing and caution.

Seeing Eleven Miss turn her face away and sit upright with a composed expression, and recalling her flustered glance at him earlier, Lord Xu smiled to himself. Though he sensed something amiss in Xu Lingkuan's tone, his emotions were unsettled, and the words tumbled out uncontrollably, "You all decide! It doesn't matter to me."

Xu Lingkuan was dumbfounded, remaining silent for a moment.

Meanwhile, the fifth madam giggled, "Mother, you heard it yourself—Fourth Brother agreed. We'll start on the second day and perform until the fourth. The Deyin Troupe, Changsheng Troupe, and Jiexiang Society will each perform for a day." She was quite excited, "We'll invite Zhou Dehui, Geng Changsheng, and Bai Xixiang. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event in the opera world!"

"Fourth Brother is being so agreeable today!" The elder madam's gaze shifted between Lord Xu and Eleven Miss, her eyes narrowing into a smile.

Lord Xu now understood what Xu Lingkuan was asking for. He stiffened slightly but quickly regained his usual composure, "It's not often that everyone is so happy."

The elder madam nodded approvingly.

The second madam, however, gazed at Lord Xu thoughtfully and smiled.

He was the one who once accused Xu Lingkuan of 'indulging in trivial matters,' yet now he agreed to let Xu Lingkuan invite opera troupes to perform at home for three days... Lord Xu, feeling somewhat uneasy, deftly changed the subject, "Today, Steward Bai and I checked the almanac. The tenth day of the third month is an auspicious date. I thought we could start construction on that day. The sooner we complete the repairs, the sooner we can move in for the summer."

"Good, good, good," the elder madam nodded approvingly, "Where do you plan to move to?"

Repairing the house would require craftsmen. Men and women should maintain a proper distance. Naturally, the women of the household couldn't stay there and would need to relocate.

Before Lord Xu could speak, the elder madam continued, "I think we should move to the Fishing Pavilion! Although it's called a pavilion, your father liked to fish there when he was alive, and he added a small three-room courtyard behind it. Yuge can stay with Zhenjie in the Scenic Pavilion. Zhenjie can stay with me for a few days. The concubines can move to the Yixiang Courtyard. As for you two, although it's not very spacious, it's not too cramped either." The elder madam looked at Eleven Miss, "What do you think?"

The most spacious courtyard in the garden is the Dressing Hall. But since Xiao Lan and her child died there, moving there would make her feel uneasy. The Shaohua Courtyard is near the Biyi Gate, and the path to the Dressing Hall is across the water from the Shaohua Courtyard. This would make it inconvenient for Lord Xu to come and go. The elder madam's arrangement was the best.

Eleven Miss looked at Lord Xu.

Such matters naturally required the head of the household's approval.

Lord Xu also found the elder madam's arrangement reasonable, "Let's follow Mother's suggestion." He added, "I think the sixth day of next month is auspicious for moving. Let's move on that day."

The elder madam nodded approvingly.

Eleven Miss brought up Zhenjie's matter, "...Let her stay with us! So you don't have to move around."

"It's spring now, and the wind blowing from the water is chilly. Houses near the water aren't suitable for living," the elder madam insisted, "We can't have her staying in the courtyard with you, can we?"

Zhenjie was older, and with a group of maids and older women around, moving in would indeed be inconvenient.

But troubling the elder madam made Eleven Miss feel uneasy.

"Let Zhenjie stay with me!" said the second aunt, who had been sitting quietly until now. "It's also a good opportunity to check her studies and see if she's been neglecting them."

The elder madam thought for a moment and then agreed, "Alright, let Zhenjie stay with you!"

And so, the matter was decided.

When Xu Siyu and others came to pay their respects, the elder madam mentioned it. Xu Siyu did not respond, Xu Sijie was too young to react, Zhenjie was very happy, but Chun Ge tugged at the elder madam's sleeve and whined, "Grandmother, let big sister stay with us!"

Lord Xu frowned, "Your sister is going to study the zither and practice calligraphy with your second aunt, not to play!"

Chun Ge was so scared that he hid behind the elder madam and didn't dare to speak for a long time.

Lord Xu was about to quiz him on his studies.

He was currently studying with Xu Siyu at the clan school.

Overseeing a son's studies is both a father's duty and privilege, and the women in the inner courtyard, including the elder madam, could not say anything about it.

Chun Ge stood shaking before Lord Xu, stumbling over a few lines from "Elementary Learning."

Not only Lord Xu and the second aunt, but even Eleven Miss could see that Chun Ge was completely out of sorts—previously, both the second aunt and the elder madam had gone over "Elementary Learning" with him, and he had recited it smoothly. But now, after a few days of school, it seemed as if he had forgotten everything he had learned before.

Xu Lingkuan looked on nervously.

The fifth madam absentmindedly patted her daughter.

The second aunt looked puzzled.

The elder madam watched anxiously.

Eleven Miss had no choice but to gesture to Amber.

Amber turned and went out, and soon a little maid announced from behind the curtain, "Elder madam, where should we serve the meal?"