Comprehensive wear purple

In early May, at the Yangzhou dock, Sheng Hong and his three legitimate children stood in front of the sedan chair, chatting idly and looking up from time to time.

Hualan: "Daddy, when will Sister Shulan and the others arrive? After I see Sister Shulan, should I give her the gift here or when I get back home?"

Sheng Hong was startled. He had never thought of this. He felt embarrassed when he thought about not bringing anything with him. However, he said calmly, "Shulan, Changsong and Changwu will live in the mansion permanently in the future. There is no rush to send them gifts."

"If you guys have any gifts, you'd better wait until we get back to the mansion before giving them to them, otherwise they will have to carry a few more pieces of luggage later."

As soon as Chen Lan and Hua Lan nodded, Chang Bai pointed to the distance and asked, "Daddy, Daddy, look at that big ship in the distance, is it Uncle's ship?"

Sheng Hong saw the boat his son was pointing at, and his face was filled with joy. "That should be it, that should be it. You guys must be more polite later. Those exquisite gifts you receive every year are all sent by your uncle Wei."

"Yeah, yeah, Daddy, we know."

After a while, the ship slowly approached the dock. Sheng Hong saw his eldest cousin at a glance. Although he wanted to wave to him, due to his status, he could only nod his head vigorously.

As soon as he got off the boat, Sheng Wei, who had no idol baggage, greeted his cousin with a big laugh: "Brother Hong, it's been years since we last met. You've become even more handsome now, hahahaha."

Changsong, Changwu and Shulan waited for Sheng Wei to finish speaking, then immediately bowed and said, "Hello, uncle."

Sheng Hong smiled and gave Changsong a hand, and said quickly, "We are a family, why do we need so many gifts? Come on, come on, get up quickly."

Chenlan, Hualan and Changbai: "Nephew/niece, nice to meet you uncle, I hope you are healthy and well."

Sheng Wei also called out with a smile in his eyes, and looked at Sheng Hong with great relief.

Sheng Hong was happy in his heart, but said modestly, "Brother Wei, you are joking. I wonder if your journey was smooth. Is your aunt in good health now? Did your nephews and nieces feel uncomfortable during the journey?"

"Don't worry, brother Hong. Everything is fine at home. The children are healthy. It's just that mother is reluctant to leave home."

Sheng Hong nodded in understanding. The children of his brother's family had never traveled far away, so it was inevitable that their family would be reluctant to let them go. However, for the future of these children, he had to do this evil thing.

Seeing her father and uncle standing there a little sad, Chen Lan quickly changed the subject and said, "Dad, uncle, should we go back home first and wait for you to rest for a while before reminiscing about the past."

Sheng Hong seemed to be reminded and quickly responded. The group quickly returned to the Sheng Mansion.

After they had washed up, Sheng Hong and Madam Wang enthusiastically led them into Shou'an Hall.

As soon as Sheng Wei entered Shou'an Hall, he saw the old lady standing there excitedly, and his eyes suddenly became moist. "Nephew Sheng Wei, I greet my aunt. Long live my aunt."

Old Mrs. Sheng hurried over and helped him up. With a smile on her face and red eyes, she looked him over and over again, then said several good things.

After the little ones finished their greetings, they all looked at the old lady curiously, which made the old lady very happy. She kept stuffing handfuls of golden beans and golden peanuts into their arms.

The whole family gathered together happily, and there was constant laughter and joy in Shou'an Hall. The previous sense of alienation was long gone.

After the family dinner, Sheng Hong and Sheng Wei talked in the study for an hour. No one knew what they talked about. After they came out of the study, they couldn't stop smiling.

Shulan was temporarily arranged by the old lady to stay in the warm room in her house, while Changsong and Changwu followed Changbai back to the front yard.

The next morning, the family gathered again at Shou'an Hall, paid their respects to the old lady, and after having their meal together, a group of children were chased by the adults, some to study, some to visit the garden.

After the brothers and sisters left Shou'an Hall, Chenlan and Hualan looked at their three brothers with sympathy. They walked towards the front yard with their heads hung down, like eggplants hit by frost. They chuckled in an unkind way and took Shulan back to Yuyuzhai.

As soon as Shulan entered the yard, she was stunned by the beautiful scenery inside. She saw the courtyard surrounded by green trees, green grass, blooming flowers, ancient well spring water flowing out, the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers, the beauty was poetic, as soon as she entered the yard, she felt as if she was in a poem or painting.

Shulan sniffed the delicate fragrance of the flowers and couldn't help but say, "Sister's yard is so elegant. I have never seen such a vibrant, yet refined and elegant scene."

Hua Lan nodded gently after hearing this and responded, "Sister Shu Lan is right. I used to envy the beauty of your yard and decorated it according to yours, but I could never create such a beautiful scene."

