Re-embroidering life

Chapter 157 Returning Home

In late April in Jiangxia, the air was filled with the fragrance of mugwort and the sweet aroma of glutinous rice, and the Dragon Boat Festival was quietly approaching. Shui Qinghua sat in the carriage, looking at the familiar street scene passing by outside the window, and felt that time was passing by.

On the Dragon Boat Festival four years ago, she was just an unknown woman in the rear house, working hard for her first embroidery workshop, but now she is a world-famous embroidery master.

After her rebirth, she lived very hard every day.

The Ji family is no longer what it used to be. Ji Zixuan became the prefect of Jiangxia and ruled the area. Ji Zimo is no longer a scholar, but a top scholar in the imperial examinations and a minister of the Ministry of Works.

The Ji family went from being a poor family with few residents to being a powerful family. They had two successful candidates in the imperial examinations, one a third-rank official and the other a fourth-rank official. Old Mrs. Ji must have felt very proud!

The carriage slowly stopped in front of the Ji family mansion. A pair of majestic stone lions were added to the door. The doorhead had also been renovated, and the vermilion paint was brand new and bright.

Ji Zimo was the first to get off the carriage. He was wearing a light blue brocade robe, with gentle eyes and eyebrows, and he seemed to be the elegant young man back then. He turned around and held out his hand. Shui Qinghua smiled slightly, handed her hand over, and stepped out of the carriage with his support. Today she was wearing a light green dress, with her hair tied up lightly and only a jade hairpin inserted. It was simple yet elegant, and even more beautiful and refined.

Groups of servants had been waiting here for a long time. They were wearing brand new uniforms and their smiles were uniform as if they had rehearsed in advance. At a glance, almost all of them were new faces.

Seeing them arrive, the servants came forward and saluted.

"Third Master, Third Madam, you are finally back. The old lady and the eldest master have been talking about you for a long time." said a white-haired old man with a kind face.

Shui Qinghua recognized that this was Butler Huang, the only one she knew among the servants. Butler Huang had watched Ji Zimo grow up, so naturally they had a special bond. Ji Zimo took two steps forward and held his arm: "We miss home too, is the old lady okay?"

"Thanks to the third master, the old lady is in good health, but she is always thinking about you and the young ladies." Butler Huang replied with a smile.

The crowd surrounded the family of four and walked inside. When they were almost at the main courtyard, an old woman with gray hair came out from the corridor, supported by a maid. It was Mrs. Ji.

"Zimo, my son, you are finally back." Mrs. Ji's voice trembled slightly, tears flashing in her eyes.

Ji Zimo and Shui Qinghua both knelt down to pay their respects.

The old lady looked at the youngest child carefully, with a satisfied smile on her face: "Good, good, it's good that you're back. Where's my granddaughter? Let me see her."

"Grandma!" Ji Rui and Ji Wei shouted in unison, throwing themselves into the old lady's arms. They were seven and four years old, both of them were beautiful and pretty.

The old lady smiled from ear to ear and stroked the children's heads: "Good kids, you are all grandma's darlings."

After saying that, he looked at Ji Zimo and his wife with a look of reproach: "Why don't you bring Fei'er back? You are so cruel as a parent, leaving her alone in Jiangnan?"

Ji Zimo could only smile. Ji Zixuan came over to help him out: "Mom, Fei'er is grown up now and has her own ideas. Please don't blame my third brother. Let's go in first."

Old Mrs. Ji immediately peeled off the layer and walked towards the main hall with a smile on her face, surrounded by her sons.

As soon as Shui Qinghua's eyes touched Ji Zixuan's face that looked exactly like Ji Zimo's, she subconsciously turned away. Ever since she had new speculations about his relationship with Ji Zimo, she could no longer look at this face calmly.

She looked at the old lady Ji who was walking away, thinking to herself that the old lady must know all the inside stories. How many secrets did the Ji family hide?

"Third sister-in-law!" a gentle female voice called her.

Shui Qinghua turned around and couldn't help but smile. It was the second sister-in-law, Sun Xiaolan. The second family of four were all here, including Ji Zifang and his son Ji Wei.

"Second sister-in-law, it seems that second brother has been transferred back to Jiangxia?" Shui Qinghua asked.

"Yes," Sun Xiaolan took Shui Qinghua's hand affectionately, "He is useless. He couldn't even get a county magistrate for so many years. It was only when my eldest brother became the prefect of Jiangxia that he found a way to transfer him back to be the county magistrate of Tongcheng County."

Shui Qinghua couldn't help but feel happy for the second house: "So, Yun'er and Song Jiazi's marriage has also been settled?"

"That's right. Yun'er has already said that it was her uncle who introduced him. He is the second son of the prime minister of Jiangxia Prefecture. He knows him inside and out, without any flaws!" Sun Xiaolan's well-maintained face smiled like a flower.

Shui Qinghua felt relieved that Yun'er had found a good home, so all her efforts back then were not in vain.

"By the way," Sun Xiaolan lowered her voice and whispered mysteriously, "Do you still remember Miss Tang? She finished mourning for her husband in Jiangnan and has been back for more than a year. I heard that the Tang family has been trying to find someone else for her. You'd better be careful."

Tang Fu?

Shui Qinghua smiled. Once upon a time, this name was her inner demon that could not be touched. But now, this name sounded so old and had long been buried in the dust of her memory.

Tang Fu is still the same Tang Fu, but she has changed. Her world is broader and her mind is stronger. Tang Fu alone can no longer disturb her mood.

Shui Qinghua sincerely thanked her second sister-in-law. She suddenly remembered something: "Second sister-in-law, why didn't I see my eldest sister-in-law?"

When she left Jiangxia, Tan Meixue was under house arrest by the old lady. It shouldn't be that she hasn't been released for so many years. She is the wife of the prefect now, and the old lady has to consider the face of her eldest son.

"She was released a long time ago, and now the household goods in the mansion have been returned to her. She has been sick these days, and now that you have come back, I have taken care of all the affairs. If there is anything that is not done well, just tell me!" Sun Xiaolan was as warm-hearted as ever.

It's interesting, when a relative returns home and the family needs to take care of everything, the mistress of the house falls ill. Is it a real illness, or is there another reason?

That evening, the Ji Mansion held a grand welcoming banquet. Sun Xiaolan was more thoughtful than Tan Meixue, and arranged the family of the third room to sit at the main table with the old lady and Ji Zixuan.

Tan Meixue still claimed to be ill and did not attend the event. The old lady and Ji Zixuan both looked unhappy.

"Mother, I'll go see my sister-in-law later. If you need medical help, don't delay." Shui Qinghua said, looking at the faces of the mother and son.

"No need!" Ji Zixuan said in a deep voice, "Let's eat."

After the banquet, Ji Zixuan went to talk to Ji Zimo, and Sun Xiaolan personally led Shui Qinghua and the two daughters to the prepared courtyard. Now that the eldest wife has moved to the government office, there is no shortage of rooms in the mansion, and the third wife does not need to return to the old house in Yuquan Town.

Shui Qinghua sighed quietly. She really would rather live in the old house. Now they were going to the Furong Garden where she lived when she died in her previous life. After all, it was still a bit disgusting.

After Sun Xiaolan left, Shui Qinghua bathed and changed clothes for her two daughters, cleaned them up, and sent them to bed.

"Mom, why haven't you given birth to a little brother yet?" Ji Rui asked innocently, blinking her beautiful big eyes.

Shui Qinghua stopped what he was doing, looking puzzled: "Why do you ask that?"

"I heard two maids whispering that my aunt is going to adopt Brother Ji Peng into our family! I don't like him!"

Shui Qinghua was shocked.