A girl’s reputation is important, and even though Song Wangyue is engaged to Gu Yi, if she stays overnight at the Gu family’s house, she is bound to attract gossip, and Song Si does not want Song Wangyue to be talked about.
“Don’t worry, big brother, I’ll behave myself.”
Only then was Song Si satisfied and got up to go back to the house, supervising Song Shen’s calligraphy practice.
The Song family had an early dinner and rested early, but when they thought that Song Wan Yue would be worshipping tomorrow, they all tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Grandma Song lay under the blanket and poked her elbow at Master Song, “Old man, do you think our Yue’er will be able to bear that suffering?”
The old man couldn’t sleep, so he sat up, put on his clothes and went down to the bed, put some tobacco leaves in his cigarette bag in the moonlight coming through the window, lit it up and raised the cotton curtain a little to reveal a slit, took two puffs and then replied in a muffled voice, “I have to suffer even if I can, I have to suffer even if I can’t. ”
Seeing him like this, Grandma Song knew that he was also worried, so she reassured her in turn, “Our Yue’er seems to be a soft person, following the example of her eldest daughter-in-law, but she is hard-hearted at heart, she will be able to withstand it.”
Master Song finished his pack of cigarettes before he gave a “hmmm”.
Song Lin couldn’t sleep, he was so excited to lie down and get up, he got up and laid down, Xu looked at him with tears and laughter, “If you toss and turn like this, if you catch a cold, you won’t be able to watch Yue’er pay homage tomorrow.”
Song Lin immediately lay back down and tightened the covers again, “The child’s mother, did she see the master Yi’er hired for her today?”
Xu shook her head slightly, “I only heard a voice, it’s a female master, she should be very strict.”
At the sound of stern, Song Lin couldn’t help but sit up again, “Then, then, then ……”
“A strict teacher makes a good student, we don’t need to worry.”
“But, but, but ……”
Song Lin was very reluctant to let Song Wangyue learn martial arts, if Song Wangyue and Erma hadn’t almost been abducted, he wouldn’t have agreed even if Gu Yi had hired a master for him.
“Go to sleep, tomorrow we all have to be refreshed to watch Yue’er worship her master.”
……
The following morning, the Song family all got up early, and Song Lin drove the ox cart to the butcher’s house next door to bring back the half-fan of pigs that had been cleaned up and put in a basin and covered with a red cloth.
Grandma Song also prepared dim sum and various flavours of hotpot base, then picked out a good cloth from the Gu family’s hired cloth, and finally took out the earrings and bracelets that Song Wan Yue had bought for her when she went to the capital, making up six gifts.
After a simple breakfast, the family went back to the house to change into new clothes and took the bullock cart to the Gu family.
They went early, and when they arrived at the Gu family village, they met up with Xiao Si who came to pick them up in a carriage. They didn’t ask Xiao Si to get off the carriage, they just asked the driver to turn around and they followed the carriage to the Gu family.
Master Gu and Madam Gu personally came out to welcome them in and ordered the maids to serve hot tea, “In-laws, warm yourselves first, I’ll ask them to prepare.”
It was already November, and even with their thick clothing, the people felt cold, so they picked up the hot tea and held it in their hands.
Gu Yi sat beside Song Wan Yue, and seeing that she was also like this, he heartily asked the maid to light another charcoal pot and place it by her feet.
Mrs Gu looked at this, and after a glance at each other with Master Gu, she smiled and said to Grandma Song, “My in-laws’ grandmother, I still have an unused carriage at home, why don’t you catch it on your way back.”
“Thank you very much.”
Grandma Song put down the tealight in her hand and didn’t refuse, “I was also thinking of buying one for my family after Yue’er had paid her respects, since you have an unused one, we won’t be too polite.”
In the past, she refused to pick up Gu Yi because the carriage was useless, but now Yue’er had to come over every day to learn martial arts and medicine, so she couldn’t let Gu Yi go over every day to pick her up.
