Eunuch Zhao entered, bending his old back, "Your... Your Majesty, you saw it all, didn't you?"
The Princess's beloved was Yun family's fourth son, a pure and simple country bumpkin.
Emperor Cheng felt a bit conflicted. He turned and said, "Stay for two more days and make sure the Princess is brought back. Letting her be willful like this is not allowed!~"
"Your Majesty!~" Eunuch Zhao scratched his head. "Don't you want to investigate the identity of Yun family's fourth son? This servant has heard that this young man is rarely home, and no one knows what he does outside. Since the Princess fancies him, it means this young man has some charm..."
"Why are you investigating him?" Emperor Cheng shot him a glance. "Unless that young man has made contributions to the country and is exceptionally talented, only then will I consider him as a consort. Otherwise, if I hastily betroth Ling'er to him, wouldn't that make me senile?"
Eunuch Zhao: "......"
That's why an investigation is needed! You've made a conclusion without knowing anything about him. Isn't that a bit unfair?
Perhaps Yun fourth son has indeed contributed to the imperial court.
"I'm tired, I want to lie down for a bit!" Emperor Cheng rubbed his eyes, looking exhausted.
"This servant will now serve Your Majesty to rest!"
Later that evening, Xiao Xi Tian and Xiao Jin Heng returned...
The sky was dim and overcast, and a cool breeze whistled through the air.
The entire Dashui Village seemed to have entered winter prematurely. Every household had lit their stoves, and streams of cooking smoke drifted out of the chimneys, swaying in the cold wind before disappearing into the vast night.
Du Tie Shan and Jin Huai Hua were busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. Tomorrow, there would be a wedding at home, so the evening meal was prepared simply...
Leek pancakes, served with small pickled vegetables, and a pot of pickled cabbage soup. The whole family ate heartily, the food steaming and fragrant.
Emperor Cheng and Xiao Jin Heng ate in the west wing and did not join the festivities. However, Xiao Xin Ling never missed a meal and always came over for good food.
"Miss Xiao, does your foot still hurt?" asked Madam Gu.
Xiao Xin Ling took a bite of the leek pancake and glared fiercely at Yun Si Man...
This damned fellow, he was being utterly useless.
Her instep was swollen from being hit.
"Auntie, my foot is injured. I probably won't be able to walk for the next few days, so I'll have to trouble Si Man to serve me every day!~" Xiao Xin Ling said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Yun Si Man slammed down his chopsticks and said indignantly, "No, Your Highness, you insisted on moving the table yourself. What does it have to do with me!~"
"If you hadn't egged me on, would I have moved the table?" Xiao Xin Ling expressed her anger.
"Oh, it's a hit, it's a hit..." Old Man Yun tapped his wine bowl with his chopsticks and looked at Yun Si Man. "Si Man, this was your fault. Take good care of the Princess these few days, don't let her make a fuss. Your second brother is getting married tomorrow. If she's crying and wailing, will the wedding even happen?"
This time, Yun Si Man sided with Xiao Xin Ling.
Shangguan Fang'er's eyes disappeared as she laughed, suddenly saying, "Hehehe, the power of love!~"
The whole family: "......"
You've seen it quite clearly.
Yun Si Man mumbled and ate two leek pancakes before returning to his room to sleep.
"Mom!" Xiao Xi Tian sat on a stool, swinging her little feet. "I returned the six taels of silver to Young Master Xiao, but he used it all to buy beef!~"
Madam Gu 'hmm'ed, "It's good that you returned it. As for what he bought, that's Young Master Xiao's business!"
Xiao Xi Tian: "......"
Can that be his own business?
He bought so much beef, but he didn't keep a single piece for himself, and sent it all to her family. That brat didn't get anything out of it, did he?
"Everyone go to bed early tonight, and wake up early tomorrow!" Madam Gu instructed. "Er Man, you'll be slaughtering the pig tomorrow morning. Ask Da Qiang and the others to come help. If there's enough pork, don't slaughter the sheep yet!"
"Understood, Mother!" Yun Er Man replied.
"Da Man, have you bought the firecrackers and such? When you wake up tomorrow morning, set off a string of firecrackers to liven things up..." Madam Gu said with a smile.
Yun Da Man, holding Xiao Zhu Zi, nodded. "Mother, I bought a lot of firecrackers. I'll make some noise when I wake up tomorrow morning!~"
Madam Gu 'hmm'ed and then looked at Jin Huai Hua and Zhao Gui Hua. "There will be many people at home tomorrow, so I'll have to trouble you two. I'll ask Sister Su Zhen to help look after Xiao Zhu Zi. After we finish slaughtering the pig, you two can start braising the meat. Things like pork knuckles and trotters take a long time to cook, and those few large carp, after slaughtering, stew them with seasonings. We have plenty of vegetables at home, it'll be enough..."
Since Du Tie Shan was the bride, she couldn't cook tomorrow, so the family meals had to be entrusted to Jin Huai Hua and Zhao Gui Hua.
"Mother, don't worry, our family hasn't hosted a banquet before!~" Zhao Gui Hua said with a smile.
She had already made the jelly from pig skin in advance and stored it in the vegetable cellar. As for the pickled cabbage, she could just take out a couple and shred them, then stew them with big bones and pork blood sausage, which was easier than anything else...
Jin Huai Hua also 'ah ah'ed in agreement, indicating no problem.
Old Man Yun drank a bowl of wine and looked at Yun Er Man. "The east wing has been tidied up long ago. If you and Shan Shan need anything, just say so. After all, it's a wedding, we can't make it too shabby!"
"Father, we don't need anything!" Yun Er Man said, his face flushed red from drinking. "After Shan Shan and I get married, we'll work hard to earn money and make our family live a good life..."
"You better not!" Old Man Yun put his pipe in his mouth. "I think our family is quite good now. What's the use of earning so much money? You can't take it with you when you're born, and you can't take it with you when you die!~"
He said this because he didn't want to put too much pressure on Er Man...
After all, this wedding had cost the family a lot of money. With Jin Shan going to study in another city, it was almost enough to make his wife's purse leak.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xi Tian's resolve to help her family become prosperous became even stronger.
"Everyone go to bed early. Xiao Bao, you can't sleep in tomorrow morning either, understand?" Old Man Yun said.
Yun Xiao Bao had a good impression of Du Tie Shan, his new stepmother.
He was also very happy that she was marrying his father this time...
"Grandpa, I won't sleep in. I still need to help Mom put on her hair ornaments!" Yun Xiao Bao said crisply.
Hearing this, Old Man Yun exchanged a look with Madam Gu, and they both burst into laughter.
At some point, many people suddenly appeared in the family.
In the past, only the eldest and second sons' families, along with the elders, had fled to Dashui Village. But gradually, San Man returned, Si Man also recognized his relatives, and then Du Tie Shan became their family's daughter-in-law...
Not only that, Xiao Xin Ling, Shangguan Fang'er, and Jin Xiao Lou also came to the Old Yun family, and the entire Yun family courtyard was almost bursting at the seams.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, a 'crackling' sound suddenly erupted from the entrance of the Old Yun family.