Chapter 163: Xu Zaizhang, Why Are You Blushing

On the docks southeast of Bianjing, an unusually large number of noble families' dependents and carriages had gathered.

Along the shore, canal soldiers had cordoned off the area from the common people, while small boats flying canal soldier flags maintained order on the broad surface of the canal.

Dressed up for the occasion, Hu Hu Yan Jiong was currently speaking and laughing with a canal transport officer; both men then turned to gaze at the rather magnificent fleet on the river.

Further inward stood servants and maids from various households, each group wearing uniform attire.

Only in the innermost circle stood a group of lavishly dressed Wu Da Da Niangzi, noble ladies, and young masters and misses.

Standing beside Sun Shi, Xu Xu Anmei waved her handkerchief excitedly and said, "Mother, look quickly! Little Five is waving at us!"

Sun Shi shot her a glare; Xu Xu Anmei pursed her lips, silently lowered her waving hand, and continued watching the fleet with a face full of joy, while behind Xu Xu Anmei, Wu Wu Daniang also spotted Zhu Zhu Qinghu on the ship and revealed a happy expression.

Xu Xu Anmei then whispered a few words to her second brother, Xu Xu Zaizhang, provoking him to look at her with annoyance.

Not far from Sun Shi stood a tall, slender man, his eyes full of anticipation; seeing Xu Xu Zaijing waving from the ship, he chuckled softly and said, "Finally returned," while Youqing beside him also showed a happy expression.

Meanwhile, at the Duke of Qi's residence not far away, Lady Kang Wang's face bore some worry; she kept leaning forward to gaze into the distance at the fleet, and Qi Heng beside her did the same, for since the news had arrived earlier that the Duke of Qi had fallen ill, her heart had been stuck in her throat.

Although letters sent overland to Bianjing from time to time stated plainly that the Duke of Qi had begun to recover, she still remained somewhat concerned.

In a corner of the crowd, Lady Kang Wang watched the nearby group of nobles with eyes full of envy; during this period, no few letters had arrived from Runzhou, in which Old Lady Wang had scolded her thoroughly and even suggested methods for making amends.

Thus, Lady Kang Wang was already aware of the matter concerning her own niece and the Xu family.

After seeing Sun Shi glare at Xu Xu Anmei, Sun Shi also caught sight of Lady Kang Wang; Sun Shi nodded politely, and Lady Kang Wang hurriedly responded with a smile.

At this moment on the ship, more and more people had gathered around Xu Xu Zaijing, while Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changfeng looked on in astonishment at the exceptionally busy Dongjing Bianliang Canal and the somewhat excessive number of luxurious carriages and horses on the shore.

The servants and maids began packing up their personal belongings, supporting and accompanying their masters as they prepared to disembark.

On the Sheng family's ship, Hearing Rulan brought Xique to the cabin where Wang Shi was located and said, "Mother, Mother, I see so many people on the dock."

Wang Shi turned her head to look at her, said nothing, and continued examining Sheng Hualan's attire and adornments.

"Fifth Miss, please do not cause further trouble; Xique, keep a close watch on the young lady and do not let her run around wildly! Be careful!" After speaking, Nurse Liu continued standing behind Sheng Hualan, securing a beautiful jade hairpin into Sheng Hualan's bun.

"Older Sister, you look truly beautiful today," Hearing Rulan said, looking at Sheng Hualan with envy.

"Go away, go away," Sheng Hualan said, glaring at Hearing Rulan from her seat.

"Grandmother!" Hearing Hearing Rulan's voice, Wang Shi and Nurse Liu looked toward the doorway and saw the Old Lady entering the cabin.

Looking at Sheng Hualan's attire, the Old Lady frowned slightly and said, "There is no need to dress so brightly; the jewelry on your head is just right."

Wang Shi hurriedly nodded, while Caihuan beside her quickly retrieved the plain-colored clothes just changed out of from the nearby couch and handed them to Nurse Liu.

On the ship, Bai Shi directly ordered Xu Xu Pingmei not to worry about anything at this moment and further instructed the maid attending Xu Xu Pingmei to take careful watch.

Qi Qi Yiqiu, the Duke of Qi, with the help of servants, donned a cloak of suitable thickness, gave a light cough, and then exited the cabin.

On the dock, not far from where the crowd stood, canal soldiers and trackers, having pulled the vessels to the shore, all retreated to a distance.

The boatmen secured the hemp ropes fixing the bow and stern of the vessels, the wide gangplanks were laid out, and the guests on the ships began to disembark one after another.

