Ten days later, Bai Sheng and his entourage arrived in the capital.
This was the first time Xiao Mazhuganzu and the others had traveled far from home. As they passed through various prefectures and counties along the way, their horizons had been greatly broadened. Upon arriving in the capital, they were even more astonished, each inwardly sighing that the trip was well worth it.
The curtains and door hangings of the carriage were all opened, and the street scenes outside rushed into their view.
Although they were very curious about the sights around them, they didn't want to appear too unsophisticated, lest they embarrass their master and madam. Thus, they pretended not to be surprised at all.
They glanced at Yang Ming, who wore a calm expression, as if the shops, pavilions, and people slowly passing by held no interest for him.
Following Yang Ming's example, they tried their best to appear composed, but their eyes, out of their control, darted left and right at every new and interesting thing, as if they wished to leap from their sockets.
Upon reaching Yuhua Alley, the six of them marveled at the large mansion again.
They had not expected their master and madam's residence in the capital to be so luxurious. This mansion must be as large as several Hongshu villages; if a family lived so spread out, calling out to each other would strain their voices.
When they were on the road, Xiao Ma and the other five had worried that their master's home might not have enough space. They had secretly discussed sharing a small room to avoid troubling their master's family. At this moment, they realized their worries were unfounded.
After Uncle Ding became the head steward of the mansion, he hired a young gatekeeper. The gatekeeper was about fourteen or fifteen years old, not tall, and very thin. His face was somewhat effeminate, and he had a slight limp in his left foot.
The young gatekeeper had never met Lu Ye and Bai Sheng. Seeing several carriages stopped at the main entrance, he stood stunned for a moment before bowing to Lu Ye and respectfully asking, "May I ask, young sir, who are you—"
Before the gatekeeper could finish speaking, Uncle Ding poked his head out from the gate. Upon seeing that it was Lu Ye, he exclaimed, "Oh my heavens, Xiao Gu, these are our master and madam!"
The young gatekeeper, named Xiao Gu, was instantly terrified and knelt on the ground, repeatedly apologizing, "Master, Madam, this servant deserves death. This servant has poor eyesight, poor eyesight."
Lu Ye looked at him and said gently, "Your name is Xiao Gu, isn't it?"
"Replying to my master, this servant's name is Xiao Gu, with the 'gu' from drum," Xiao Gu nodded respectfully, his face filled with apprehension.
Lu Ye smiled, "Get up quickly. You haven't met us before, and naturally, you must inquire when someone arrives at the house. You did very well, you did nothing wrong."
Xiao Gu's heart immediately warmed. This was the first master he had encountered who was so gentle to his servants.
"Get up quickly," Bai Sheng also smiled. "You did nothing wrong, so there's no need to be afraid. Your master and I don't eat people."
Everyone burst into laughter.
"Thank you, Madam," Xiao Gu also stood up, blushing. He felt a great sense of relief. He hadn't expected Madam to joke with a servant like him. Such a Madam he had never seen in his life.
Bai Sheng looked at him deliberately, a hint of suspicion in her heart. This young gatekeeper always referred to himself as a servant and appeared exceptionally timid and disciplined. Could he have come from the palace as an eunuch?
Bai Sheng was not in a hurry. Uncle Ding would surely explain the situation to them later. She trusted Uncle Ding's competence.
The group entered the mansion with a clatter.
Lu Yun and the others had not yet returned from school. Lu Hua and Gaimai were cleaning the shops, and Qing Feng had gone out to browse musical instrument shops, so only servants were at home.
Lu Tong, Lu Tie, and the two of them, Qiu Dong, were overjoyed to see Bai Sheng and Lu Ye, exclaiming, "Master, Madam! You're back!"
Aunt Ding, along with Lu You and Lu Yan, also came out to greet them with smiles.
Aunt Ding said, "Master, Madam, you must be exhausted. What would you like to eat? This servant will prepare it."
Bai Sheng said, "Aunt Ding, please boil a pot of clear congee and also make some meat pie." After a long journey, it was not advisable to suddenly eat anything too greasy.
Aunt Ding respectfully acknowledged and went with You and Yan to get busy.
The four, Jin Mu Shui Tu, respectfully called out "Master" and "Madam" before standing aside, grinning foolishly.
So, upon arriving in the capital, the master was still called master, but the madam had to be addressed as madam. Alright, they remembered. Xiao Ma and the others were adept at observing subtleties and decided to also start calling the madam "Madam" from now on.
Furthermore, they had not expected their master and madam to have so many servants. Their preparations to do some small chores for the master and madam seemed to be of no use.
Uncle Ding immediately instructed Tong, Tie, Jin, Mu, and Shui to fetch water for everyone to bathe. After a long journey, the first thing upon returning home should be a hot bath to wash away the sweat and dust.
Yang Ming felt he was merely a servant and dared not ask others for service. Thus, he led his few brothers to prepare bathing water themselves.
Xiao Ma and the others were also not accustomed to being served. They immediately followed Yang Ming to the well to fetch water and then went to the bathhouse.
Uncle Ding saw that these boys were still rather reserved and did not force them. After all, they should do whatever made them comfortable.
For Bai Sheng and Lu Ye, Tong and Tie helped fetch water, while Qiu Dong helped heat it. Watching them busy themselves, Bai Sheng did not stop them. After all, their family of six needed to bathe in the space, so it was necessary to do so openly.
After bathing, Aunt Ding and You Yan had already prepared the clear congee and meat pies. Everyone sat in the dining hall of the first courtyard to eat.
They had only eaten halfway when noisy shouts echoed from outside the hall, followed by five little cannonballs rushing in with thuds.
"Big Brother, Sister-in-law!"
"Master, Madam!"
"Master, Mistress!"
Upon seeing the carriages parked in the courtyard, the five children immediately guessed that their big brother and sister-in-law had returned.
Bai Sheng's bowl almost fell to the ground from the impact of the children's rush.
Lu Yun, Lu Yu, and Tianya hugged her arms and lower back, resting their heads on her shoulders and back, showing great affection. Tian Dou and Tie Zhu, having no one else to hug, hugged Lu Yun and Lu Yu.
The five children clung to her like lumps of flesh.
After hugging Bai Sheng, they ran to hug Lu Ye, and after hugging Lu Ye, they hugged Yang Ming, Xiao Ma, and the others. The room was filled with laughter.
"Big Brother, Sister-in-law, where are my niece and nephews?" Lu Yun scanned the surroundings, but couldn't see the four little ones. He missed the four junior generations dearly.
The other children also looked expectantly at Bai Sheng and Lu Ye.
Lu Tong said, "Second Master, the young masters just fell asleep after their bath. They are sleeping in the Master and Madam's room now."
Before Lu Tong finished speaking, the five cannonballs rushed towards the main courtyard where Bai Sheng and Lu Ye resided.
The five children rushed to the door of the room and saw Lu Yin and Lu Huo each holding a bowl of rice, sitting by the door and eating noisily.
The five enthusiastically shouted "Sister Huo, Sister Yin" and then tried to rush into the room to see the four little ones.
Lu Huo stopped them and whispered, "Second Master, the young masters are tired and just fell asleep. Please enter quietly and do not disturb their rest."
"Okay, okay, we understand," Lu Yun replied and then gently pushed open the door.
In the enlarged crib, four plump, rosy, little bundles lay side by side, all sleeping soundly.