Ma Xiu couldn't help but say as he looked at his timid granddaughter who was taken away by the servants to rest.
"She's a poor child."
Lu Zheng said, "Bitterness comes after sweetness."
Ma Xiu froze for a moment and laughed. "You're thinking the same thing as me. Do you know what nickname I gave her?"
Lu Zheng didn't know. Ma Xiu replied, "Oil Orange."
"Oil Orange?"
Ma Xiu nodded. "Yes, Oil Orange. Eating it for a long time will make the body light and prolong life. It's bitter before sweet. It suits her."
Oil Orange blossoms in spring and produces fruit in summer. Every mid-autumn, late summer, and early autumn, Oil Orange fruits fill the branches and leaves.
It's also resistant to drought and barrenness. It's very adaptable and can be found in some mountains in the south. The fruit tastes slightly bitter before sweet.
Lu Zheng understood Ma Xiu's meaning. After a few moments of silence, he asked, "What's her name?"
"I haven't given it yet. In a place like Beiyuan … A child like her doesn't need a name. It's good enough to have a humble name." Ma Xiu was still smiling, but his smile did not reach his eyes. His eyes were cloudy and lifeless. Smiling was just a habit that he had formed for the sake of living. Seeing Lu Zheng's heavy heart, Ma Xiu thought for a while and said, "… I'll think of another one later …"
Oil Orange was just a nickname he had given her, but she couldn't bear such a nickname in the future.
Lu Zheng said, "Yes, I'll give you one. If you don't, I'll decide when I adopt her in the future. "
Ma Xiu smiled faintly and said nothing.
Lu Zheng was also a top student in Langye Academy. It was the child's fortune to have a name with his talent.
The two of them were silent for a long time. Just as Lu Zheng was about to suspect that Ma Xiu had fallen asleep, the latter suddenly talked about the past.
"I've been dreaming about my youth these days … Besides you and Lanting, how's Buqu and Ben?"
Ma Xiu hadn't mentioned these names for many years. Talking about them after so many years, he found them so familiar.
Buqu referred to Fang Zhi and Ben referred to Jiang Mo.
"Buqu used to be in Nansheng. Later, he couldn't live in seclusion anymore, so he went north to Wanzhou to find Master Yuanjing. He found a teaching job at the Golden Scale Academy. Now, his days are pretty leisurely." Lu Zheng spoke of his old friend's current situation and sighed. "Actually … Perhaps you don't know this, but the Lord supports the poor, so he has some discord with the aristocratic families. It's just that these discord haven't been brought to the surface. I was born into a landowning household, so I could still do whatever I wanted in the early years. However, my parents would eventually grow old, and the burden of the family still fell on me … In the end, we still drifted apart … "
On one side was his childhood friend, and on the other side was his family's stubborn and conservative stance. Jiang Mo didn't have the ability to stake everything on one throw.
After so many years, Jiang Mo had also changed from a chuunibyou who only loved 2D paper dolls to a shrewd clan leader.
A few months ago, Lu Zheng had gone to congratulate Jiang Mo's eldest grandson on his one-month-old birthday.
Jiang Mo was so happy that he drank too much. When he was drunk, he hugged Lu Zheng to suppress his sobs and complained about his troubles.
He wanted to stay in his teens forever so that he wouldn't have to bear the pressure of his family and the outside world. He also didn't have to go against his will to do things that he didn't like, and he didn't have to become the kind of person he hated the most when he was young. Lu Zheng didn't know how to comfort him. When he woke up the next day, Jiang Mo acted as if nothing had happened. It was as if he couldn't remember what he had said when he was drunk.
"Shaoyin, do you think Liu Lanting will kill me if I cross her bottom line?"
Lu Zheng thought about it seriously and answered, "If she still has some feelings for me, she will do it herself."
Jiang Mo laughed and cried at the same time. After a long time, he waved his hand and said tiredly, "You're right. I just hope that day doesn't come."
Lu Zheng stopped thinking, but his heart was still heavy.
At this moment, he heard Ma Xiu say, "So, among the five of us, only Lanting hasn't changed."
Lu Zheng said, "A person with a strong heart is not easily swayed by external factors."
If she didn't have such a strong heart, she wouldn't have reached her current position.
Ma Xiu had a long dream that night, not knowing if it was because what he thought about during the day would lead to his dreams at night.
This was also the most peaceful sleep he had in years.
He dreamt of Langya County's green mountains and clear waters. Jiang Mo, who still had some baby fat on his face, was fishing by a stream. The scorching sun above his head made him listless, and Fang Zhi was yawning beside him. Lu Zheng and Fang Zhi were discussing how to make the fire burn brighter.
At this moment, Jiang Mo complained.
"Why is Lanting in the future? The fish that we caught are starving … "
Ma Xiu laughed. "He's still young and likes to sleep in. Didn't you slack off when you were his age?"
Jiang Mo's face turned red with anger. "How can I slack off until late in the morning?"
As they spoke, they heard the sound of hooves approaching from the other side of the river. A figure in red and white rushed out of the dense forest on the other side of the river.
Liu Xi was dressed in a red robe, riding on the back of a tall white horse. He urged the white horse to leap across the narrow stream and landed not far from them. Jiang Mo was startled by the movement. The fish that had bitten the bait had escaped, and he angrily threw his fishing rod into the river.
"Liu Lanting!"
"Neigh!"
Liu Xi grabbed the reins and steadied the white horse. He then jumped off the horse and grabbed a few rabbits that were hanging on its back.
"Do you think that you can compensate me for my fish just because you hunted a few small animals?"
Liu Xi crossed his arms in front of his chest. "It's a toy that Mr. X keeps in his backyard. I stole it."
That bastard seemed to be the one who had embarrassed Jiang Mo a few days ago. He said that Jiang Mo was obsessed with the Fire Repelling Painting and did not know the beauty of a real person.
If Liu Xi found out that he had stolen the rabbits that he had been raising for a long time, he would be so angry that he would cry.
Jiang Mo laughed when he heard this, but the others frowned.
No matter how much he hated Liu Xi, he could not steal. If he acted recklessly now, he would get into big trouble in the future.
After being lectured by Lu Zheng, Fang Zhi, and Ma Xiu, Liu Xi could only admit that she had hunted the rabbits.
"If you hunted them, why did you say that you stole them?"
Liu Xi smiled maliciously. "I was just trying to make you happy."
Jiang Mo was infuriated.
"Liu Xi!"
Next was the barbecue. None of them were good at barbecuing, but Jiang Mo had to swallow his own.
When Liu Xi was not paying attention, Jiang Mo pushed him into the water. He ended up getting himself drenched in the water.
"You're the bane of me!"
Liu Xi laughed. "Not only am I the bane of you now, but I'll make sure that you won't be able to make a comeback in the future!"
Jiang Mo gritted his teeth in anger. "Remember this when you enter the Imperial Court in the future."
"I will. I won't forget it even if I die."
Ma Xiu could only play the peacemaker and persuade the two of them to stop fighting.
…
"Grandpa … Grandpa …"
Ma Xiu slowly opened his eyes when he heard his granddaughter's voice. He was stunned when he saw the beams on the roof.
"What time is it now …"
Ma Xiu had not slept so soundly in a long time. When he woke up, he did not know what time it was.
His granddaughter said, "It's time for lunch."
"It's already late in the morning."
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