Fu Xinzi also returned to the west room with her set of clothes, which was a simple and straightforward skirt.
A pale yellow short jacket embroidered with gardenias, paired with a green pleated long skirt embroidered with winding peonies.
The elegant colors and graceful style captivated her at first glance.
She knew these clothes were not made by her mother. Madam Fang had been so busy with cooking lately that she had no time to make new clothes for them.
She looked again at the fine stitches and secretly wondered who had made this set of clothes for her, and why it suited her so well.
With a hint of doubt, she re-combed her hair, in what she considered a suitable style for her age.
She divided her hair from the top into two sections, styled into two sheep horn braids, then folded the braids and tied them with a hair tie. Finally, it had a certain flair.
Convinced it was presentable, Fu Xinzi stepped out of the west room with a touch of pride.
In the east room, Qi He and Yu Er had already changed into their new clothes and were standing, listening to Grandpa Meng's praise.
"Beautiful, truly beautiful, more like brothers than actual brothers."
Yu Er loved to hear this. He used to have only an older sister. Though their sibling bond was as close as could be, a sister could never replace a brother.
After meeting Brother Qi, he experienced the joy of having a brother, something a sister couldn't provide.
Qi Yuanshan, who had come to deliver a letter, also saw this scene. Seeing two boys wearing the same clothes, one big and one small, looking at him, warmed his heart.
He owed his son a warm home, but he would never be able to make up for it in this life. Fortunately, his son had forged a good relationship with the Meng family, and all he had to do was protect it for him.
Grandpa Meng hadn't expected that at this hour, especially after the rain, Qi Yuanshan would rush over unless there was something important.
As expected, when Qi Yuanshan spoke, Grandpa Meng's old face turned as dark as ink.
"Uncle Meng, the thousand-household office escorted them over in the light rain." Qi Yuanshan didn't say that their thousand-household commander had become increasingly stingy. To save four rice dumplings for one meal, they only had eight rice dumplings for two meals, forcing them to send the people to their own garrison for the night.
Although Qi Yuanshan didn't name names, everyone present, except Yu Er, knew who the four people he was referring to were.
Grandpa Meng was silent for a while before saying to his son, "Yu'er, ask your wife to cook an extra dish, and let your brother Yuanshan eat here before he leaves."
"Yes, I'll go right now."
Fu Yu went to the kitchen and first told Fang Shi that Yuanshan had arrived and that his father wanted an extra dish.
Then he glanced at Xiao Li Shi and Tao Shi who were helping nearby, sighed, and returned to the main room without saying anything.
Because of Qi Yuanshan's arrival, the dinner changed from a simple two-dish, one-soup meal to a four-dish, one-soup meal.
Qi Yuanshan had intended to object today, saying that a normal home-cooked meal would suffice and there was no need to add more dishes for him.
However, seeing Uncle Meng's unhappy expression just now, he kept quiet.
Grandpa Meng ate the meal with gusto. After all, it was he, Meng Qingping, who now lived in a large house and ate white rice, fried fish, and braised meat.
As for Meng Qinghong, the cold rain must have drenched his clothes.
He knew what it was like to wear sticky, wet clothes clinging to the body, with an empty stomach.
At this moment, he really wanted to see what that person looked like now.
However, it seemed that in an instant, his mood brightened.
He, a free and unfettered elder, would be demeaning himself by getting into a dispute with such a person.
"Forget it, forget it, hahaha." The grievances he had carried for most of his life scattered like mist in an instant.
Seeing that his father had finally let go of his grievances against that person, Fu Yu was also happy for his old father.
This was also what Qi Yuanshan most wanted to see. Since Uncle Meng's knot had been untied, he could also return.
As he passed by the entrance of the two main branches of the Meng family, he saw Liu Shi coming out to close the courtyard gate, holding a door bar in her hand.
Seeing the commander Qi standing at the courtyard entrance, Liu Shi quickly greeted him, "Commander Qi, are you returning to the garrison?"
Qi Yuanshan nodded and casually said, "The men from your two families arrived at the garrison tonight. If your families wish to see them, you might as well go to the garrison to meet them..."
Before Qi Yuanshan could finish speaking, he heard a dull thud. The door bar in Liu Shi's hand dropped to the ground.
But she didn't have time to thank Commander Qi or pick up the fallen door bar. She turned around and ran back into the courtyard, pulling up her skirt, "Old Madam, Old Madam, everyone come out! The Old Master and his two brothers have brought Yu Ting to our garrison."
Liu Shi's voice was a little loud and tearful. Not only did the people in their courtyard come out, but even the family of Meng Qinghuai heard her.
It was already dark, and the room was not lit with oil lamps to save money.
Li Shi, sitting on the kang in the east room, was stunned for a moment when she heard Liu Shi's words, thinking she had misheard.
Then she realized that the second daughter-in-law was usually steady and wouldn't speak without reason. She hurriedly got out of bed to put on her shoes.
However, the more anxious she felt, the more the shoes seemed to defy her, refusing to go on.
Meng Yutang, sitting in the main hall, sensed that the sound was not right and ran over in the dark, "Grandmother?"
"Tang'er, hurry and help grandmother put on her shoes."
"Yes." Meng Yutang squatted down, fumbled under the edge of the kang for a moment, and then found his grandmother's two shoes.
Meng Yutang's hands were also trembling. It took him a while to help his grandmother put on both shoes.
The three girls living in the side rooms had already run out, holding Liu Shi's arm, confirming if it was true.
"It's true, it's true." In just a short while, Liu Shi had lost count of how many times she had answered.
Meng Yulin grabbed Liu Shi's collar and kept asking, "Mother, can we really go see Father today?"
"Yes, we'll go see your father in a moment."
"Mother, wait for me. I'll go get the pastries that my eldest brother-in-law bought me a few days ago to give to Father."
"Oh my, I forgot about the important matter." Her son's words reminded Liu Shi.
"Yu Yan, Yu Su, hurry up and start the fire. I'll make dough, and we'll bake some flatbreads for your grandfather, your father, and your uncles to take with them."
Meng Yuwu from the eldest branch, seeing her second aunt asking two cousins to start the fire, also ran over to help.
Li Shi was helped out of the room by Meng Yutang and quickly instructed Liu Shi, "Second daughter-in-law, put plenty of oil in the pot. Oil makes food last longer."
"Old Madam, I understand."
"Second daughter-in-law, pound that half bowl of oil residue and put it into the flatbread."
"Yes."
Liu Shi took the lead in bustling around, and Xiao Li Shi and Tao Shi also returned.
Seeing Liu Shi preparing to bake flatbread, they both hurried forward to help.