Chapter 620

Chapter 627: Growth (Part 1)

"So, Jin'er now has two more page boys?" Xu Siyu set down the book in his hand and smiled as he accepted the teacup offered by Xiang Shi. "And one of them is only three years old?"

Xiang Shi nodded with a smile. "When I went to pay my respects to Mother, that child named Chang Shun was sitting under the eaves eating candy. One of the sixth young master’s maids was watching over him. From what Mother said, Chang'an will also be accompanying the sixth young master (Jin'er) to learn martial arts from Master Pang."

Xu Siyu took a sip of tea. "Chang'an’s parents are both part of Mother’s household staff from her dowry, so it’s no surprise he’s following Jin'er. But Chang Shun, at such a young age, is also being included..." He chuckled. "It must be Mother’s idea—she was the same with Zhun'er and Jie Geer when they were young, always finding ways to play with them. Chang Shun must be the playmate she found for Jin'er."

Xiang Shi smiled. "I think Chang Shun is quite an adorable child. Not only is he fair-skinned and neat, but he’s also not shy around strangers." As she spoke, she thought of children... It had been four months since their wedding, and she still hadn’t shown signs of pregnancy. Though her mother-in-law hadn’t said anything, her aunt and mother were growing anxious. In two days, Xu Siyu would leave for Le’an, and her chances would grow even slimmer...

At this thought, her expression dimmed, and her tone became somewhat listless.

The closer the day of his departure to Le’an drew, the deeper Xiang Shi’s melancholy grew. Though her words were always along the lines of "focus on your studies, I’ll take good care of Father and Mother at home," he could still sense his wife’s reluctance to part.

Seeing her low spirits, Xu Siyu thought for a moment before speaking softly, "I’ll write often."

Xiang Shi blushed slightly.

Her husband had already decided that once he returned to Le’an, he would devote himself entirely to his studies—so much so that he might not even return for the New Year... What she admired most about him was his unwavering determination.

"Don’t worry, husband," she murmured, lowering her head. "I’ll be fine." Beyond that, she didn’t know what else to say.

For a moment, the two sat in silence, but the atmosphere between them was warm.

Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie emerged from the side room, still discussing the lantern that had failed during the Lantern Festival. "...If we’d known, we shouldn’t have used glass but piled gauze instead."

"We needed a lot of them. Getting glass would’ve required asking the stewards to place orders at specialized shops—too much trouble," Xu Sijie said with a laugh. "Let’s just use piled gauze. At worst, I’ll try a few more times until I figure it out."

Ever since that day he had cried on Eleven Miss’s lap, Xu Sijie had made an effort not to trouble others with his affairs.

Xu Sizhun, however, didn’t see the issue. "What’s the big deal? Just ask the storehouse for it." As he spoke, he noticed Xi Er from Xu Sijie’s quarters standing in the corridor with a young maid who hadn’t yet put up her hair. He recognized her—she served in Eleven Miss’s rooms. The two were chatting animatedly, their faces flushed from the wind, yet they paid it no mind.

"Why not talk somewhere else?" Xu Sizhun teased. "Even though spring has arrived, the wind these days is still quite biting."

Xi Er and the young maid hurried forward to greet them.

Xu Sizhun noticed the barely concealed joy in Xi Er’s expression, unlike her usual composed demeanor. Since Xi Er had been given to Xu Sijie by Eleven Miss, neither Xu Sizhun nor Xu Sijie treated her as an ordinary maid. Amused, Xu Sizhun joked, "Sister Xi Er, what good news do you have? Share it with us so we can celebrate too!"

Xi Er had just received congratulations from a familiar maid, who told her that her two nephews would soon be entering the mansion to serve the sixth young master. She was delighted.

Countless people longed for a chance to catch the sixth young master’s eye—just recently, someone had been punished with caning for being too eager. Yet her nephews could enter the sixth young master’s service without any effort... It was clear how highly Eleven Miss regarded her family.

Having served in the mansion for years and now working in Xu Sijie’s quarters, Xi Er was well aware of the quiet rivalries among stewards, housekeepers, maids, and servants, as well as the expectations surrounding the fourth and sixth young masters. When the fourth young master asked, she suppressed her excitement and replied with a smile, "Oh, it’s nothing important." Then she turned to lift the curtain for them, ready to usher them inside.

The maid from Eleven Miss’s quarters, however, didn’t share Xi Er’s restraint.

With such favor from the mistress, anyone would be grinning from ear to ear. Besides, Xi Er had been smiling nonstop earlier. Assuming Xi Er was just too modest to say it herself, the maid chimed in, "Sister Xi Er’s nephews are about to enter the mansion to serve!"

Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie were surprised.

Xi Er shot the maid a disapproving glance for speaking out of turn but quickly explained with a smile, "My sister-in-law brought my two nephews to pay respects to the mistress today. Finding them amusing, the mistress asked if they’d like to accompany the sixth young master. They’re still young—Chang'an is only seven, and Chang Shun is just three. They don’t understand much. Every time they come to the mansion with my sister-in-law, they get candy and rewards. When they heard they could stay, of course they agreed eagerly." She made light of the matter as much as possible. "But they’re so young—the mistress only asked casually. Whether it actually happens remains to be seen."

