Chapter 156: Chapter 155 Jufeng Betrothed Chapter 156: Chapter 155 Jufeng Betrothed By then, they had already returned to the streets of the city, and Shunyan had awakened. Seeing the little pageboy dozing and even drooling with a silly smile, he quietly slapped the back of his head.

“Smack”
“Who, who hit me? Ouch, my lychees, my fruits…” the little pageboy awoke from a beautiful dream, reluctant to leave the fruits of his dreams, slightly grumpy from being woken up.

“What if I, the young Master, hit you?”

Once the page boy clearly heard the young Master’s voice, he was fully awakened, revealing an embarrassed smile: “Young Master, why did you hit me?”

“Who allowed you to drool? Do you see where we are? Are you still sleeping?”

“Oh, got it, young Master, it’s such a pity about those fruits,” the little pageboy was still captivated by the fruits in his dream.

“Pfft…”

Jinhua and two maids covered their mouths with handkerchiefs and laughed. More watermelons and vegetables were in the city, and she tried to sit in one carriage, while the other carried the goods.

Passing through the streets in the carriage, those riding horses could not move alongside it; seeing them, the horses not only carried people but also two baskets, on which were fresh green leaves of lychees, making the crowd automatically make way.

Upon arriving in front of the Tang Mansion gate, the guards dismounted first, and the gatekeeping guards ran out to help carry those baskets to the ground and to settle the horses.

Young Master Tang handed his horse to a guard and went to the carriage next to him. He first helped Jinhua out of the carriage and then carried young Master to the ground.

Of course, the little pageboy didn’t receive such treatment; he was a tough kid born in the mountains and jumped from the carriage to the ground.

The two maids cautiously held their skirts as they stepped off the carriage.

Shunyan stood aside as Young Master Tang carried him to the ground, watching the guards unloading watermelons, vegetables, and lychees from the carriage.

A group of people ran out from the mansion, including maids, old women, uncles, and youngsters, who all helped to carry the fruits and lychees inside.

Since the young Master brought back so many items, the distribution still needed to be managed by the housekeeper.

Thus, Shunyan instructed Young Master Tang that he was to go to the academy tomorrow, and the fruits and watermelon meant for the teachers were to be saved, leaving some for them as well.

He didn’t think that giving these common items, the teachers would think he was being cheap and refuse them.

The items he handed out, how could they be ordinary?

As a student, offering these items to the teachers was merely his gesture of goodwill, obviously making it clear it was not on behalf of his family.

However, for holidays and festivals, the customary gifts and presents from the elders would certainly not be lacking.

Shunyan ordered Young Master Tang to send the clay jar of honeycombs to his courtyard.

He let Jinhua and the little pageboy take the items back to the courtyard first, taking with them the fruits he planned to share with his young friends tomorrow and the fruits for the teachers.

He didn’t want the other people in the mansion to divide all the fruits he had brought back.

When Shunyan entered the mansion, he did not first visit his mother and father; he first went to see his grandfather and grandmother. Grand Master and great-grandmother were very old and seldom received guests; only when he had free time would he visit them.

“Grandmother, I am back.” As Shunyan stepped through the door and saw his grandmother sitting in the main seat with two old women standing by, listening to her instructions,
Madam heard her eldest grandson’s voice, waved the old women away with a smile, and beckoned to her grandson.

Shunyan greeted his grandmother with a bow, then sat beside her.

As he had just sat down, a maid brought Madam lychees and even carried in a big watermelon.

“Grandmother, look at the wonderful things your grandson has brought back?”

“Hehe, my eldest grandson is truly filial.”

Upon seeing such enticing lychees and watermelon, Madam Tang picked up a lychee first, peeled it, and popped it into her mouth, the sweet taste making her squint with delight.

She then had someone slice the watermelon and shared it with her eldest grandson.

“Quickly have someone take the watermelon and lychees to the Old Master and young Master’s study.”

“Grandmother, when I first came to this courtyard, Young Master Tang had already taken the watermelon and lychees to Grandfather and Father’s study.”

“Haha, very good….”

Shunyan had traveled a long way, had lunch, and was full of fruit, and now at this teatime, he could indulge once again.

“Grandson, lychees are heaty, eat fewer of them and more watermelon.”

“Grandmother, it’s okay, eating lychees with watermelon complements each other. Ru Mei gave me a jar of honey, and I drink the honey water so I don’t feel the heat.”

“Hehe, grandson brings back so many wonderful things from a trip.”

The joy between the grandmother and grandson was palpable.

In the courtyard of Lady Tang, her youngest son was still small, always kept by the wet nurse who took him to play in her courtyard every day.

Having the feeling that the wet nurse was even closer than the biological mother, she also needed her youngest son to stay under her watch every day; the little boy needed his wet nurse but also spent the whole day by her side, only returning to his own courtyard to sleep at night.

Lady Tang was playing with her youngest son, his wet nurse stood by, and a maid was also there watching them play.

“Young Madam, these are the fruits that the Eldest Young Master brought back from the Ye family.”

An old woman brought in a basket of lychees, and someone else carried in two big watermelons.

“Hehehe, Lychees, watermelon.” A little child of just over a year old crawled out from his mother’s embrace, quickly grabbed a lychee, and tried to eat it.

“Young Master, let the wet nurse help you.” The wet nurse beside the young Master was quick in her movements while working beside Lady Tang. Slow hands wouldn’t do; she could be scolded.

At that moment, Lady Tang, not focusing on her youngest son, asked the maid about her eldest son.

“Young Madam can rest assured, the Eldest Young Master has gone to Madam Tang’s courtyard; he might come to pay respects to Young Madam later.”

“Mhm”
Lady Tang understood in her heart that in this household, the Mother-in-law had the final say, managing all affairs of the house, and even her eldest son was closer to her mother-in-law.

This was something she felt helpless about since having her second child; she hadn’t paid as much attention to her eldest son, besides, the eldest had a strong will and didn’t listen to his mother’s words.

The eldest son sometimes acted like a little adult, speaking words that even the adults could not change, just like this trip to the Ye family, despite the elders persuading him, he insisted on going.

Fortunately, he had come back safely, which was a worry for her all day. She said to the maid beside her, “Go and call the Eldest Young Master here.”

“Yes”
A maid went out, and Jufeng was no longer by her side. She feared her husband might take this dowry maid as a concubine, not wanting her husband to have her maid beside him, she had married the maid off to the son of a dowry housekeeper, managing all her dowry shops and estate.

Jufeng did not want to leave the Eldest Young Master, and now that Lady Tang had arranged it, she had to marry regretfully, seldom entering the Mansion after her marriage.

She might have harbored resentment towards Young Madam, needing but not obtaining, which indeed saddened her; a marriage at the mercy of others, not to harbor any bitterness would be strange. Her husband was alright, yet he could never measure up to the man in her dreams, the Eldest Young Master….