310 plus more

  ***

  Xia Zhi, Xiao Hei Yu Er and Li Xia were talking in the small living room of the front yard. This was Xia Zhi's deliberate guidance, and Chang Sheng did not notice anything unusual. Until Xia Da Gu sent Liu Sa over to find them, saying that it was time for dinner, the three people went to the upper house in the backyard.

  Summer's aunt and Guo uncle are already seated at the dinner table. Pearl is not here.

  "Zhenzhu's body is a bit uncomfortable, she won't eat dinner today. Let's just eat ours." Xia Dagou said.

  Xia Zhi and Xiao Hei Yu'er didn't say anything. Chang Sheng opened his mouth to ask, but looking at Xia Dagu again and then at Guo Gufu, he swallowed the words back. This honest child also guessed what was going on.

  Everyone was relatively silent during this dinner. Only Guo's uncle asked Changsheng a few questions, such as where he sent Xia Ershu and whether he met anyone. Changsheng answered them honestly. He didn't encounter anything worth paying attention to.

  Xia Dagu and Guo Shu did not say anything, but occasionally their eyes met, and the couple seemed to have something left unsaid. They decided to start dinner first because it was already past dinnertime, and Xia Zhi and Xiao Hei were also present.

  The kids aren't hungry anyway, and they say after all we're still guests.

  After dinner, Xia Zhi went to the west room and took a look. Pearl was lying on the kang with her back against the door and her head covered. Xia Zhi thought for a moment, then quietly came out of the west room again.

  Her relationship with Pearl is such that Pearl won't listen to her advice. Moreover, Pearl has been scolded by Xia Dagu so severely that she shouldn't welcome her visit either, or else Pearl will feel embarrassed.

  Xia Zhi could only pretend to know nothing. She naturally wouldn't go to the east house, so she took Xiao Hei and went under the grape arbor outside to eat and play with Da Qing.

  After a while, Changsheng also came out of the upper house. He looked a bit sulky, but when he saw Xiaoyu and Xia Zhi, he still smiled and asked them if they wanted to go play with him.

  "There's a night market, I'll take you guys there for a walk."

  The little black fish immediately agreed with a eager voice.

  Xia Zhi then carefully looked at Chang Sheng, who had a worried look on his face, probably due to what he had just discussed with Xia Da Gu and Guo Gu Fu.

  How about taking him to walk around the night market at this time?

  "Let's go another day, Changsheng," said Xia Zhi.

  Changsheng was taken aback for a moment, then he saw Xia Zhi's concerned eyes and immediately understood. "It's okay, we'll go today. Another day when we're free, we'll go again, anyway it's close by, just out the door. I'll follow you two out to take a stroll, just to clear my head."

  He said he was relieved, and Xia Zhi no longer refused. The three of them happily headed towards Xishi Street.

  ……

  Upstairs in the landlord's house, Guo's uncle had a somewhat stunned expression on his face, and it took him a while to come back to himself.

  "This thing, why didn't you tell me!" He looked at Xia Dagou, his expression and tone with a hint of blame.

  Xia Dagu slightly furrowed her brow, feeling bitter in her heart. Xia Ershu wanted to marry May to Zhang Sheng as his daughter-in-law, not only making May show great respect to him, but also wanting Old Master Xia to take the initiative to propose the marriage. However, Old Master Xia did not agree and probably scolded Xia Ershu. As for May's feelings towards Zhang Sheng, this was even more something she didn't want to discuss with Guo Shu.

  After all, she was doing it for the sake of saving face for her natal family. She thought that since she had already solved the problem, there was no need to tell Auntie Guo about it anymore.

  Of course, she couldn't say this out loud to Uncle Guo.

  "I've already taken care of everything that can't happen, why bother telling you and worrying you. You have enough to worry about with your daily affairs!" Xia Dagou said.

  Guo's uncle thought for a moment and felt that what Xia Dagu said made sense. Xia Dagu was a capable woman. In their many years of marriage, Xia Dagu had taken care of many things herself, saving him a lot of trouble and alleviating his burden.

  When it comes to handling certain things, even if he takes charge, he won't be better than Xia Dagu.

  In this matter of May and Changsheng, Xia Dagu actually handled it very well. If Xia Ershu hadn't suddenly had good luck.

  Uncle Guo was hesitant in his heart, and it showed on his face. Aunt Xia took one look and understood what he was struggling with.

  "Even if his uncle's words are true, they will become rich tomorrow. Are you willing to arrange this marriage for Changsheng? You often say that about his uncle and family, I'm doing this mostly because I know you're not willing!"

  Guo's uncle's face was a bit embarrassed. Xia Dagu said it was true. He had never been very fond of Xia Ershu, and he often complained to Xia Dagu about him.

  And, as Xia Dagu said, even if Xia Ershu became rich immediately, would he be willing to become in-laws with Xia Ershu? Although the answer requires some thought, the result seems to be the same.

  He didn't want to be in-laws with Xia Ershu. Now Xia Ershu was just his uncle, and there were also Old Man Xia and Big Aunt Xia to keep him in check, but he still felt that Xia Ershu was a handful. If Xia Ershu became the father-in-law of Longsheng, it would be even more unbearable, and even if Old Man Xia and Big Aunt Xia joined forces, they wouldn't be able to withstand Xia Ershu.

  And besides, even if Xia Ershu becomes rich, where can he go with his wealth?

