Xie Changgeng stayed overnight at night and returned to Xie County half a month later.

He arrived at the door of the house late at night and first slapped the door, but the doorman was sleeping in a dark and unconscious manner. He was afraid that the sound of his mother would be too loud, so he climbed over the wall and headed straight to the east wing where he lived.

The door was closed. He pushed the door open and entered, lit an oil lamp on the table, raised his eyes, and his eyes fell on the bed opposite.

The bed tent was double-spread, hooked by a pair of gold hooks, and quietly hung down on both sides. The mandarin duck pillow and the big red quilt were still the same. The room was chilly and the cold air was so cold.

After quelling the rebellion of King Jiangdong, he needed to report his duties as usual, because the trip to Changsha had been delayed for some time and now he is in urgent need of going to Beijing.

He rarely went home in recent years, and he felt guilty when he thought of his widowed mother. After leaving Changsha this time, he wanted to go back earlier and try his best to make time to accompany his mother for a few more days, and then he would leave home again.

I don’t know when the next time I go back, so I’ll hurry up this trip.

It was finally here. He was still tired after several days of traveling. He was about to put down his clothes and change his clothes when he heard a soft knock on the door behind him.

He opened the door.

Outside the door was a young woman with a candlestick in her hands. She had a beautiful appearance, with her hair loose, with a black and greasy strand hanging on her chest, and a green jacket that was cold to protect her shoulders. The collar was loose, revealing the collar of a pink jacket inside.

Seeing her like this, she seemed to have just gotten off the bed.

Seeing him appearing in the door, her face showed surprise, her eyes shining, and she called "Brother-in-law".

This woman is Lingfeng from the Qi family.

Xie Changgeng was slightly stunned, then raised his eyes and looked at an ear room next to him.

The door was half open.

Obviously, she should have come out of this ear room just now.

"Just just now, I heard that there seemed to be something moving in this room, so I got up and took a look. I didn't expect that it was my brother-in-law, you came back..."

She paused, raised her eyes, and looked inside.

"Madam should have returned with her brother-in-law, right?"

Xie Changgeng didn't say anything.

She probably saw that the Mu girl did not reply with him. She hesitated and said, "Is it cold in the room? I don't know the news that your brother-in-law will reply tonight, so I'm not prepared. Brother-in-law, go in quickly, I'll start a stove for you and warm your body first..."

After she finished speaking, she hurriedly wanted to enter the house.

"When did you move here?"

Xie Changgeng asked her without giving in.

A faint blush appeared on Qi Lingfeng's face and she whispered: "Just that came a few days ago... The old lady accidentally suffered a cold wind and Qiuju was not serving her well, so I came to take care of her. After the old lady's health was healed, she would not let me leave. She arranged for me to live here and asked me to wait for my brother-in-law and wife to come back, so..."

Her voice quietly stopped and her eyes lowered.

A gust of night wind gushed out the candlelight in her hand.

The surroundings suddenly fell into darkness.

“…Brother-in-law…”

She raised her head and called out softly.

The night was blurred. Her shadow moved slightly.

"Madam won't come back for the time being. It's inconvenient for you to live here. Let's go back tomorrow."

Xie Changgeng said, with a gentle tone, then stepped out of the house and headed towards the main house where his mother lived.

He came to the door and happened to meet Amao who came out to relieve his skills in the middle of the night.

Amao shrank his neck and squinted his eyes, closed his arms tightly, and was yawning into the room. Suddenly, he ran into Xie Changgeng, was startled, screamed, recognized it as him, and yelled again, turned around, ran in in.

"Old lady! The master is back-"

She opened her voice and shouted.

Xie Changgeng wanted to stop him, but hesitated for a while, stopped, and let her shout and ran in.

Soon, the lights lit up in the room.

"Geng'er, are you back? Come in!"

With the sound of getting up, Xie's mother's voice came from the room.

Xie Changgeng walked in, smiled on his face, and helped her sit back on the edge of the bed.

When Xie's mother saw her son, she was very happy and grabbed her hand to ask him about the situation on the way. The mother and son said a few words, and she looked at the door.

"Where are the Mu clans?"

Xie Changgeng paused, turned around, and ordered Qiuju and Amao to go out.

"Mu didn't return."

Xie's mother was stunned. "You have gone to pick her up, why didn't she come back with you?"

"She was spoiled since she was a child. When she arrived at our side, she probably was not suitable for the local conditions. She didn't tell you at that time. She actually had some inconvenience when she left. Therefore, her son didn't ask her to go back. Let her stay there and take care of her body slowly first."

Xie's mother frowned. "It's like this! She is in a bad health. Why didn't she tell me that day? Since she called me mother-in-law, am I the kind of person who ignores her life or death?"

Xie Changgeng did not answer the conversation.

She sighed and complained in a low voice: "I knew it! When she came in that day, when I saw her, the delicate body seemed to fall as soon as the wind blew. It was not a good fortune for raising her. How could Feng'er..."

She seemed to suddenly remember, and a smile appeared on her face, and she said with a smile: "Geng'er, I'm telling you something. Feng'er is here. I don't know if you saw her just now. I thought that she is almost from our family anyway, so I let her live with you. When you come back this time, stay at home for a few more days. Mom will choose a good day and get Feng'er's business done, which can be considered a matter of my thoughts for many years."

Xie Changgeng said, "Mom, I was just about to tell you this. Since Mu didn't reply, I'd better wait for this matter. It's inconvenient now. The second wife of the Qi family will not be convenient to live in that room in the future. If your health is good, let her go back."