Chen Lan shook her head with a smile, took the two of them into her study, casually took out two paintings and handed them to them, then asked them to sit down.

"Take a look at these two paintings and see if you like them. If you like them, take them and play with them. If you don't like them very much, you can go over there and choose another one."

Hua Lan had always liked to stick to her sister since she was little. She knew her sister's calligraphy and painting were extraordinary, so before she even looked closely, she immediately replied, "As long as it's made by my sister, no matter which one it is, I like it."

Upon hearing this, Shulan unfolded the scroll with anticipation on her face. What came into view was a picture with a landscape as the background and a red-billed blue magpie standing on a branch.

Looking at the bird in the painting, Shulan felt as if she could hear the birds singing and the sound of gurgling water, and she couldn't help but want to touch the red-billed blue magpie in the painting with her hand.

When Hualan saw this, she covered her handkerchief and laughed softly. From Shulan, she seemed to see the scene of her once caressing the painting infatuatedly.

Shulan was awakened by Hualan's laughter. She stamped her feet in annoyance and looked at Hualan with accusatory eyes.

Seeing that the new sister liked her paintings, Chen Lan happily handed her two more. In her disbelieving gaze, she took the painting in Hua Lan's hand away in a flash.

Seeing that the duck in her hand flew away, Hualan reluctantly tugged at Chenlan's sleeve and shook it, saying coquettishly: "Sister, Huaer is wrong. Huaer shouldn't make fun of sister Shulan. Sister, can you please return this painting to me for the sake of my knowing my mistake?"

Chen Lan originally just wanted to make a joke and was not angry. Now seeing Hua Lan tenderly admitting her mistake, she naturally "forgave" her easily.

The sisters chatted and laughed, and within a day the previous unfamiliarity was gone. The elders were very pleased when they saw this.

Especially Sheng Wei, who had thought that his cousin's children would look down on his own children because of his status as a businessman. But now, seeing them living in harmony, he finally put his mind at ease.

In this way, the family spent six days happily together. On the morning of the seventh day, Sheng Wei bid farewell to the old lady in tears and boarded the official ship back to Youyang.

Sheng Hong stood at the dock, looking at the ship sailing away, thinking silently in his heart: "After this separation, I don't know when we will meet again. I hope that Brother Wei can be safe on this journey. I think when we meet next time, our Sheng family will have changed."

Sheng Wei also stood at the bow, quietly watching his children and brothers whose figures gradually became blurred, his heart filled with anticipation and reluctance.

Changsong, Changwu and Shulan were a little depressed at first because of Shengwei's departure, but later they became lively and cheerful again with the company of Chenlan and Changbai.

In Shou'an Hall, Mrs. Sheng looked at her adopted son with an excited face, her eyes blank for a moment. Even though she had a lot of thoughts in her mind, she quickly came to her senses and asked Sheng Hong why he was so happy.

Sheng Hong calmed down his excitement a little, and said with a smile on his face: "Mother, I saved an old lady today. When the old lady thanked me, I learned that the old lady was actually the mother of the famous Zhuang Xuejiu."

When Mrs. Sheng heard this, she looked at Sheng Hong in disbelief, thinking, "Based on my son's personality, it is impossible for him to save people casually. I didn't expect that the first time I heard about him saving someone, he just casually reached out and saved a person of great origin."

Sheng Hong met the old lady's incredulous gaze, nodded affirmatively, and said happily: "I was originally worried about what to do with the children's studies when we arrived in Tokyo, but now it seems that there is a solution."

Old Lady Sheng: "Master Zhuang is indeed a rare and good teacher, but Hong'er, you must remember that we must not repay a favor and fall into inferiority. When you go to invite Master Zhuang, you must be sincere."

Sheng Hong nodded in agreement, and then continued, "Since receiving the imperial edict, Lord Ouyang and I have begun to hand over official duties. Now that the official duties have been handed over, it is time to pack up the things at home and prepare to leave for Tokyo."

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Sheng said cheerfully, "Don't worry about that. Everything that needs to be organized at home has been organized, and the luggage that needs to be packed has almost been packed. The girls in our family have been exhausted during this period."

Seeing his mother openly and secretly praising his daughter and niece for their abilities, Sheng Hong nodded with You Rongyan, and a smile could not be hidden on his usually serious face.

"Then mother, should we take all the servants we bought in Yangzhou with us, or should we release their indentures and buy new ones when we get to Tokyo?"

"This matter should have been handled by the Madam, but as you know, she has been busy with household affairs lately and has to go back to her parents' home. She is really overwhelmed, so I hope that mother can lend a hand and help her son stabilize the family."