The crowd on the dock all stepped forward a few paces.

The first to disembark were several youths including Xu Xu Zaijing, Gu Gu Tingye, and Sheng Sheng Changbai, along with private soldiers from several families.

Disembarking with his young attendant, Xu Xu Zaijing walked quickly for a stretch before arriving before Sun Shi and saying, "Mother, your son has returned."

Zhu Zhu Qinghu behind him also hurriedly bowed and paid his respects, saying, "Aunt."

Sun Shi smiled, nodded at Xu Xu Zaijing and the others, and said, "Mm."

"Second Sister, Pei Erge, Eldest Brother-in-law."

As Xu Xu Zaijing called out to them, Gu Gu Tingye and his sister, their faces full of joy, bowed to Sun Shi and then affectionately addressed their own elder brother.

Zhu Zhu Qinghu, meanwhile, went behind the group, found his own Da Da Niangzi, and engaged in conversation.

Xu Xu Zaijing then began making introductions: "Mother, these are my younger cousins from the Sheng family, Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changfeng."

"Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changfeng pay their respects to Aunt," they said.

Sun Shi smiled and nodded at them, saying, "Good, good children. Your aunt has also come; hurry over to her."

The two brothers, Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changfeng, performed another bow and then walked toward Lady Kang Wang.

Xu Xu Zaijing then stood at Sun Shi's side, bowed to Lady Kang Wang nearby, and said, "I pay my respects to Your Ladyship the Princess; my worldly uncle's body has already recovered, so please do not worry. Heng-ge'er, it has been a long time since we last met."

Lady Kang Wang smiled and said, "Good, thank you, Jing-ge'er."

"Jing-gege, it has been a long time," said Qi Heng, who was nearly ten years old, returning the salute with clasped hands.

At this moment, the Duke of Qi, supported by servants, walked over, prompting everyone to offer their greetings; after thanking everyone, Lady Kang Wang first had the Duke of Qi board the carriage.

However, Qi Qi Yiqiu shook his head slightly and whispered to Lady Kang Wang, "On the journey, I heard that the great Confucian scholar Master Zhuang of Zhiqianzhuang is about to arrive at the Sheng family to teach; let us wait a little longer."

Lady Kang Wang replied with a look of surprise, "No wonder Master Zhuang of Zhiqianzhuang previously declined invitations from several noble families; to think he actually went to the Sheng family! Husband, you are correct. Heng-ge'er, do not lose propriety later."

Qi Heng nodded.

Behind them, Bai Shi, accompanied by maids from the Gu and Bai families, also disembarked; as she approached the group, Gu Gu Tingyu hurriedly moved to one side, bowed respectfully to Bai Shi, and said, "Mother, you have worked hard on this journey."

Bai Shi smiled, looked at Gu Gu Tingyu, and said, "I am fine; the real hard work lies ahead." Speaking thus, Bai Shi turned slightly to the side, allowing Gu Gu Tingyu to see Xu Xu Pingmei, whose belly was slightly swollen.

After Bai Shi and Sun Shi exchanged a happy glance and shared a smile, they stood together watching Gu Gu Tingyu, who was somewhat flustered, approach Xu Xu Pingmei and support her as if holding a treasure.

Xu Xu Pingmei, on the contrary, seeing the eyes full of kindness and smiles from the crowd standing on the dock, blushed slightly and, feeling somewhat embarrassed, pushed Gu Gu Tingyu away.

Subsequently, Xu Xu Pingmei also came before Sun Shi and happily called out, "Mother."

Sun Shi, with a face full of gratification, asked her a few questions.

Xu Xu Anmei then came over, linked arms with Xu Xu Pingmei, and wore an expression of deep concern.

By this time, the Old Lady of the Sheng family had finally disembarked and walked onto the dock; with Wang Shi on one side and Sheng Hualan on the other, the Old Lady, her face full of smiles, waved at the entire Xu family group.

With some gratitude and some unease in her eyes as she looked at the Old Lady, Sun Shi called Xu Xu Anmei to her side, walked forward a distance, arrived before the Old Lady of the Sheng family, squatted down in a bow, and called out, "Aunt, younger cousin, younger cousin's wife."

Apart from the Old Lady, Sheng Hong, the family members, and the maids behind her all returned the salute.

The Old Lady of the Sheng family extended both hands; Sun Shi hurriedly grasped them, and the Old Lady, holding Sun Shi's hand tightly, looked her up and down with eyes full of smiles and said, "Not having seen you for so many years, you are truly different! How wonderful!"

