Chapter 158

Chapter 158

Upon seeing each other, both were deeply moved. If there was anyone in this world closer to her than her own family, it was Third Aunt Chen Rong. Though not related by blood, she was like a true aunt.

Chen Rong said, "Some time ago, Qing Yun sent a letter saying she'd found a good match for Sui Er, so I thought I'd come to see for myself. As luck would have it, the Marquis sent someone to bring us to the prefectural city."

"Has Lin Qiu come too?"

"Yes, everyone's here; they're all in the carriage."

"Then please come in quickly!"

The soldier guided the carriage into the courtyard. Wang Ying called out, "Third Aunt is here!"

Inside, Fang Ling paused, surprised. "Which Third Aunt?"

Li Shi said, "Could it be Third Sister?"

The two hurried out and, upon seeing Chen Rong in the courtyard, their eyes instantly welled up. As people age, they become more nostalgic and cherish family bonds even more.

Li Shi held Chen Rong’s hand, looking her over. "Third Sister, how did you get here?"

"The Marquis sent someone to escort us. The whole family is here."

As the carriage stopped, Cao Kun was the first to jump down, setting Xiaomai on the ground before taking Second Baby from Lin Qiu’s arms.

Everyone gathered around. Wang Ying picked up Xiaomai and said, "Xiaomai, do you still recognize your uncle?"

Xiaomai, who had already learned to speak, shyly shook his head.

Li Shi took Second Baby from Cao Kun. "So this is the second child? So plump and darling!"

"It’s windy outside; let’s get inside."

Everyone entered the main room. Wang Ying sent a servant to inform Lin Sui and Qing Yun that Third Aunt had arrived.

Lin Sui and Qing Yun were sewing clothes in their room. When they heard the news, Lin Sui was so excited that her needle pricked her finger. Ignoring the pain, she slipped on her shoes and ran to the front yard.

At the doorway, she heard her mother’s voice. Unable to hold back her tears, Lin Sui pushed the door open. "Mom, Elder Brother..."

"Sui Er!" Lin Qiu and Chen Rong hurried over and embraced her tightly.

Lin Sui burst into tears, not from sadness but from the longing and joy of seeing them after so long.

Chen Rong and Lin Qiu also shed tears. It took a while for the three of them to calm down.

Wang Ying offered them handkerchiefs. "No more crying. Today is our family reunion—we should all be happy."

Lin Sui wiped her tears and nodded, guiding Chen Rong to a seat before turning to her two little nephews.

"Xiaomai, do you remember your younger uncle?"

Xiaomai hid behind Cao Kun and shook his head. He was only a little over a year old when Lin Sui left, so after these past months, he couldn’t possibly remember.

Cao Kun pulled Xiaomai forward. "This is your uncle. He used to dote on you the most. Say hello."

Xiaomai stammered, "Un... uncle."

Lin Sui picked up the child, tenderly stroking his little face. "I’ll buy you some sweets later."

Yuanbao said, "I want some too."

Wang Ying tapped his nose. "Your teeth are almost rotten, and you still want candy?"

Yuanbao lowered his head sheepishly but soon became fast friends with Xiaomai, pulling him around to play with his collection of odds and ends. With Mu Tou and Chun Sheng watching, nothing would go wrong.

Second Baby was sleepy again. Babies at this age eat and sleep a lot. Li Shi asked Aunt Chen to prepare some rice soup and to check in the afternoon if there were any ewes that had just given birth for sale in the market, so the child could have some goat milk. Yuanbao had been raised the same way and grew up strong and healthy.

After catching up, Chen Rong inquired about her son’s marriage.

"The letter mentioned that the Marquis of Wuping has shown interest in Sui Er. How old is he, and what’s his temperament like?"

Lin Sui said, "The Marquis is twenty-five this year and is a dependable man."

Lin Qiu exclaimed in surprise, "Only twenty-five? Mom and I were worried the whole way here, thinking he was some old man."