“Good, I’ll order someone to pack up the carriage.”
Grandma Song thanked again.
After the people had gossiped for a while, the maid came in to report, “Master, Madam, it’s ready.”
The people got up and went to Doctor Yao’s courtyard.
A large table was set up in the courtyard, on which were the things brought by the Song family. The woman and Doctor Yao were sitting on chairs on either side of the table, the woman was dressed in white, sitting with her sword in her arms, her body cool. The woman was dressed in white, sitting with her sword in her arms, her body cool. Dr Yao, on the other hand, was dressed in a dark red robe, all in a joyous mood, sitting straight, not even stroking his moustache.
The maid took a futon and placed it in front of the woman first, Song Wan Yue walked over and knelt down, taking the tea brought over by the maid and handing it to the woman, “Master, please have some tea.”
The woman took the tea without expression, drained it with a tilt of her head, put the tealight on the table and reached behind her back to take out a box, “Take it.”
Dr Yao’s smile froze on his face, he had never heard of a master giving something to his apprentice when he paid respect to his master, and when the crowd wasn’t looking, he took out a silver cheque from his pocket and quietly put it behind himself. The woman had given it, and he couldn’t not give it, or he would look petty.
The maid had already placed the futon in front of him, and Song Wan Yue came over and knelt down, bringing him tea as well, “Master, have some tea.”
“Good, good, good.”
Daifu Yao took it with a joyful smile, took a few symbolic sips, also placed the tea on the table, his hand likewise went behind his back and took a silver ticket out, “Take this silver ticket, buy whatever you like.”
Song Wan Yue, who saw the denomination of the twenty taels of silver ticket clearly,……
“Thanks a lot master.”
Doctor Yao stroked his beard and laughed happily, and after he finished laughing, he said, “I’ve discussed it with Miss Chu, you’ll follow me in the morning to learn medicine, and follow her in the afternoon to learn martial arts.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the woman rose, nodded slightly towards Master Gu and Madam Gu, and walked straight out the door.
“Master Yue’er wait a moment ……”
The woman stopped in her tracks.
Grandma Song walked to the table, picked up the earrings and bracelet, and carried the cloth, and walked to the woman, “This is Yue’er’s gift of worship, please also accept it.”
The woman did not mind in the slightest that they were silver earrings and bracelets, took them, held them in her hands, and carried the cloths with ease, nodded slightly towards Grandma Song, and turned to leave.
“The rest is mine.”
Doctor Yao automatically peeled the hotpot base from the table to himself, and as for the pork and dim sum, he didn’t even look at it.
The crowd shook their heads and lost their laughter.
After laughing, Madam Gu asked Grandma Song and the others to go out and sit for a while longer, but Grandma Song waved her hand, “No, we haven’t made the ingredients for the workshop this afternoon, and Si’er, we have to go back to the college.”
The Song family thanked them and left Song Wan Yue and Xu behind, while Song Lin drove the carriage and Song Shu drove the ox cart out of the Gu family village.
Grandma Song told Song Lin to stop, “Lao Er, it’s cold, you drive the carriage to see Si’er off, we’ll go back in the ox cart.”
“No need.”
Song Si stopped, “I’ll just go as a bullock cart, and talk to Father on the way.”
Grandma Song couldn’t argue with her and cured her, telling Song Shu to take care on the road.
Song Shu agreed, and when Song Si sat up, he put the quilt from the ox cart over him, and only then did he drive the ox cart towards the county.
As they walked, they talked, mostly about Song Shu’s stall, while Song Si listened and occasionally asked a question or two.
When they were about to reach the city gate, a carriage suddenly rushed over from the opposite side, the horse seemed to be in a frenzy, and the driver could not pull it, so he was so frightened that he kept shouting, “Get out of the way, get out of the way!”
Passers-by dodged, but the carriage could not get out of the way for a while, and watched as the carriage crashed straight towards it.