Xu Sijie thought it entirely plausible that Eleven Miss, who had always been fond of the children of maids like Binju and Amber who had once served her, might have made such an offer out of fondness. He didn’t dwell on it. "Chang'an entering service makes sense, but Chang Shun would need someone to look after him!" Remembering how shyly Chang Shun had clung to Binju, he couldn’t help but laugh.

Xu Sizhun, however, recalled how Eleven Miss had always encouraged him to play with his attendants as a child. She often said boys should play with boys—if he only played games like tossing sandbags with maids, he’d end up knowing nothing but needlework. She even secretly joined him in jumping rope. Letting two attendants join Jin'er for fun sounded exactly like something she would do.

He chuckled as well.

The young maid, thinking Xi Er was just being modest and seeing the two young masters smiling, added, "If the mistress agreed, the marquis (her husband) surely will. Once that happens, Sister Xi Er’s nephews entering service will be a settled matter!"

Xi Er frowned slightly, her eyes involuntarily assessing Xu Sizhun's expression.

Xu Sizhun nodded lightly, clearly agreeing with the little maid's words.

"That sixth brother is a handful! Those maids and matrons simply can't keep an eye on him. He really needs a couple more boys to keep an eye on him." He smiled at Xu Sijie. "Guess what—the other day, I went to the greenhouse to pick orchids and happened to run into Jiexiang, who was also moving orchids there. Hearing that Sixth Brother was painting bamboo at Shaohua Courtyard, I went over to say hello to Second Aunt. But when I entered the courtyard, Second Aunt was in a sweat, searching for Sixth Brother with the maids and matrons!"

Xu Sijie was taken aback.

Second Aunt was a widow, so they usually avoided disturbing her unless absolutely necessary.

"What happened?" he asked urgently. "Does Mother know about this?" His expression was anxious.

"Nothing major!" Xu Sizhun said as he stepped inside, with Xu Sijie following. "Second Aunt had heard Sixth Brother wanted to paint bamboo, so she set out rice paper on the stone table in the courtyard. Sixth Brother kept darting into the bamboo grove to observe for a while, then dashing back to the table to add a few strokes. Second Aunt sat nearby watching, and just as the painting was almost done, she instructed a maid to dig up last year’s snow water stored behind the house to brew tea. Sixth Brother wanted to go too. Second Aunt told him to focus on his painting. He said he would, but then sneaked through the grove to the backyard to help the maid collect snow water. When Second Aunt noticed he hadn’t returned from the grove for a long time, she sent people to look for him."

As they spoke, the two sat down on the heated kang in the inner chamber.

Xi Er, really worried about Jin Geer, personally served them tea.

"He ran off to the backyard—no wonder they couldn’t find him!" Xu Sizhun couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory, though he quickly suppressed it, realizing it might reflect poorly on Second Aunt. His expression turned slightly awkward. "Shaohua Courtyard is higher than the rest of the estate. Second Aunt turned pale. She questioned the maids assigned to Sixth Brother, but they had no answers. She panicked, turning the whole place upside down."

Xu Sijie leaned forward anxiously. "What happened then?"

"Eventually, Second Aunt called in Huang Xiaomao and Liu Erwu to help search. They finally found Sixth Brother covered in mud." Xu Sizhun laughed. "Second Aunt didn’t know whether to laugh or scold him. She reprimanded the maid, then claimed Sixth Brother had spilled ink on himself while painting. She had A Jin fetch clean clothes for him to change into and helped him clean up herself before the matter was settled."

Xu Sijie exhaled in relief.

"If Mother found out, Jin Geer would be in for it again!"

"Exactly!" Xu Sizhun grinned. "So Second Aunt told everyone not to mention it to Mother, to spare her worry—and to keep Jin Geer from getting into trouble."

The two soon shifted topics, discussing arrangements for Xu Siyu’s farewell.

"Third Brother suggested we go to a newly opened place called Li Ji in the southern city tomorrow as a send-off for Second Brother. He said places like Chunxi Tower and Tingli Pavilion—same old, same old. Boring!"

"The south side? Isn’t that kinda far? And who knows if Li Ji is any good?" Xu Sijie hesitated.

"That’s the point!" Xu Sizhun laughed. "Third Brother says it’s excellent—his colleagues often dine there."

After the New Year, Lord Xu had gradually relaxed their restrictions. They only needed to inform the guards before going out. Xu Sijie found the idea tempting.

"What did Second Brother say?" Xu Sijie trusted Xu Siyu’s judgment—he was steady and well-traveled. If he approved, it was likely fine.

"Second Brother agreed too!" Xu Sizhun smiled. "Third Brother wants us to leave by mid-morning tomorrow to have lunch at Li Ji."

"Alright!" Xu Sijie grew enthusiastic, and the two began planning their trip.

Only then did Xi Er quietly slip out of the room.

The fourth young master didn’t give it a second thought. Standing on the steps, she finally let out a long breath.