Everyone laughed at that. The title "Marquis" did indeed make him sound older.

There weren’t many marquises in the Wu Dynasty. First-class marquises were in the capital, mostly relatives of the emperor. For example, the Marquis of Changle was the emperor’s maternal uncle, and his title could be inherited by his descendants.

Then there were second-class marquises, like the Marquis of Wenxuan, a meritorious founding official whose title could also be inherited but would be reduced in rank with each generation. If descendants did not achieve merit, the title would eventually be revoked.

Third-class marquises like Li Mu could not pass their titles to their children, which was why he had no strong desire for a son.

Chen Rong held her son’s hand. "Does he know about you..."

Lin Sui nodded. "He knows. The Marquis knows everything, and I never expected he’d still be willing to marry me."

Lin Qiu was still concerned. "Does he have any children?"

"He has a daughter named Qing Er, four and a half years old. She’s a very well-behaved and adorable little girl. I’ll bring her to meet you when there’s time."

"You’ve met the child?"

Wang Ying said, "More than met—she was the matchmaker who brought the two of them together."

He recounted how Qing Er accidentally climbed onto their carriage delivering ice and how she and Lin Sui became as close as father and daughter. Chen Rong and Lin Qiu listened with wonder.

"Who would have thought such a fate existed? Perhaps it was meant to be, and you two were father and son in a past life."

Lin Qiu said, "In that case, this really is a good match."

As Lin Sui had said, even marrying an ordinary person would face criticism, so why not choose the best?

Chen Rong tucked a stray strand of hair behind Lin Sui’s ear, studying him carefully. "My son has grown taller and handsomer. Now you even have a wonderful marriage. Moving to the city paid off!"

At noon, the family went out for a meal. One convenience of the city was the abundance of restaurants and food stalls, all serving delicious food.

After the meal, Wang Ying returned to prepare rooms for them. Lin Sui wanted to sleep in the same room as Chen Rong—she longed to see her mother.

Cao Kun and Lin Qiu stayed in the guest room with the two children, the same room where Cousin Li had previously stayed. Having a new house was great; otherwise, there wouldn’t have been enough space for everyone.

After such a long journey, everyone was tired and went to their rooms to rest in the afternoon.

*

Meanwhile, Li Mu was reading military manuals in the army camp when a subordinate reported that Deputy General Zheng had returned.

He immediately put down the book and went to greet him. Soon, Zheng Guang came running over with a smile. "Mission accomplished, Marquis—I’ve brought everyone here!"

Li Mu patted his shoulder. "Well done."

"Hey, this little task was nothing. I was just anxious the entire trip, afraid of scaring them."

"Come inside to talk."

Once in the room, Li Mu offered to pour tea for him, but Zheng Guang quickly waved his hand. "No, no, I can do it myself."

Li Mu laughed and gave him a good-natured scolding before setting the teapot down.

Zheng Guang picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup, and gulped it down thirstily before telling them about the journey. "When we arrived, they had just received the letter. After reading it, they were planning to come to the capital, and as it happened, I offered to bring them here."

"How did Lin Sui’s mother and older brother react? Did they express any reluctance about their son marrying into our family?"

"Not at all. Their family seemed decent and honest. They were polite and careful not to be any trouble throughout the journey. We did our best to take care of them, especially since there were two young children. We were worried they might fall ill on the road."

Li Mu’s heart tightened upon hearing this. He hadn’t known before sending for them that Lin Sui’s brother had recently had a child—the second one was just over three months old. It must have been hard for such a young child to make the journey.

"It’s good that they arrived safely. Go get some rest now, and come back early tomorrow for training."

Zheng Guang groaned. "Can’t we take a couple more days off?"

"Looks like you need your hide tanned." Li Mu raised his foot as if to kick him, and Zheng Guang dashed out laughing. "Tomorrow, I’ll be here tomorrow!"