  Uncle Guo's abacus beads in his mind clicked away for a while before he figured it out.

  "Son of a gun, no matter what, you should have told me about it and let me be mentally prepared. Look at today, I wasn't prepared for anything."

  "It doesn't matter whether you're prepared or not, it's all the same." Xia Dagu was more decisive than Guo Gufu.

  "It's not the same, it's not the same." Guo Shu shook his head repeatedly. "He offended us, this is not good. We need to think of a way to make amends." Guo Shu then discussed with Xia Dagu about hosting a dinner at home and inviting Xia Ershu and Xia Erniang's family over for a meal. "Let's have a good gathering, and we'll still have to come and go frequently in the future."

  Xia Dagu let out a soft sigh.

  "After all, he's your mother's brother, we can't fall out with each other." said Uncle Guo.

  "Good." Xia Dagu nodded. She actually understood Guo's uncle's meaning, if Xia Ershu was still in the countryside, this wine banquet and frequent visits would not be necessary.

  Guo's uncle had his own ideas, and Xia's elder sister also had her own plans. Whether it was to follow Guo's uncle or for future interactions with her maternal family, she still needed to repair her relationship with Xia's second uncle.

  "Others have gone for a long life, you go too, and set the date." Guo's uncle said to Xia Dagu.

  Xia Dagu nodded in agreement and then discussed with Guo Aunt: "We must find someone to deliver a message to his grandfather." As for Xia Ershu's words, Xia Dagu couldn't completely believe them. So she wanted to find someone to bring a message to Xia Laoye, on the one hand to ask about Xia Ershu's trip to the city, and on the other hand to report to Xia Laoye about Xia Ershu's situation in Fucheng.

  "The messenger is afraid of not speaking clearly and it's also not good to let someone deliver this message." Xia Dagu meant that she wanted to write a letter to Old Master Xia.

  Guo's uncle was also literate, but he thought that he wasn't as good as his son, so he said to get Zhang Sheng to write the letter. He then sent someone to call for Zhang Sheng, only to find out that Zhang Sheng had taken Xia Zhi and Xiao Heiyu to stroll through the night market.

  Guo's uncle wanted to scold Changsheng a couple of sentences, thinking that he shouldn't be taking Xia Zhi and Xiao Hei out to play at this time, but should be doing something more serious. However, when he looked up and saw the expression on Xia Dagu's face, he swallowed back the words that had reached his lips.

  "It was I who told him to go. The two children came for a few days, just to have a meal with us. We didn't entertain them at all. The old couple didn't take advantage of us in any way, it's just these two kids that are on their minds. If we can't even warm the hearts of the old couple!"

  "How can it be? This matter is all up to you, if you need to spend money just tell me." Guo's uncle hastily said.

  Xia Dagu let out a sigh. "Others don't spend as much on us either. Look at how the Sixteenth behaves. We can't always let our child be compared unfavorably to others."

  Uncle Guo hummed and hawed, but didn't say anything else.

  After a while, it was said that Zhang Sheng had returned with the two children. Xia Dagu then said to let them come in together. "Xiaolong and Sixteen are sensible children, this matter will make sense to them. His grandma and grandpa listen to Sixteen."

  Guo's uncle had no objection, so he let Changsheng, Xia Zhi and Xiao Heiyu come to the east house together. Xia Dagu and Guo's uncle took turns to express their meaning, and Changsheng wrote it down.

  "Xiao Long, sixteen, is there anything you want to say to your family?" Xia Dagu asked Xiao Hei Yu and Xia Zhi.

  "Sister, brother-in-law," said Little Black Fish, looking up at Xia Dagu and Guo Gufu, "let's get someone to bring Little Yang back to his parents."

  Xia Dagu's face showed hesitation, although she was very much in favor of sending Xia Yang to the city to meet with Xia Ershu and Xia Erniang.

  "Or I'll go find Second Brother and have him bring Little Yang over," said Xiao Hei immediately. In any case, they couldn't leave such a young child with Old Man Xia and Old Lady Xia. Although the Xia family had entered the city, it wasn't as if no one was taking care of Xia Yang.

  Guo's uncle gave Xia's elder sister a wink, then chuckled and said to Xiao Hei Yu: "Xiao Long, only you can say this. My sister and I also feel sorry for the two old men."

  "As for me, I'm not afraid of offending them. They were wrong from the start!" Little Black Fish said with a pout.

  "Hmm..." Xia Zhi glanced at the few people in the house, and she could guess the concerns of her aunt and uncle. "Aunt, Uncle, Second Uncle, do you think this is okay? I'll go find my dad tomorrow and let him talk to Second Uncle about this."

  Xia Xiuzai is the elder brother and also the biological son of Xia's mother, making him the most suitable person to speak out.

  "Sixteen..." Xia Dagu looked at Xia Zhi, she was truly grateful to Xia Zhi.

  "Eldest aunt, if you think it's okay, I'll go and take care of it tomorrow." Xia Zhi smiled and added another sentence. "My dad is busy, but with such a big thing happening at home, he should also make some time for it."

  "This child is sixteen years old, it's no wonder your grandparents dote on you." Xia Dagu naturally nodded in agreement.

  Changsheng's letter is also ready, and I've added the summer solstice greetings and a message from Xiao Hei to report their safety. As for the person delivering the letter, I'll leave it to Aunt Guo to arrange.

  Uncle Guo guaranteed that this letter would be delivered to Daxing Village tomorrow.

  (。)