Little Chan's hometown, Nanting Village, was a mountain village near Runzhou near Jiangning. It might not be too far after a thousand years, but the mountain roads were hard to traverse now. It would take about eight to ten hours to reach the village from Jiangning. That would be eight to ten hours, which was equivalent to a day.
Going to a funeral was a very serious matter, but in reality, there were all kinds of vulgar problems. Xiaochan was sad for her father's passing, but in reality, she was sold to the Su mansion when she was four years old. She only went back once every one or two years, so her concept of her father was not very clear.
Part of it was because she was sad for the sake of sadness. Speaking of practical problems, this time, she had to bring a lot of things back. She had to visit every family, and she had to meet all kinds of etiquettes. There were all kinds of funeral expenses, and so on. In addition, the son-in-law would accompany her home. This was the importance that the Su family placed on her. In short, there were all kinds of problems that needed to be taken care of. It was not as simple as going back to kneel down and pay respects, and burying the person.
In a sense, this return could also be counted as a return to the hometown in glory, although it was a little incompatible with the funeral. But for example, when an old man passed away, and the daughter of a big family that no one in the city had a certain status came back, the son-in-law of the big family would also come to pay his respects. It could be Housekeeper Chang or Su Tan'er. This was to thank Chan'er for what she had done, and it was also a kind of face. When people talked about the deceased, they said that he raised a good daughter, and that after he passed away, it was a grand funeral. If the deceased was still alive, he would probably have pursued these kinds of things. Of course, most of the time, we naturally did not need to be so cynical and say things so plainly.
The ways of the world, living a lifetime, these were all human nature.
After eating breakfast, they left the Su family. A young man named Dong Zhu drove the carriage in front. Guardian Geng was over forty years old this year, but he seemed calm and reliable. He used a nine-ringed broadsword and was now one of the leaders of the Su family's guardians. He had followed Su Boyong since childhood, grew up in the Su family, and worked for Su Boyong. Later, it was the Su family who arranged his marriage. He married a maid of high status in the Su mansion. Now he had two sons and could be said to be loyal to the Su family.
At this time, Guardian Geng's attitude towards Ning Yi was also very respectful because his youngest son was also studying at Yushan Academy. Ning Yi was the child's teacher. After getting on the carriage, Ning Yi greeted him and sat outside. It was not until Ning Yi called him in that he sat and chat, that he went out, that he left the space for Ning Yi and Xiaochan.
Although she hadn't slept the whole night, Xiaochan was still very energetic. Occasionally, she lifted the curtain to look outside and talk to Ning Yi. Ning Yi asked her in detail about her family situation, who her relatives were, who her neighbors were, and what elders she had.
Xiaochan was someone who was used to doing things. Last night, she had already calculated how to deal with these interpersonal relationships. In her mind, she probably let the son-in-law sit next to her and didn't have to worry too much. She could handle it herself. However, Ning Yi naturally wasn't a hothead. After talking for two hours, he roughly drew an outline in his mind. In these days, he would help Xiaochan thank some people, say some things, and give some gifts. He had an idea in mind. After all, he didn't come here just to be a decoration.
On the way out of Jiangning, they could see many pedestrians coming this way on the official road. Most of them were dressed in rags and had emaciated faces. They were similar to what Ning Yi saw when he went down the mountain and returned to the city. They weren't that scary. The first batch was considered good. Most of them had relatives to seek refuge with. It was said that in the future, floods, epidemics, and so on would really be scary. Xiaochan understood these things and whispered to Ning Yi about these things.
Then they left the official road. The traces of these disaster victims gradually burned, and the road was bumpy. At noon, they stopped for a while by the roadside, mainly to let the horses rest. She took some snacks and food that she brought along with her and ate with them, such as thousand-layer pancakes and the like. The quality of this kind of food was not bad, and it could be stored for a few days. Xiao Chan carefully brought a lot of it, mainly because she was worried that Ning Yi would not be used to the food in the countryside.
In the morning, Xiaochan and Ning Yi sat opposite each other. When they set off again, the carriage jolted, and some gift boxes in the corner rolled down. The two cleaned up for a while, and when they sat down, they were already sitting on the side. Xiaochan sat next to Ning Yi with her head down and her hands on her knees. She was a little quiet. In fact, she was thinking whether she should sit next to them or not, but there were boxes over there … Ning Yi didn't care about this. He lifted the curtain and looked outside. There were green mountains and clear waters, and there were small villages in the distance. There weren't many fields, and overall, it still looked desolate.
"Xiaochan, you didn't sleep well last night. There may be a lot of things to do when we arrive at night. Take a nap in the carriage, but it's a little too bumpy …"
Since Ning Yi said so, Xiaochan nodded and closed her eyes, trying to sleep. After all, she was tired. After a while, she turned her head and slowly rested it on Ning Yi's arm.
The mountain road was difficult to walk on. After a few more bumps and bumps, Ning Yi turned his body sideways and held her shoulders to let her lie on his lap to sleep. He gently patted her shoulder. In a place where Ning Yi couldn't see, Xiaochan opened her eyes and blinked in surprise. She felt two pats from Ning Yi, and then slowly closed her eyes. She slept on her side on the carriage seat, using Ning Yi's right leg as her pillow. After a while, she moved her legs up. It was midsummer, and the young girl was wearing a thin white shirt as she slept quietly. Her curves were soft, slender, and pure.
