Chapter 693: Chapter 465: Returning to Visit Family
At noon, Fu Tao unexpectedly returned. It turned out that Xiaocao took the opportunity while putting things away to send her nephew to town to call for their third uncle.
Although it was lunchtime, the busiest time for the restaurant, the owner quickly agreed to let Fu Tao go home upon hearing that it was the young master and lady from the marquis’s house who had gone to Fu Tao’s home.
Fu Tao had always been aware that his wife had a close sisterly friend and had heard of the matter involving Nong Zheng Bo, but had never had the chance to meet him.
Of course, he knew that Nong Zheng Bo had become Nong Zhenghou.
This time, when his wife’s esteemed sisters came to find her for a visit, Fu Tao was quite nervous.
Even though his wife mentioned that her friends weren’t snobbish, he was still nervous. Nevertheless, he made a point to buy some good dishes from the restaurant kitchen to bring back.
Wei Ziang and Xiaomi weren’t pretentious, making everyone relax quickly. During lunchtime, Wei Ziang even had a few drinks with Fu Tao.
After finishing the meal, Fu Tao’s two sisters-in-law diligently washed the dishes. Wei Ziang also chatted with Fu Tao for a while, asking as an older brother about Fu Tao’s plans for the future.
Even though Wei Ziang was younger than Xiaocao, Xiaocao considered Xiaomi her sister. Plus, with Wei Ziang being more skilled at hunting than Xiaocao, Xiaocao followed Xiaomi, addressing Wei Ziang as "big brother" without any issue.
So it was all appropriate.
Fu Tao naturally confessed everything honestly, although what he said was no different from what Xiaocao had initially told him. However, having Wei Ziang ask again made it somehow different.
At least in the eyes of others, not only were Xiaomi and Zhang Xiaocao close, like sisters, but the Jiang family also recognized Xiaomi’s good friend.
Xiaocao was quite far along in her pregnancy, already six or seven months. With the weather getting hot lately, she’s unlikely to return to Xiangmu Village unless necessary.
Xiaomi also advised her not to run around, to stay home and focus on her pregnancy. Besides, during the busy harvest season, since her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law weren’t causing trouble, she could help with cooking if needed.
So Xiaomi and Wei Ziang stayed until evening.
Mainly because this separation meant that their next meeting could really be a long time from now, perhaps several years later.
Xiaomi just wanted to chat with Xiaocao more.
No matter what, Zhang Xiaocao was her closest friend aside from family.
Only after dinner did Xiaomi and Wei Ziang ride their horses home.
Luckily, the moonlight was good tonight and they were traveling together, so they didn’t feel afraid.
As they left Fu’s hometown, Xiaomi suddenly felt a little melancholy: "Big brother, do you think when we grow up, many people will end up separated?"
Wei Ziang knew she was thinking about the future. Their next return to Xiangmu Village would essentially be when their eldest brother set off from Cheng County to Nanyang Prefecture to take the provincial exam.
At least three years away.
During this time, their second sister, Liu Ze, would certainly return to Cheng County annually to visit their parents, but they might not return.
Three years later, they would still head to the Capital City, and afterward, they might even go to the seaside.
For Xiaomi to see Xiaocao again, it really wouldn’t be easy.
Wei Ziang knew she was thinking of this and consoled her with a smile: "It’s okay, Fu Tao can read and write, so even if you can’t meet, you can still correspond through letters."
Xiaomi pouted: "Xiaocao can write too, but she just doesn’t write much."
Previously, they went hunting up in the mountains but didn’t always chase after prey. Sometimes, while resting, eating, or waiting for prey, they would get bored.
At those times, Xiaomi would use a small stick to teach Xiaocao how to recognize characters on the ground.
Although they didn’t teach much each time, after a few years, she had accumulated quite a bit of knowledge, even though she hadn’t used pen and paper to write yet.
Wei Ziang laughed and said, "That’s perfect. When we return to Lishi City, you can find a place to receive letters and write to tell Xiaocao so that you can stay in touch." ℯℯ𝑙.
Xiaomi suddenly realized: "Oh right, even if we can’t meet, we can still write letters."
Thinking this way, Xiaomi soon cheered up again, the two chatting and laughing all the way home.
Fortunately, the summer night was pleasantly cool, and when they arrived home, the family hadn’t slept yet.
Their second mother wanted to know about Xiaocao’s situation, so she asked Xiaomi about it. Hearing everything was fine, she was happy for Zhang Xiuyun.
Early the next morning, Zhang Xiuyun ran over looking for Xiaomi. She’s very busy at home, feeding pigs and doing chores year-round, rarely finding time to visit her daughter.
After all, a round trip would take at least a whole day, and she couldn’t stay long.
Knowing Xiaomi returned from the Fu family, she hurried over to inquire.
Luckily, after hearing Xiaomi’s account, Zhang Xiuyun was reassured. She said once they’re done with this busy period, she definitely wanted to go with Zhang Yuan to visit their daughter.
Three days after Xiaoxue’s wedding, the whole family was busy preparing. Their second mother even specifically invited a few aunts to help cook.
Today she wanted to have a good chat with her daughter and son-in-law, doing nothing else.
Although it was only a three-day separation, it was still the first time her daughter had been away from her for so long since growing up. It was already quite good that the second mother could endure three days.
Apparently, Liu Ze knew his mother-in-law was eager to see her daughter, so he took Xiaoxue and several carts of gifts, sitting in a horse-drawn carriage, and arrived early.
Someone caught sight of the carriage entering the village from afar and hurriedly informed the Jiang family. By the time the couple arrived at the door, the whole family came out to welcome them.
Liu Ze helped Xiaoxue down from the carriage, and seeing everyone, they were quite surprised, quickly disembarking.
Xiaoxue ran over: "Father, Mother, Brother Ziang, Xiaomi, Xiao Wei, how come you’re all here."
Liu Ze also greeted with a cheerful smile: "Father, Mother, Eldest Brother, Ziang, Xiaomi, Xiao Wei."
Who wouldn’t be happy? He had finally married the girl he’d waited so many years for, anyone would be grinning from ear to ear.
Their second mother held Xiaoxue, smiling so much her eyes were squinting: "We just heard you were back, so let’s head home first. By the way, have you had breakfast yet?"
Xiaoxue obediently nodded: "We ate, we ate before coming back."
Xiaomi followed on the other side of her second sister, thinking that after three days, her second sister seemed a bit different from before.
She seemed more radiant, looking at Liu Ze chatting with her big brother and little brother, equally vigorous and content.
It appeared that Liu Ze wasn’t as weak as others thought.
Xiaomi mused, confident in her second sister’s happy life.
Fortunately, nobody else knew what she was thinking.
But it wasn’t only Xiaomi who felt this concern.
After all, their second mother soon urged Xiaomi to go play somewhere else, then took Xiaoxue into the room to secretly ask her private questions.
Seeing them come out, with one satisfied and the other blushing, it was clear they must have talked about things one shouldn’t share with others.