Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

In Fuxue Hall, the second master He Tongchen asked everyone from the second house to bow to Old Lady He. Old Lady He wanted to stop them, "We are all family, there is no need for these empty formalities."

The second master's eyes were slightly red, but his attitude was firm. He said solemnly: "In the past three years, my son and Yunxiu could not always be with mother to show filial piety. Now that we are finally back, we must take the younger generation to kowtow to her properly."

When Old Lady He heard what her youngest son said, her nose felt a little sour, so she had to agree. So He Tongchen, his wife Yu Xiuyun and their three children came forward to kowtow. Looking at the three exquisite children in front of her, Old Lady He showed loving care.

She first looked at the two people who looked alike, like a pile of snow, and said with a hint of teasing in her tone, "Lanzhi and Lanxue have grown up. The last time I heard them call me grandma, it was when the two girls had a quarrel over a handkerchief and asked me to make the decision."

Helanzhi and Helanxue are twins. They have fair skin and black hair, and are beautiful and charming. They are very much loved by Old Lady He. They turned 15 last winter. This time the whole family came back with the intention of finding a husband for them.

Everyone heard the mockery in the old lady's tone and laughed. Yu twisted her handkerchief to hold the corner of her mouth and said with a smile, "They are just like those naughty monkeys. It was better when they were in the mansion with the old ancestor to keep them under control. But when they came to Shanzhou, the sky is high and the emperor is far away. They are not afraid of anything. They just play crazy all day long. They don't have the quiet and gentle demeanor of girls at all."

This caused another round of laughter. Seeing the two girls blushing, the old lady rescued them, "But it's better to be smarter. This is what girls from a family like ours should be. If they are brave, they won't be bullied in the future."

As he spoke, he looked at Helan Gao, who was holding the hand of his nanny, and said in a gentle tone, "This must be Gao Ge'er. You can tell at first glance that he is a smart child."

Helangao was born to the second master two years ago. He just turned two last month and can walk steadily. After listening to what Grandma He said, he broke free from the hand of the wet nurse, knelt down respectfully on the cushion, bowed deeply, and said in a baby voice, "Grandson greets Grandmother Pig. May Grandmother be in good health and may you be supported by the green pine trees in your old age."

He spoke unclearly, and he called his grandmother a sow. Her body became emaciated. Yu was a little terrified, but Old Lady He laughed so hard that she fell backwards. She said breathlessly, "You are so good, Gao Ge'er. I am a sow, and you are also a pig."

Everyone then dared to laugh quietly, and Yu hurriedly explained with a smile, "Gao Ge'er was influenced by Shanzhou. People there can't speak straight."

"It's okay, all children learn to speak like this. When Tongchen was learning the Book of Songs, 'How can you be in the mud?', he always read it as 'hu wei hu ni zhong'. Your father-in-law spanked him several times before he corrected it." Old Lady He smiled and waved her hand to indicate that it was nothing to worry about. "You are a good person and you have taught the children well."

After saying that, she asked the maid beside her to distribute the gifts that had been prepared long ago. The two sisters each received a necklace made of pure gold and inlaid with red jade, while Gao Ge'er received a longevity lock with a Ruyi cloud pattern the size of a baby's fist.

The three of them withdrew and took their seats. The last one to arrive was He Lanting, who had been standing by the side. He walked to the middle of the hall, bowed and kowtowed. His movements were smooth and unrestrained, and he said, "Lanting, I pay my respects to my grandmother and mother."

"Good boy, get up quickly." The old lady looked at her eldest grandson whom she had not seen for three years, her expression excited, and hurriedly asked him to stand up. Xie took out a handkerchief to press the corners of her eyes, personally stepped forward to help the man up, and brought him to the old lady He.

Old Lady He took He Lanting's hand, looked at him carefully for a long while, and said distressedly, "You've become darker and thinner. You must have suffered a lot in the past three years outside in the wind and sun."

He Lanting let Old Lady He and his mother look at him. After hearing this, he smiled a little reservedly. "Studying abroad is naturally not as good as at home, but Heng knows how to be considerate, so I don't suffer from food and clothing."

"It seems that these three years have not been wasted. It seems that he speaks more appropriately." Xie wiped her tears and smiled with satisfaction as she looked at her increasingly calm son.

When He Lanting also sat down, Xie pulled Lin Xi to her side and introduced her to everyone, "This is your aunt's daughter. Her surname is Lin. She is eighteen years old. You can call her cousin according to her age."

Helanzhi and Helanxue both greeted Lin Xi, and Gaoger also called her "cousin" in a baby voice. Helan Ting noticed Lin Xi, who was wearing a moon-white dress, as soon as he came in. It wasn't because he was Meng Lang, but it was just that Lin Xi's face was too eye-catching.

She had gorgeous features, and her eyes and eyebrows were full of charm. Her lips were as red as blood, which made them even more eye-catching against her pale face. She had a dignified high bun, and her clothes and jewelry were simple, but her graceful and elegant aura was no less impressive than that of the Duke's wife, who was dressed in gorgeous green clothes.

But He Lanting had been self-disciplined and polite since childhood, and he did not have any thoughts when he saw Lin Xi's beauty. The two of them greeted each other as cousins and said nothing more. The family talked affectionately for a while. Seeing that the children looked tired, and the youngest Gao Ge'er even yawned, Xie smiled and said, "You are so happy to be reunited with your family that you forgot that your second uncle's family must have been tired from the journey. You should go and rest first."

Old Lady He also came back to her senses, a little annoyed, "Hey! Look at me! I was just busy talking to you. Look how tired the children are. Go down and have a rest." She turned to Mrs. Xie and praised, "You are so thoughtful."

"How could I have thought of everything? I know that mother loves my second uncle's family the most, and I think she has already thought of this, but it's a rare family reunion, and she can't bear to break it up. In this case, let me be the bad guy, and I just hope that mother won't slap me in the face."

Mrs. Xie's clever words made everyone in the room laugh. Old Lady He pointed at her and scolded her, "Listen to what she said. If I beat her, where can I find such a eloquent mouth to pass on my message?"

"We all want to talk to our ancestors more. How can we feel tired?" Yu continued with a smile.

"Come on, come on, I know you're all trying to cheer me up, go down and have a rest, you guys should all have lunch in your rooms, in the evening it's time to have a family reunion."

Mrs. Xie said, "I'll take my second uncle and the others over. The house has already been cleaned up, and I took the initiative to add some ornaments, calligraphy and paintings. If there's anything you don't like or it's missing, I'll take a look and give instructions in time."

After saying that, he stood up and called Lin Xi, "You come and get acquainted with the family, so that you can get along with Lan Zhi and the other sisters in the future." He then took Yu's hand affectionately, and the group went to tour the yard in a lively manner.