She slept quietly like this, and only woke up when they were about to arrive at Nanting Village. She blushed and tidied her hair, which was messed up because of her sleep. Ning Yi rubbed his numb thigh. Seeing this, Xiaochan quietly lowered her head and leaned over. She knelt beside Ning Yi's leg and massaged it for him.
After a while, they arrived at the village. They got out of the carriage, and then there were many social engagements and greetings.
Today was already the third day of Xiaochan's father's funeral. After all, it was summer, and the burial couldn't be delayed. Xiaochan was theoretically a woman sold by her family. It was possible that the family didn't give her leave, and they wouldn't wait for her to come back to start the funeral. As soon as they entered the village, they could see the shed in front of the village hall. Several of Xiaochan's relatives and her brother and sister-in-law had already come to greet them.
In the past, they had heard Xiaochan introduce her family, father and mother. Now that her father had passed away, her brother had married the most beautiful woman in the neighboring village, a younger brother had starved to death when she was a child, and she had been sold into the Su family. Xiaochan's father's surname was Xu, but Xiaochan had entered the Su mansion at the age of four. She didn't have an official name, and she didn't use the surname Xu. Her brother could be called Xu Dalang.
Because Xiaochan worked in the Su mansion, the Xu family's financial situation was good. They could be considered well-off in the village, and the funeral could be called grand. There was no shortage of musicians, monks, and Taoist priests. There were also many people who came. In a rural area, this could be considered grand. Xiaochan was the source of this grand scene. As soon as she came back, many people came over to greet her. There were aunts, villagers, and so on.
It wasn't snobbish. In the simple and honest countryside, everyone was curious about Xiaochan, who worked in a wealthy family in the city. Xiaochan also greeted these people and introduced Ning Yi. Then Ning Yi also went over to get to know them. He said some polite words, such as thanking them for taking care of Xiaochan's family, or that Xiaochan was very important in the mansion, and so on and so forth. Hearing that he was the son-in-law of the Su Family, everyone was astonished. Some said that Xiao Chan had met a good master, or that the Xu Family had good fortune, and so on. It was mostly these kinds of comments. After all, as a rich family, being able to accompany a servant home for a funeral, this was really a big deal. Some said that Xiaochan became a servant girl, which was equivalent to Ning Yi's concubine, and that she would be a mistress in the future — in short, this was also part of a good life …
Xiaochan looked young, but in fact, she had seen a lot of things. She was quite good at controlling the scene, adjusting the atmosphere, and so on. At this time, she didn't expect that Ning Yi would do a series of greetings and greetings so well. This time, Ning Yi came over seriously and didn't say a word, which was considered to be the face of the family. In this day and age, people in the countryside would only say that people were rich or people of status, and they felt that it was natural. At this time, he responded appropriately and said some good words. Others were flattered and kept saying that the girl had followed a good master and so on.
After that, he met with Xiaochan's mother, and the funeral was carried out. After that, there was a banquet, and basically, there were not many greetings and social interactions. At night, Xiaochan wore mourning clothes and knelt in the mourning hall with her mother. In fact, Ning Yi didn't request to appear all the time. Although there was also a troupe of opera singers in the mourning hall, it was really nothing for him to see. Xiaochan's brother and sister-in-law had already arranged a room for him to stay in. However, he still came out and had a chat with a few elders in the village and some well-known people, and helped Xiaochan to socialize and so on.
There wasn't much entertainment in the countryside. In the mourning hall, there were performances, idle chatter, and some people would stay up all night, but the social interaction needed was enough after a certain extent. At nine o 'clock in the morning, Ning Yi returned to his room and prepared to change the dressing on his hand, freshen up, and sleep. However, not long after he returned to his room, Xiaochan also came over with a basin and a handkerchief. The noise from the mourning hall came over, but the courtyard here seemed quiet. Xiaochan had changed into a white dress, and her hair was a little wet, with a slight fragrance. She came over to change the dressing for Ning Yi as if she was still in Jiangning.
"Is it okay to come out at this time?"
"It's okay. Mother, brother, and sister-in-law are over there, and we don't really have to stay the whole night … Mother also asked me to come over …" She lowered her head and skillfully removed the bandages for Ning Yi. Her voice gradually became a little soft, but her hands didn't stop moving.
"The villagers in the village are all very good."
"They are the ones who say that the son-in-law is good …"
She spoke softly and skillfully, just like in Jiangning, changed the bandages for Ning Yi, washed his face, and so on … After going in and out a few times, she went in and out of the room with a basin of water. The sound of Xiaochan pouring water came from the corridor outside, and there was laughter coming from afar. Ning Yi walked to the window and opened it. When he felt the cool night breeze blowing over, he sat on the edge of the bed, and the door opened again.
Xiaochan came in with her head lowered and silently closed the door. She glanced at Ning Yi and slowly walked to the bedside. Under the white dress, her chest slightly rose and fell. Her fingers tugged at the corner of the dress, and she bit her lips hesitantly.
"Grand-son-in-law, Xiaochan … Xiaochan will sleep here tonight, is it okay …"
That voice was as soft as a mosquito …
Ning Yi looked at her, slightly puzzled, and then seemed to understand something. He sighed slightly and smiled, "No." He pointed to the door, "Go out, go back to your own room to sleep."
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