After Zheng Guang left, Li Mu paced back and forth for a while. Dropping by unannounced wouldn’t be appropriate; it would be better to wait a few days and visit with his daughter.

*

On the fifth day of the tenth month, the Chen family’s courtyard was laid with a red carpet, and red double-happiness symbols were pasted on the doors and windows.

The next day was Qing Yun’s wedding, and everyone was busy preparing.

In the main room, Li Shi and Chen Rong were weaving love knots, while Fang Ling, who didn’t know how to make them, held Second Baby and watched.

Chen Rong asked, "I haven’t had the chance to ask—what's Qing Yun’s husband-to-be like? How old is he?"

"He’s eighteen, a classmate of Qing Yan’s. His father works as a government clerk in the yamen, and his mother manages several shops. Their family is well-off."

"That sounds wonderful! What about his mother? Is she easy to get along with?"

Li Shi replied, "You’ll see for yourself when you meet her. Her personality is quite similar to yours."

Chen Rong couldn’t help but laugh. "As talkative as I am?"

"Very talkative, and warm-hearted too. She’s really easy to get along with!"

Fang Ling added, "You all came at just the right time. We were worried you wouldn’t be able to make it to Qing Yun’s wedding, which would have been a shame."

Chen Rong said, "If it weren’t for the Marquis sending someone to fetch us, we really wouldn’t have made it. We originally planned to have Cao Kun come to the capital to check things out, but Second Baby is too young, and Lin Qiu couldn’t manage alone. Coincidentally, before we even finished packing, the Marquis’s carriage arrived."

Li Shi remarked, "The Marquis was very thoughtful, discreetly arranging for everyone to come."

"The carriage we rode in was spacious. The children slept in it during the journey, so it wasn’t too hard on them."

"It’s good that you’re here. Stay for a while longer this time."

Chen Rong said, "Cao Kun has business at the Porter Guild and can’t be away for long."

"Then let him go back first. You and Lin Qiu can stay here until after Lin Sui’s wedding, to avoid the back-and-forth hassle."

Chen Rong thought it made sense. "Alright, then I’ll impose on you for a while. I hope you won’t find me annoying, sister-in-law."

Li Shi gave her a light slap. "How old are you, still teasing your sister-in-law?" The sisters-in-law burst into laughter.

Fang Ling said, "After Qing Yun’s wedding, I should return to Shanzhou to discuss Qing Huai’s marriage with Chen Jing." Qing Huai is already eighteen. He can wait, but the Bai family’s daughter can’t. If we delay any longer, in-laws might become enemies.

"That’s reasonable. It’s a pity Fourth Brother is too busy with official duties to come, or our whole family would be together."

Chen Rong said, "Yes, I haven’t even met your youngest yet. He’s five now, right?"

Fang Ling nodded. "Five, turning six after the New Year."

"I remember he had just been born when we last heard news. Time flies—it’s been five or six years already. Bring him to visit when you have the chance."

"Next year, we’ll see how Brother Jing’s evaluation goes. Shanzhou has been rated in the upper middle range for the past two years. If he gets the same rating in February, he might be transferred, though we don’t know where yet. It would be best if he could return to the capital."

Chen Rong reassured her, "Don’t worry. Fourth Brother is clever and capable. He’ll make a success of it wherever he goes."

"True, but those poor, remote postings are exhausting. Over the years, his hair has turned gray, and he looks ten years older than his peers. I just hope he gets transferred to a better position this time."

The three of them worked for a long time before finishing the love knots. In the backyard, Wang Ying, Lin Qiu, and Lin Sui helped Qing Yun pack her belongings.

The dowry had already been packed into trunks—sixteen neatly arranged chests in the courtyard, to be taken along with the Liu family’s betrothal gifts the next day.

Around mid-afternoon, the Liu family sent over "cuijia"—a basket of steamed cakes, symbolizing urging the bride to marry into their family.

Wang Ying gave them a monetary gift, and now they only awaited the next morning to send Qing Yun off to her wedding.