"Thanks to your blessings," Sun Shi replied sincerely with a smile.

Standing beside the Old Lady, Wang Shi looked at Sun Shi, who was dressed in such an imposing manner, and then glanced worriedly at Sheng Hualan.

Now that Sun Shi's husband and children were all doing well, and with the Xu family's fortunes rising day by day, she carried herself with full confidence, naturally acting with decisiveness and ease.

Wang Shi glanced again at the crowd behind Sun Shi; Xu Xu Zaiduan, who had not come, she had met in Yang Zhou, and he had previously returned to Bianjing by land, so he should now be in the military camp.

She naturally knew Xu Xu Zaijing; the one beside Xu Pingmei should be the legitimate eldest son of the Lady Ningyuan Hou Fu, while the lively-eyed young lady nearby must be the mischievous Xu Anmei that Xu Pingmei often spoke of.

Then she saw a youth who resembled Xu Xu Zaijing somewhat; the youth's expression was shy, his eyes daring not to look straight ahead.

Sensing Wang Shi's gaze, the youth raised his head to glance at her, then hastily clasped his hands and bowed in greeting.

Sun Shi held the Old Lady's hand, glanced at Sheng Hualan beside her with a hint of admiration in her eyes, then continued looking at the Old Lady; the Old Lady patted Sheng Hualan's hand, whereupon Sheng Hualan released her grip on the Old Lady's arm, bowed to Sun Shi, and retreated to the back.

"Aunt, then let us go back."

"Oh, right; in my younger sister-in-law's letter, she mentioned family members who had just given birth; there are carriages sealed with oxhide; later, have a female servant from my side lead them there."

"Sister-in-law is too thoughtful," Wang Wang Ruofu replied with a smile.

As Sun Shi spoke, she cast another appreciative glance at Sheng Hualan, then moved to the Old Lady's side, and together with Wang Shi, accompanied the Old Lady toward the carriage.

After walking some distance, the Sheng family also saw the Duke of Qi and his party waiting there, leading to another round of polite exchanges.

Watching Qi Heng beside Princess Princess Pingning, Wang Wang Ruofu nodded repeatedly with great satisfaction, then glanced back at Hearing Rulan.

Upon spotting Lady Kang Wang, Wang Wang Ruofu exchanged a word with Sun Shi, then led the female servants from Weirui Weirui Xuan toward Lady Kang Wang, with Sheng Hualan following along.

The dock was no place for conversation; Sun Shi escorted the Sheng family to near their carriages, while the Old Lady smiled and said to Sun Shi, "In a couple of days, once things are settled at home, remember to come to my house."

"Yes, Aunt."

Having said this, the Old Lady boarded the carriage; Minglan followed behind, and before mounting, she bowed to Sun Shi.

Returning to where the Xu family carriages were stationed, they found that Bai Shi had not yet left and was standing aside conversing with Gu Gu Tingyu and his wife.

As Sun Shi approached, Bai Shi said, "Let us go; ride in the same carriage as me."

With that, the families of the Lady Ningyuan Hou Fu and Marquis Marquis Yongyi began boarding their carriages.

Gu Gu Tingyi and Xu Xu Anmei had not seen each other for a long time; just as the two young ladies climbed into one carriage, Xu Anmei's voice asking about the Sheng family's eldest daughter could already be heard.

Xu Xu Zaijing and the other young men all mounted their horses.

Because the Sheng family had an infant in swaddling clothes and considerations regarding official ranks, they moved somewhat more slowly.

Sheng Hong waited beside his family's carriage, watching the Duke of Qi and the convoys of the two marquisates depart first, constantly stroking the beard beneath his chin; in the carriage nearby, Lin Lin Qinshuang also gazed with eyes full of envy at the many noble houses of Bianjing.

Lady Kang Wang and Wang Wang Ruofu had not seen each other for a long time; the two sisters boarded the same carriage: "You know, your brother-in-law's official rank is not high these days; after the New Year, the court's relay stations prioritize people based on status; although we spent silver to send the letter early, still..."

"Sister, I naturally know; Mother has already told me. This time, sister-in-law's family has been a tremendous help."

Hearing Wang Wang Ruofu's words, Lady Kang Wang cast a somewhat envious glance at the convoy of nobles departing outside the carriage.

"By the way, Sister, these past few days I have actually found a good business opportunity,

And also!

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(End of Chapter)