Xie’s mother was unhappy: “I told her before that she had promised me to decide this! If she didn’t reply, would she let Feng’er wait? Feng’er is not young anymore, she is almost twenty years old! How many years have you been waiting for you, how long do you have to wait for her?”

"My mother, Mu is the main wife. If she is not here, if we bring people in, according to the rules..."

"I'm still your mother!"

Xie's mother interrupted her son.

"I don't care about the rules outside, this is Xie County! I have lived for most of my life and have never heard of the principle that a mother-in-law depends on the behavior of a daughter-in-law!"

"Mother, listen to me, it's really inconvenient to let someone enter the door..."

Xie's mother stared at her son steadily.

"Geng'er, my mother had to spend three days and three nights to give birth to you, and she stepped into the gate of hell with one foot. She finally got lucky and got through that level. Your father had read so many books in vain, but failed to get fame and fortune. In the end, she only became a postmaster. How many items can she have in her family? You are smart, and in order to support you in your studies, I spin yarn and hemp every day, hoping that you can make a name for yourself. Finally, I saw some hope. I didn't want you to kill someone again! During those years, I was scared and helpless, and it was the Qi family who took care of me."

"You probably forgot it, but my mother never forgot it, and I dare not forget it! That year, the village was flooded, and Feng'er's family took me to escape. When crossing the bridge, the bridge was suddenly washed away by water, and everyone and the car fell into the water. At that time, Feng'er's mother and I were in the car. If Feng'er hadn't hugged the bridge pillar and held her hands tightly, she would have been feeding the fish! My mother survived, but Feng'er's own mother would have disappeared!"

"Our Xie family not only owes the Qi family, but also owes her life! In my eyes, Feng'er is even more kinky than my daughter! Later, I learned that you had a marriage outside and couldn't change it, so I had to give up. Letting her be young is enough to be wronged. Now if you don't want her anymore, I'll tell you that your mother will not live!"

Xie's mother said, wiping her tears.

Xie Changgeng frowned, hesitated for a moment, stood up, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed solemnly.

"My mother, it's because her son is unfilial. She has been frightened since she was a child, and now she has disappointed her mother so much. This is not because her son doesn't want to do so, but it's really inconvenient now..."

“What’s inconvenient?”

"My mother stays at home and doesn't know about some things outside. It is certainly a small matter for someone to come in, but she is not afraid of ten thousand, but she is afraid of it. If the Mu family in Changsha thinks it is disrespectful to them, it will be a little trouble. Moreover, my son is now in office, and there are many enemies in the court, and there are countless eyes staring at him. If you want to add a crime, why not worry? Although this matter is small, it is possible if you are caught by someone with a heart and make a big fuss."

Xie's mother was a little surprised, and looked at her son's solemn expression and gradually stopped crying.

Xie Changgeng got up from the ground.

"My mother, how dare my son forget the kindness of Qi to his mother? My son feels that this arrangement has aggrieved her now. It is not only in this way that can be rewarded. Why should my mother consider her adopted daughter? In the future, if her son can achieve everything he wants, he will treat her well and repay her for saving her mother that day..."

Before he finished speaking, a person came into the door and knelt on the ground.

Qi Lingfeng kowtowed to Xie's mother and choked and said, "Old Madam, Feng'er is grateful for your kindness to Feng'er. If Feng'er messes with you, mother and son, then I deserve to die! Please don't force him again. Feng'er will go back to my brother's place tomorrow."

Xie's mother hurried over and helped her up, comforted her, turned to look at her son, and frowned: "Look, Feng'er is so sensible. Compared to the Mu girl you married, you should know who is better and who is bad! Feng'er himself spoke like this, so he left this in advance, but everyone has come, so it's hard to go back to her brothers. Let's live at home in the name of my goddaughter, and wait for the Mu girl to come back!"

Xie Changgeng stopped expressing his opinion, and quitted a few vaguely, saying that it was late at night, so he asked his mother to rest again and retreated.

He returned to the east wing room, locked the door back, lifted up his luggage, walked to the front of the cabinet, and grabbed the door handle on the cabinet door, and suddenly remembered.

After hesitating, he slowly opened the cabinet door.

What I see is the same as before.

The wardrobe is filled with women's clothes. I don't know what spices are filled in the sachet. After so long, the fragrance remains unabated.

In front of Xie Changgeng's eyes, it seemed that the scene of the beauty's eyes stinging on her couch that day appeared again.

Pomegranate red skirt, light clouds and thin silk.

It is incredible that people are noble in front of others, but they are so dissatisfied in private.

He glanced at the clothes she left in the cabinet, and seemed to see her face. A hint of disgust appeared in his eyes. With a "bang", he closed the cabinet door.

The next day, Xie Changgeng went to the main house early and served his mother with his own meals. After using breakfast, he told his mother that the court was still waiting for him to go to Beijing to report his duties, and he probably could not be able to perform his filial piety at home. This time he came back just to say goodbye to his mother.

Xie's mother was extremely reluctant to leave, but her son's future was important, so how could she delay it? She nodded and agreed, packed up her luggage for him, and was supported by Qi Lingfeng, and sent it all the way out.

Xie Changgeng instructed his servants to serve his mother well, so he left home. He made another journey and finally arrived in Shangjing at the end of the month.

He had already had a house in the capital, and all the servants in the house were all there, and when he entered the house, he took a bath and rested, preparing to report his duties at court tomorrow.

Late at night, a secret letter from the palace was sent to him quietly.
To be continued...