Although Old Lady Sheng was a little impatient to take care of these matters, she did not refuse. After all, Sheng Hong had spoken personally, and it was only a matter of a few words. She also had several capable granddaughters, so she would not be tired.

The family members handled official business, housework, and visiting relatives. After more than ten days of busy work, they finally boarded the official ship to Tokyo.

Also traveling with them was Ouyang Yongshu, who was appointed by the government as the second-rank deputy privy councilor, the highest-ranking official on this trip. Sheng Hong was once again promoted above his level and now has the fourth rank, becoming the Chief Censor.

It can be said that the speed of his promotion shocked all his peers, so they began to inquire about Sheng Hong's way of being an official. However, apart from his strategy of getting rid of locusts in the past two years, they did not find any other remarkable highlights.

Therefore, everyone attributed his several promotions to his good father-in-law and good luck.

The children were quite excited at first, but they started to lose interest on the second day. Fortunately, there were some children of the same age on the boat, and after some cautious testing, the children who were strangers to each other started to play happily together.

Uncle Ouyang Yong saw that his naughty third son had become much more well-behaved after playing with the children of the Sheng family in the past few days, and he stroked his beard with satisfaction.

Looking at the two graceful young girls from the Sheng family, his eyes lit up and an idea instantly came to his mind, so he hurried to find Sheng Hong.

Sheng Hong sat in the study and read for a while. He was just about to ask Lin Xiaoniang to come over and keep him company, but he ran into Ouyang Yongshu just as he was about to go out. For a moment, he was very glad that he did not bring his concubine into the study.

Sheng Hong quickly bowed and saluted, "How are you, Deputy Envoy Ouyang? Is there anything you need to come here this time?"

Ouyang Yongshu also returned the greeting, "Mr. Sheng, I'm really sorry for coming here to disturb you without any reason. I just really want to ask for something, and I hope Mr. Sheng can agree to it."

Sheng Hong's heart skipped a beat, and he thought uneasily, "It must be very difficult for Ouyang Yongshu, who has been promoted to the second rank, to come to ask for help. If it is not convenient later, how can I refuse?"

He just thought so in his mind, but still smiled and gestured to the other party to sit at the head, without any mistakes in etiquette.

"I don't know what the deputy envoy is talking about. If Hong can do it, he will definitely take the lead."

Ouyang Yongshu knew very well that a good girl is sought after by many families, so the most urgent task was to quickly decide on his future daughter-in-law to prevent her from being snatched away by someone else in Tokyo. So he stopped being polite and went straight to the point.

"Brother Sheng Hong, I wonder if the girls in your family are engaged yet. How are my two unfilial sons doing?"

Sheng Hong thought about it for a long time, thinking it would be a big deal, but he didn't expect it to be another "bastard" who targeted his daughter.

"The girl from our Sheng family is really outstanding. She isn't even 160 yet, but already so many prominent men are courting her." Sheng Hong thought happily, and his anxious heart suddenly relaxed.

"I am not satisfied with Brother Yongshu. My eldest and second sisters have already been engaged. The remaining three sisters are still young. It seems that they are not destined to be with Brother Yongshu's family."

Although Ouyang Yongshu was surprised when he heard this, he did not continue to ask questions unreasonably. Instead, he sat there and thought for a while before continuing to discuss a few small marriages.

"I remember that your family has a youngest daughter. Is this also not going to be married off?"

Since he couldn't order the two older ones, he could settle for the younger one. After all, they were sisters from the same mother and should not be much different from each other.

The main reason why he was so eager to get engaged to the Sheng family was because of Sheng Hong. After all, anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was somehow highly valued by the government, and he had been very successful in his career in recent years, so he would surely do well in the future.

Moreover, from what he had observed over the past few years, he felt that Sheng Hong was well versed in the ways of being an official, and it would definitely be a good idea to become his relative.

On the other hand, although Sheng Hong had anticipated a lot about his future son-in-law status because of his eldest daughter in these years, he did not expect happiness to come so quickly.

However, although she was happy in her heart, she still looked reserved and only then "reluctantly" gave her Rulan to Ouyang Sanlang.

Once the marriage was finalized, the two of them got along much better. They stayed in the study and chatted for an entire afternoon. When they left the study, they smiled and nodded knowingly, and each went back to find their wife to discuss the matter.

However, everything went smoothly for Ouyang Yongshu, but Sheng Hong was intercepted in his room by his "darling". He was so confused for a while that he completely forgot about this matter.

Since the two families got engaged (everyone in the Ouyang family knew about it, but only Sheng Hong in the Sheng family knew about it), the two sides have been interacting more closely, and the eldest lady of the Ouyang family goes to see Xiao Rulan whenever she has time.

In this way, the two families spent more than half a month on the ship before they arrived in Tokyo smoothly.